Behind Amber Eyes
by x-The Devil's Advocate-x
Summary: When Vector forms Team Chaotix, little does he know the drama he's getting himself into. With Charmy and Espio around, there's never a quiet moment. However, things aren't all just fun and games for the three detectives. Espio is hiding a dark secret and Vector is determined to get it out of him. Will Vector succeed or will Espio always remain a mystery to him? VectorxEspio
1. The Idea

**Hello all! I decided to start another Sonic fic because this idea came to me and I love Team Chaotix. Anyways, this story is basically going to be about Team Chaotix and the interactions/relationships between all three members. I'm going to add some dark stuff to some of the chapters, so this probably will not be just a happy, light-hearted fic. However, if you like Team Chaotix, please read and review! This first chapter is in Vector's POV. I'm planning on alternating POVs between him and Espio. I've not played any of the Sonic games other than Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, so I apologize if anyone seems out of character. Vector is extremely hard to write (at least for me he was). Let me know what you think of this!  
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**Chapter I  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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Beep, beep, beep! The irritating blare of my alarm clock screeches in my ear from what seems like miles away even though I know the stupid thing is only inches from my bed. More asleep than awake, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to block out the shrieking of the alarm clock. Sure, there's a reason why I set the alarm clock in the first place, but I decide to ignore it for as long as possible. Now what was I dreaming about again? Oh yeah, Miss Vanilla, a cream colored rabbit with big, brown eyes and a heart-warming smile. 'Course, I don't actually know Miss Vanilla personally. I just saw her in the park one day and couldn't stop staring at her. She left the park much too soon and before I could work up the nerve to talk to her.

Beep! The alarm clock's prattle continues on, ruining the image of Miss Vanilla that I have been creating in my head. Gritting my teeth together, I open one slitted eye and give the alarm clock a vicious glare as I eye it murderously from where I'm lying in my bed, preferring to sleep here all day than actually get up and work. A final shriek out of the alarm clock makes me want to throw the dumb thing across the room.

"Argh," I hiss, throwing the thin light purple colored blanket off of myself and sitting up in the bed. "Shut up already!"

I grab the alarm clock, turn it off with unnecessary force, and slam it back down on the dusty nightstand, causing everything else on the nightstand to rattle from the force. Not happy to have been jerked out of my dream about Miss Vanilla, I fold my arms and make no move to get out of the bed.

'Course, I really do _have_ to get out of the bed sooner or later and procrastinating isn't gonna do me much good. See, I just moved out of my parent's house. Being twenty and all, I figured it was about time that I leave home and start a life of my own. I dunno if my parents were happy to see me leave or not. I'd say they were having mixed emotions when I left. On the one hand, I think they're pretty glad to have me out of their hair. Er, crocodiles don't have hair, but ya get the point. On the other hand, my parents are convinced that I won't be able to make a living for myself. They gave me a bit of cash to get started on, but believe me, cash seems to disappear a lot faster than it comes in. That's why I need ta get a job.

A job doesn't sound all that exciting, but it's just one of those necessities, I guess. Without a job, I'll end up crawling back to my parents by the end of the week. There's no way I'll be doin' that. I just left and I don't want to see the look on my father's face when I show up at his doorstep with my face lowered in shame. I heard him makin' a bet with my mother just before I left. He thought I could last three days on my own. Mother said she thought I could last a week at the most. Hmph, I'll show them a thing or two about how I can handle my own business!

I guess in order to start up my own business, I'm actually gonna have to get out of bed. Sighing melodramatically, I swing myself out of the bed and land on the floor with a loud thud.

"Hey, keep it down up there!" a sharp voice yells from below the floor.

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter, rolling my eyes as I drag my feet across the dirty carpet.

The first thing I did after leaving home was find myself an apartment of my very own. The only apartment I can afford a room at is in the cheapest, dirtiest apartment in town. Cleanliness doesn't matter much to me though. I'm just glad to be livin' somewhere on my own away from my parents.

Living in an apartment isn't all fun and games though. You have to take the good with the bad. For example, there's the little matter of the neighbors. I have neighbors on my left and right and neighbors above my room and below my room. The neighbor below my room is a grouchy echidna who always tramps around with his arms crossed and a look on his face that makes you think he's out for blood.

Not making an effort to be any quieter, I trudge to the mirror on the opposite side of my little apartment and glance in it sleepily. Today, I'm gonna go out and find myself a job. Knowing that nobody will hire me when I look half-asleep, I blink rapidly and give myself a toothy grin. My bright green scales shine in the mirror and even my teeth sparkle. Say, I don't look half bad.

More confident than I was two seconds ago, I yank my white gloves over my hands and pull a heavy gold chain around my neck. I adjust it to perfection and give myself another dashing grin in the mirror, wondering if it might catch the eye of someone like Miss Vanilla.

_Alright, idiot_, I tell myself. _You're never gonna catch the eye of someone like Miss Vanilla unless you get yerself a job!_

Cramming my feet into my large black shoes, I stomp across the room - mostly for the sake of annoying the echidna in the room below me - and then come to a sudden halt. I can't just go out lookin' for a job without any ideas of a job I might want to get. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs out there.

I cross the room and give myself an excuse to slouch in the chair behind the ancient-looking desk next to the bed. The wood is dull and chipped in places, making me wonder if a beaver stayed in this room before me. I tap my fingers on the desk and try to think of a job that might not be all that torturous. Nothing comes to mind. I stare blankly in front of myself and start thinking about...Miss Vanilla again.

"Damn, not her _again_! Focus! Ya need to get yerself a job. Now how're you gonna do that?" I ask myself aloud, trying to force Miss Vanilla out of my head for the time being.

I spot my headphones lying on the table inches from me and instantly perk up. Grabbing them, I jam the headphones over my ears and crank up the volume of my music. Music always helps me concentrate. Who knows? It might help me come up with a job idea.

Two minutes later, a brilliant idea comes to me. Feeling as if a burned out light bulb has just lit up inside my head, I realize what I want to do for a job! It probably sounds dumb, but I've wanted to start my very own detective agency since I was just a little kid. My parents laughed at the idea and figured it would go away. But as time went on, I never lost interest in the idea. Even today, the prospect of being a real detective who's sent on important missions makes a grin spread across my face.

Without a doubt in my mind, I decide that I'm gonna start my very own detective agency. This won't be easy, but I'm willin' to put some work into it. I really ought to make a list of things to do for myself so I can get this plan rolling.

Spying some paper and a pen nearby, I drag the paper in front of me and hold the pen firmly in my fist. Step number one to creating is detective agency is finding some buddies to work with. I can't run a detective agency all on my own. That certainly won't work. So how am I going to find myself some fellow detectives?

I turn up my music's volume another few notches, hoping that it will help me come up with another great idea. Just as before, the music doesn't fail me and another brilliant idea comes to mind. I'll put up a want ad and explain my situation, telling everyone how I'm in need of some fellow detectives.

Without delay, I start scrawling on the paper in front of me, writing down the important things for my want ad. By the time I get done with it, it ends up saying, "Wanted: Detectives for Vector's Detective Agency. Interested? Call 515-339-6575."

It's simple, but straight to the point. I'm not sure I like the name "Vector's Detective Agency", but once I get myself a team, they can help me come up with a better name for the group. Right now, I just need to worry about gettin' myself the team. That means I need to go to town as soon as possible.

I scoot the chair away from the desk and cringe as it makes a loud screeching sound. I've gotta admit that I'm surprised when I don't hear more banging from the room below me. My neighbor must be out if he's not yellin' at me to keep it down up here again.

I'm halfway towards the door when I'm forced to stop and retrace my steps back to my desk. I pick up my large wad of duck tap lying idly on the desk and then proceed back towards the door. You've gotta have tape if you want to hang something.

This time, I actually make it out the door and into the hallway of the apartment. The paint on the walls are chipped, everything is covered with a thick layer of dust, and even the windows are cracked. It doesn't bother me much though. I keep my headphones on and close my eyes as I bob my head up and down in time to the music, feeling elated about my detective agency. If all goes well, we could have this thing up and rolling by tomorrow evening!

I open my eyes again just in time and realize that I've almost walked smack into a wall. Oops. Sometimes it's a little too easy to get carried away when yer listening to music. Spotting the elevator to my right, I turn towards it and hit the down button. I wait impatiently until the elevator opens up in front of me. I stride within it and knock my fist into the button that will bring me to the lobby. The elevator doors close silently and I start to descend downwards.

Glancing around myself, I notice that there's a grouchy looking hedgehog standing on the opposite side of the elevator. He's sending my headphones a dirty look. The idiot must not like my music. Too bad for him. I wonder if the guy is related to my crabby echidna neighbor.

The elevator finally comes to a halt at the lobby and the hedgehog practically flies out of it. I can't help but chuckle to myself as I stride at my own leisurely pace out of the elevator and into the lobby. The lobby is very dim because apparently the owners of the place are too cheap to pay for lighting in here. Light or no light, I don't really care. I continue on my way out of the apartment door and am practically blinded when I step outside into the sunlight.

I throw an arm over my eyes and stand still for a moment, trying to get myself to adjust to the cloudless sunny day. The warm sun beats down on my back, a little too hot for my taste. As a reptile, I need to keep my scales moist or else suffer from severe dehydration.

After my eyes have adjusted to the scorching glare of the sun, I remove my arm from in front of my face and start down the sidewalk purposefully, humming along to my music as I go. The streets are always busy this time of day. Rabbits skip hand in hand across the street, hedgehogs chatter to one another in front of a gigantic grocery store, and a familiar blue hedgehog and a smiling fox can be seen from not too far away. Those two would be Sonic and Tails, a friendly two-some who I've seen around from time to time.

Catching sight of the local bulletin board where everyone hangs up their want ads, I stop directly in front of it and slam my want ad up on a blank space of the bulletin board. After pulling a few inches of tape off of the roll, I use my teeth to tear it off. After firmly taping my ad to the bulletin board, I step back to admire my handiwork, not noticin' that everyone else's ads are hung up by pins, not duct tape.

"Hey there, Vector! How's it going?" the familiar voice of Sonic the hedgehog sounds nearby.

I turn and catch sight of him walking by with Tails. I wave and reply, "Not too bad! I'm startin' my own detective agency. Wassup on your end?"

"Not much. Uh oh..." Sonic suddenly groans, looking over his shoulder. I follow his gaze and catch sight of Amy Rose, the girl who purses Sonic left and right, coming towards us. Giving me a rueful smile, Sonic adds, "I've gotta run! See you later, Vector!"

I wave and laugh inwardly as Sonic and Tails sprint down the street away from Amy. As I look across the street again, my eyes suddenly fall onto someone very familiar. A cream-colored rabbit wearing a long dress is casually walking down the sidewalk opposite me with a pleasant smile on her face. It's Miss Vanilla!

I immediately stand up straight and force what I hope appears to be a charming smile on my face. When Miss Vanilla doesn't look in my direction, I scan around, trying to find a way to get her to look over at me. Amy Rose is nearby and so I decide to use her as an excuse to try and get Miss Vanilla's attention.

"'Ello, Miss Rose!" I call much too loudly. "Beautiful day, ain't it?"

Amy turns and gives me a strange look. Amy and I have never been on good terms. I dunno if I come off as intimidating to her or if she just doesn't like alligators. Either way, Amy ignores me and continues her quest of catchin' up to Sonic. By the time I look back to Miss Vanilla, she's turned the corner and is out of sight.

Sighing, I turn glumly back towards my apartment, realizing that I've lost my chance of getting to talk to her. Oh well. I might see her around some other time. Besides, the most important thing right now is getting my detective agency started. Without money, I've got nothin' to offer Miss Vanilla.

Little do I know that I'm about to get wrapped up in a whole lot more than just a detective agency in the following weeks. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is yet to be seen.

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_Review please! :)_


	2. My Past

**Alicia: Aw, thanks! Well, this chapter will be in Espio's POV. Who's your favorite member of Team Chaotix? Oh, and will you be on skype in a few minutes? :)  
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**LuluCalliope: Thanks! I can always count on you and Alicia to read my random crap, haha. xD And I get the hint. ;P I promise to start working on it as soon as I get out of this little depression thing I've got going right now.  
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**zgirl16: Awesome! I'm so glad you like it so far! I like Esp too. xD What do you like about him? I love his voice. It's just amazing, hehe. I hope you keep reading!  
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**Chapter II  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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"I did it! I did it!" an exhilarated, high-pitched voice practically screams from right outside my bedroom door.

Flinching, I roll over in bed and cram my pillow over my head, hoping to muffle the voice from the other room. I've told Charmy Bee perhaps a hundred times not to play his video games before eight am. Does he ever listen to me? No. I know he's just a kid, but enough is enough sometimes. If I let him, he would stay up and play video games all throughout the night.

As a chameleon, I suppose it's a rather odd thing that I'm living with a six-year-old bee. After all, you'd expect me to live with my family or with other chameleons. I'm what you'd call the exception, the one who never quite fit in with the rest of the group. Truth be told, I've feel more at home living in this small, cozy house with Charmy than I did back when I was living with my grandmother, mother, and cousin about a year ago. It feels as if so many things have changed since then. My world has been flipped right-side-up once more and not once have I looked back.

Don't get me wrong, I've always loved my mother and my grandmother even though grandmother constantly forgets my name and calls me Evan instead of Espio. Mother is a kind soul who has a warm heart and opens her arms to everyone. Grandmother is obviously forgetful, but besides for that, she's always been an essential part of the family. My father died when I was still in my egg. Mother used to tell me that he died working undercover for a detective agency. Ever since then, I've wanted to fight for what's right and continue my father's work.

My early years were pleasant enough. Mother raised me well for a single parent. She taught me the skills every chameleon needs to know and she also taught me basic etiquette. I learned to be soft-spoken, calm, and how to be a leader. I'm known to be a little hotheaded at times, but that's only when things really upset me...like Charmy playing his annoying games at two am in the morning.

I never made friends easily, but I did manage to get a job at a nearby cafe when I was just thirteen years of age. Mother worked part-time, but her salary wasn't enough to support herself, grandmother, and me. I don't like or dislike my work, but it does pay the bills. Life was never easy for the three of us, but we always managed somehow. All of that changed when my aunt died though.

Chameleons tend to be very family-oriented creatures. We have lots of family reunions and get-togethers. Everyone knows each other from second cousins to great, great grandmothers. My cousin, Bryce, is exactly two years older than me. He's tall for a chameleon and towers about a foot above me. His scales are a shade of burgundy so dark that he appears black at first glance. As an adolescent, I always looked up to him and thought he would be a good role model for me. Turns out I was wrong. _Very _wrong.

The first time I really got to know Bryce was at my aunt's birthday party, two months before she died. Don't ask me why, but the party ended up being held at our house instead of at my aunt's home. The whole family was invited to the occasion. There were at least twenty chameleons crowded in our rather small home. Loud music was blaring from the radio, groups of chameleons were chatting, and others were gorging themselves on my mother's delectable cooking. Mother works at a bakery and believe me, her work there has paid off to those of us who live with her.

I had been leaning up against the wall, minding my own business and tapping my foot absentmindedly to the music. I was never one to force myself into a group of people and preferred standing alone to yammering on and on like some of my aunts and uncles do. It was then while I was standing by myself that I felt a hard gaze on me. Curious, I raised my eyes and flicked them in the direction of the heavy stare. When I saw it was Bryce looking at me, my heart leaped and my chest swelled with pride. I felt proud to have his approval, to be the only one in the room he appeared interested in.

Of course, I had never exactly spoken to Bryce before. All I knew was that he looked like a tough kind of guy, someone who always got his way and someone to look up to. I soon learned that Bryce always does get his way. Anyways, I was too shy to approach him and stayed where I was, glancing over at the older chameleon from under my eyelids.

Looking back, I think the reason I wanted Bryce's approval and friendship so much was because he was everything I wasn't. I was younger than him, much shorter, and much more slender. My scales are a pink-purple shade, more feminine than masculine. Nobody had ever teased me about this before, but I still couldn't help but wish that I looked like Bryce instead of like me.

After a few more minutes of unabashed staring, Bryce made his way over to me. When he leaned down, I found myself in his shadow, his bright red eyes staring into my amber ones. A twisted smile flicked across his mouth as he murmured, "Say, are there any other rooms in this house? It's starting to get too crowded in here for my tastes."

"There's my room. It's small, but empty," I replied in my calm, even voice.

"Perfect," Bryce breathed softly, his hand seizing my wrist in an iron grip. I could smell something a lot like alcohol on his breath as he added, "Which way is it?"

"See the door to your left? That's my room," I explained.

No sooner had the words left my lips than Bryce had started dragging me across the living room, through the chattering chameleons, and finally to my bedroom. He kicked the door open, pulled me inside, and slammed the door shut. I leaned against the bedpost and watched him curiously, never having spoken to my older cousin before today.

Bryce assessed me quickly, his eyes running over me as if I was something to purchase, not as a living creature. I started to feel a bit uneasy then, but told myself that I was just being paranoid and that I needed to relax. I should have followed my instincts, but I didn't.

Bryce crossed the room and got in my face, his hot breath on my neck and his red eyes a little to close to mine as he asserted, "You're small, but kinda cute. More girly than all the other chameleons in the family. What's your name?"

"I'm not a girl," I commented, a warning tone in my voice as I crossed my arms over my chest and added, "It's Espio."

"Hm. That's kinda cute too. It fits you," Bryce said, taking another step closer to me, which in turn caused me to step backwards. "How old are you, Espio?"

"Fourteen," I replied, my bad feeling suddenly intensifying as he took another step towards me.

"Perfect," Bryce whispered, a wicked glint in his eyes as he suddenly pushed me up against the wall. Suddenly, his hands were all over me, exploring all the parts of my body.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, giving him a look like he was a madman. To me, he was.

"Shut up. You'll like this," Bryce whispered back, his spittle landing on my face and his hot breath making me feel as if I was suffocating.

Before I could protest or say another word, Bryce practically attacked me. He backed me up against the bed and pushed me onto it before he fell on top of me, his body hot and heavy against mine. I could have cried out, but I chose not to. The music in the other room was too loud and the others were too distracted to know or care what was going on behind the closed door. I let Bryce take what he wanted from me and stayed deadly still on the bed even after Bryce had given me a final smirk and stepped out of the door.

Later that night, my mother came in to chastise me for not saying goodbye to my relatives. I took her scolding without a word and hung my head shamefully. I didn't feel like I could look anyone in the eye ever again. Mother left and to this day, she still doesn't know what happened between Bryce and me. I was the one who meticulously washed the blood off of the sheets and kept the incident buried deep within me.

Things would have been bearable, but when my aunt died, Bryce went straight to my mother and asked her if he could stay with our family since he supposedly had no other place to go. Unsuspecting and kind, mother opened our home up to Bryce. She set up another bed in my room and told me that Bryce would be sharing the room with me. I tried to protest, but she told me to stop being selfish. Bryce moved in the next day, but he never used the bed mother set up for him.

Days turned into weeks of an unending hellish nightmare for me. I spent longer and longer hours at work, doing everything possible to avoid Bryce. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay out forever and eventually came home every night. Bryce was always waiting for me to return. He became the demon living inside my very own bedroom. I was his victim for everything and anything. I was always there for him whether he wanted to punch me or slam me against the mattress.

Mother started asking about the bruises that started showing up just after Bryce moved in with us, but I always just told her that they were a result of my clumsiness. Mother never seemed to remember that I am anything _but _clumsy and she never made the connection between the angry purple marks on my body and Bryce.

Finally, I got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. Late one night, I slipped into the living room, took just a bit of money, and left the house once and for all. I never looked back. I bought myself a small house that I could afford with the money I was making from the cafe. Being on my own didn't make me any happier though. The bruises faded slowly and the scars remained.

I was on my way to the grocery store two weeks later when I just so happened to run into Charmy Bee on my way across the street. In a bit of a hurry, I hadn't been watching where I was going and had practically slammed right on into him. I immediately apologized, murmuring, "I'm sorry. I'm usually not so careless."

"It's alright! I run into people all the time," Charmy replied in a bubbly voice, not seeming to have minded our collision at all.

I nodded and started on my way down the street again. Charmy followed after me and asked curiously, "So where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Just to the grocery store. I have a few things to pick up. I'm out of ideas for dinner," I explained absentmindedly, continuing my steady trek down the road.

"Cool!" Charmy exclaimed, still following me along. "What are you going to make for dinner?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'll probably bake a pizza," I replied.

"I_ love _pizza!" Charmy bubbled, grinning from ear to ear. "Can I help you shop?"

I hadn't minded Charmy tagging along behind me so far, but at his next question, I stopped and gave him a funny look. Listening to him chatter is one thing, but having a young bee following me around all day is quite another thing. Raising an eyebrow at him, I inquired, "Aren't your parents going to wonder where you are?"

"No. I haven't got any parents. I'm all on my own," Charmy shrugged.

It's one thing for me to be living alone at sixteen, but it is quite another thing for Charmy to be on his own at age six. I immediately gave him my permission to follow me around the grocery store. Charmy responded with an excited, "Oh boy!" and trailed me around excitedly for the next hour. I wasn't very good company, but Charmy didn't seem to mind. At the end of the grocery store trip, I invited Charmy to come to my modest home for supper. The bee immediately accepted, looking like he had been hoping all along to be invited to dinner.

All during supper, I found that I enjoyed Charmy's company. His little antics and constant babble kept me from slipping into darker parts of myself. I've always known that I'm not exactly a typical parental figure, but I figured that living with me was better than living on his own. I invited Charmy to stay with him. Do you know what his answer was?

"YESSSSSSSSS!"

From then on, Charmy and I have lived together in this little house. Charmy visits his friends and plays his video games (yes, I spoiled him by buying him a gaming system that I'm starting to regret purchasing) while I work at the cafe during the day. At night, we regroup at our home and eat our supper and watch TV. Charmy always has a joke to share with me or wants to tell me about his day. Even though I get annoyed with Charmy probably ten times a day, I owe a lot to him. Looking after him has given me a purpose in my life. It's made me come to believe that I'm more than just a punching bag or a soulless body. Now, I don't think I could stand to be separated from Charmy.

Still though, I find I long for something more in life. There's something missing that I need to find. Little do I know that I'll finally get the final piece of my soul back later today, the day that Charmy and I become involved in something called Team Chaotix.

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_So...I decided to give Esp a bit of a tragic back story. We'll blame that on my depression. Review please! :)  
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	3. Phone Calls

**ShadowChaotix: Aw, thank you so much for all the kind words! I've been so nervous about keeping everyone in character and all that with this fic. I'm so glad that you liked the descriptions and both Vector's and Espio's stories. Haha, same here, it's almost torturous to have to listen to Vector lust over Vanilla at times. Thanks so much for putting this on your following list! It means so much to me! :D**

**Cosmictruffle: I know I already PM'd you, but thanks again for your reviews. I love them!**

**Alicia: They're my favorites too! Have you seen them in any of the games or TV episodes? I'll be on skype in a few minutes if you want to talk!  
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**LuluCalliope: Things have started to look up...let's just hope they actually stay that way and that my mom stops bothering me about that damn research paper I told you about. xD I love Espio too! I'm adding him to my collection of Sonic guys that I must have. ;P Sleet can be all yours! And yeah, send me some episodes. That would be awesome!  
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**zgirl16: There's something special about Espio's voice; nobody can deny it! So fuchsia is your favorite color then? :) I love Esp's personality too. He's just awesome. And yay for staying up late! I usually stay up until close to two am or so. What about you? xD  
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**Chapter III  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I'm almost able to drift back off to sleep when I hear another loud whoop from the room adjacent to my bedroom. Gritting my teeth together, I pull on the edges of my pillow so that it's placed even more firmly over my head. Unfortunately, my efforts to block myself from Charmy's excited screams don't do me much good since the bedroom door whips open a moment later and and none other than Charmy himself invades my privacy with a huge grin on his face.

"Guess what?" Charmy exclaims, flying over to my bed and hovering in the air only a few inches away from my pillow.

Seeing that I'm never going to get any rest with this buzzing bee flitting up and down by my ear, I toss my pillow off of my head and roll from my stomach to my back so I can face Charmy. Raising a sleepy eyebrow at him, I point out, "What did I say about not playing video games this early in the morning?"

"Oh. Sorry, Espio," Charmy apologizes, looking quite sincere despite the fact that he'll probably play his video game tomorrow morning again. "Guess what though? I just beat level nine on the 'Chaos Invasion' game! Can you believe it? It took me three whole days to complete that level!"

"Wow. Three days," I echo sarcastically, still blinking sleepily as I stretch my arms over my head.

"Yup, three whole days!" Charmy beams, not detecting my sarcasm and looking quite proud of himself for beating level nine on his game. Charmy buzzes over even closer to me and asks as if it should be an obvious thing, "So are you going to get up? You said that you would bring me to the park to play with Cream today."

Cream is a young, brown-eyed rabbit Charmy's exact age. I'm not exactly sure how they became friends, but I do know that they're the very best of friends and that Charmy spends most of his free time with her. I'm curious to see how things will play out when they get older. Perhaps Cream will become Charmy's girlfriend. Who knows?

Suddenly remembering something, I frown and reply, "I can't bring you to the park today, Charmy. I have to go to work. Can't you go to the park by yourself? It's not so far away."

"Uh, look at the calender, genius," Charmy states, pointing to the calender hanging to the left of my bed. Suppressing a yawn, I twist myself under the sheets so I can peer up at the wall. I locate the date and notice that it's Sunday, my only day off from work. Charmy continues on, "You work too hard! All you ever think about is work and now you're starting to forget what day of the week it is!"

"Working at the cafe is the only way I can make money to support myself and you as well," I point out, finally forcing myself to sit up in bed. "Unless you want to live out on the streets, I wouldn't complain about my work if I were you."

"Okay, okay, I didn't think you'd get so offended," Charmy rolls his eyes at me as he continues hovering in the air, clearly waiting for me to get up.

Sighing, I roll out of bed and land nimbly on the floor. I ease my white gloves with the large black cuffs over my hands, but not before Charmy notices the mangled flesh around my wrists. He stares at the skin there in distaste and curiosity. I give him no explanation of why the skin there is scarred and instead slide my feet into my violet shoes with the black straps. After taking a few quick steps towards the bedroom door, I push it open and call to Charmy, "I thought you were in a hurry."

"Oh, right. I _am _in a hurry," Charmy replies although he seems to have lost his energy from earlier as he flies after me out the door.

Our modest home isn't very large and has only three rooms inside it. There's my bedroom, Charmy's slightly smaller bedroom, and then the parlor, which is split into the living room and the kitchen by a TV. Decorating has never been one of my talents and I lack the money to separate the rooms with anything other than the television at the moment. Perhaps someday I'll have enough money to do some refurnishing, but for now, I'm satisfied with this home as long as it stays neat and clean.

I push open the door to the house and am greeted by a sunny fall day. Charmy flies out of the house behind me, but he is still lacking his normal vigor. His face is scrunched up and I can tell he's thinking hard about something. It will only be a few minutes before whatever is bothering him comes spilling out. That's just the way it is with Charmy. He can never keep his feelings bottled up for long.

Surprisingly enough, Charmy manages to hold his tongue for an astonishing five minutes, probably a record for him, before he turns to me hesitantly and queries, "Espio, can I ask you something?"

"Yes," I sigh resignedly as I step briskly along the sidewalk, keeping my head down for the most part and sending suspicious glances out from under my eyelids at anyone who passes by too close to me. Turning my full attention to Charmy, I ask, "What is it?"

"Um, well..." Charmy starts out almost awkwardly before he asks all in a rush, "What happened to your wrists? I know you wear those big cuffs only because you don't want anyone to see them."

A cold chill that has nothing to do with the sudden breeze runs down my spine. Sighing, I lie, "I accidentally burned them in a cooking incident. I've told you before I'm the worst cook on the planet."

"I remember that," Charmy nods. "Are you okay though? They look like they hurt."

"They did," I admit, being truthful this time. "Now they're just memories though."

"Oh, okay. As long as they don't hurt anymore," Charmy says optimistically, returning to his cheery self.

I smile darkly inwardly, wishing that the marks had been from a burning incident and not from being pinned down on the bed night after night by my despicable cousin. I still remember the feeling of my hands turning numb after the nights when Bryce decided to handcuff me with a pair of cuffs that were far too tight and dug and tore into my flesh. They weren't the fuzzy type of handcuffs intended for lovemaking couples. Oh no, they were real, metal cuffs meant to bite into my skin and cause me pain along with everything else Bryce inflicted upon me. Of course, Charmy will never know about this. I will fulfill the duty of being a proper parental figure to him. I'm going to keep Charmy protected from the evils of this world until he's ready to handle them.

I'm so lost in my thoughts, that I take a good ten steps forwards without realizing that I've lost Charmy. Damn, where has that little bee gone off to now? I stop in my tracks and look swiftly from right to left. No Charmy. Wondering if maybe he's flown up ahead, I squint into the distance. Still no Charmy.

"Espio! You've gotta come see this!" a voice gushes from behind me.

Turning around, I see that Charmy is hovering in front of the bulletin board hung on the side of a large stone building. Charmy has a tendency to get sidetracked much too often. Tapping my foot and folding my arms, I point out, "I thought you wanted to go to the park, not stare at the bulletin board all day."

"Well, duh," Charmy replies, still not moving as he waves his arm at me frantically, "But you should see this first!"

Figuring that Charmy is looking at an ad for a new video game, I sigh and reluctantly trudge back over to where Charmy is still looking eagerly at the bulletin board. I scan the board and see lots of random papers hung up all over it. Glancing at Charmy, I ask, "Just what is it that you wanted me to see?"

"This! Look at _this_!" Charmy flies to the right a few inches, jabbing a finger at a paper hung in the center of the board.

The first thing I notice about the paper is that it's been duct taped to the bulletin board. For some reason, this makes me want to laugh. Really, who duct tapes a paper to a bulletin board? Lip curling, I read the crude handwriting on the paper. It's a want ad that says "Wanted: Detectives for Vector's Detective Agency. Interested? Call 515-339-6575". I'll admit that the ad immediately sparks my interest. Ever since I was young, I wanted to be an undercover agent or spy. Becoming a detective sounds very appealing, but what about my stable job at the cafe? My life has finally gotten itself together. I don't really need more turmoil and stress right now.

Charmy, on the other hand, is too young to worry about things like stress. In fact, he's so elated that he's taken to buzzing in circles around my head, causing me to get dizzy just from watching him. Grinning from ear to ear, he points out, "Isn't this great? You've always said that you wanted to be a detective! Let's call the phone number!"

"I said I wanted to be an undercover agent," I point out, trying to buy myself time to think this through.

Charmy gives me a puzzled look and asks, "Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's close enough, I suppose," I reply, still unsure of what to do at this point. I could take a risk, call the phone number, and pursue my dream job. However, all of that could end up backfiring on me and I could end up in a big mess without any sort of job at all.

"What are you waiting for then?" Charmy asks impatiently. "Let's call the number and join the detective agency!"

"I don't know about this. I smell trouble," I point out suspiciously. Ever since my encounters with Bryce, I've been much more wary in general. Giving the piece of paper a closer look, I add, "Besides, who uses duct tape to post an ad on a bulletin board? Also, look at this handwriting. What do you see?"

Charmy squints at the writing, not noticing the messy, childlike scrawl. Shrugging, he guesses, "Words?"

"No. Look at the handwriting. It looks as if the letter have been written by a child. It could all just be a scam and if we call that number, we'll have fallen right into it. I won't be seen for a fool. Come on. Let's go to the park to visit Cream," I press, turning on my heel and started back down the sidewalk again. To my chagrin, Charmy remains hovering in front of the ad.

"Aw, please call the number!" Charmy whines loudly, causing a few hedgehogs passing by on the opposite side of the road to turn faintly interested looks in our direction. Before I can tell Charmy to quiet down, he takes to pleading, "Please, please, _please_?"

Mainly because I don't want to be the cause of a commotion, I sigh and throw up my hands in defeat before replying, "Alright. I'll call the number, but if this is all just a joke..."

"It won't be a joke," Charmy cuts me off as he zips happily ahead of me back towards our house, murmuring, "Oh boy, I have got a really good feeling about this!"

_And I have a really bad feeling about this_, I think to myself as I start after Charmy.

Despite my suspicion about this detective agency, I can't deny that just a little part of me is a bit excited. I am curious to see if just maybe this Vector is actually serious about running a detective agency. If so, I could get out of my eternally boring cafe job and do the things I've always wanted to do.

"Do you think three is too many members for a detective agency?" Charmy pipes up, cutting into my thoughts.

"Three?" I echo, unsure where he's getting this number from until I realize that he's counting himself as part of this unknown detective agency. Uh oh. This is where I draw the line. He's only six years old and I can't have him getting hurt. Giving Charmy a stern look, I shake my head and reply, "No, you're not going to be part of the agency and that's all there is to it."

Charmy comes to a halt right in front of the doorknob that leads to my humble house and folds his arms, taunting, "I would let you in the door unless you let me join."

"You're being immature," I point out, in no hurry to get inside the house. "It's for your own good, you know. You're not an adult yet."

"Neither are you!" Charmy retorts in a saucy voice. "You're only sixteen."

"Yes, but that's still older than you," I reply evenly. "Now either let me in now or else I won't call at all. I already have a steady job at the cafe and there's no need for me to trade it in."

Seeing that he's been beat, Charmy sighs and moves aside. I click the door open and step inside the house that I left only five minutes earlier. My memory is quite good and I easily remember the phone number scrawled in the barely legible handwriting across the paper advertising the detective agency. Still unsure if I'm making a very stupid decision or not, I cross the room to the telephone and hesitate for a moment before picking it up.

Turning to Charmy, I give him a wry look as I start punching the telephone number into the phone, pointing out, "Here goes nothing..."

* * *

_It looks like Team Chaotix would never have formed if Charmy hadn't pressed Esp into making that phone call. Review please! :)  
_


	4. First Impressions

**Mormar1: Yay, a new reader! *parties* I'm so glad you're reading this! I hope you like this chapter. :D**

**ShadowChaotix: Haha, Charmy will annoy Espio until he picks up the phone! Aw, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my writing style. :D There will be some sad/abusive parts in this fic, but I hope it's still worth reading. Thank you so much for your review!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Lol, so true, you can't have the Chaotix without Charmy! Of course, it might not be Espio who insists on Charmy joining the group though. ;P  
**

**Alicia: Cool! Have you seen all the Sonic X episodes? I love those so much. I think my favorite is the episode where Vector tries to play matchmaker. xD  
**

**LuluCalliope: Hey, I called him first! Besides, you have Steel, remember? *throws Steel in front of you* I think he's getting jealous! And yay, I'm really looking forwards to this weekend. I have a big quiz tomorrow that I'm really nervous for. I'm going to go read your chapter right now! Thanks for the review. :)  
**

**zgirl16: I think fuchsia is really pretty too! My favorite colors are black and red though (Shadow colors!). xD Hehe, I guess we're both night owls, huh? I prefer the nighttime to the daytime. Yay, I'll go check out your one-shot after this! I'm so excited to read it. And aw, thanks! I'm trying really hard to keep everyone in character. I don't think I'm doing very well with it, but oh well. ;P  
**

* * *

**Chapter IV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

After duct tapin' my detectives wanted ad smack in the middle of the bulletin board, I don't have much choice but to turn around and head right on back to my apartment. I'd rather browse through some of the stores around here, but I've learned before that shopping isn't such a good idea for someone like me. Last time I did just a little browsing, my cash seemed to have mysteriously disappeared by the end of the day. This time, I'm gonna resist temptation and march back to my apartment to sit by the phone and wait for someone to call me about the detective agency.

Head high and shoulders back, I swing my arms back and forth casually and find myself thinkin' about Miss Vanilla again. Just in case she's taken notice of me, I glance around furtively in either direction before throwing a look over my shoulder. No cream and tan colored rabbit is anywhere to be seen. Guess Miss Vanilla didn't notice me after all.

Feeling disappointed, I try to come up with a way to cheer myself up. Ah ha! Music should do the trick. Music is the cure for everything. Havin' a bad day? Turn on your favorite song! Is someone annoying prattling in yer ear? Then blast the tunes! Thinking about Miss Vanilla? Crank up the volume and lose yerself in the music!

I follow my own advice and immediately feel better only seconds later. Snapping my fingers in time to the beat and bobbing my head up and down rhythmically, I receive a lot of weird looks from the hedgehogs and echidnas passing by me on either side of the street. I grin, sending everyone a nice glimpse of my shiny white teeth. The hedgehog next to me visibly shudders and hurries past me. Guess he must be afraid that I eat hedgehogs. Idiot.

With the music pounding through my entire body, the short walk back to my apartment seems to pass by before you can even say one-two-three. I kick the door leading to the dingy apartment building open with an energetic smash and barrel my way into the lobby. It's dark in there as usual, but I know my way well enough ta know exactly where the elevators are and-

"_Mr. Vector!_" a voice screams from what seems like miles away over the blare of my music. "May I have a word?"

I come to a grudging halt, knowin' that this can't be good if someone from the apartment wants my attention. Turning suspicious eyes on the neatly dressed female hedgehog with shoulder-length brown hair to my left, I ask, "Whaddya want?"

"Since it's your first time staying here with us, it's my duty to remind you that the payments for this month's rent are due tomorrow. Mr. Thomas, the landlord, expects his payments right on time," the irritating hedgehog says in a sharp, snappy voice.

"Argh. Is it really time fer bills already?" I grumble, scratching my forehead. I've been here for what - a few days? - and everyone is already insisting on bothering me about the rent! Sad thing is that I dunno how to scrape up the dough for next month's rent. It looks like I'd better get this detective agency cranking or else I'm gonna end up on the streets. Deciding to try out my charm on the female hedgehog, I suddenly send her a dashing smile and add, "Don't ya sometimes make exceptions for the new folk around here?"

The female hedgehog gives me an annoyed look and states, "No. The rent must be payed on time. No exceptions."

"Damn," I curse under my breath as the hedgehog flounces away, looking much too pleased with herself. Stupid bills. Ah well, I can worry 'bout those later. In the meantime, I've got work to do!

Deciding to forget about the bills for now, I turn to my music and try to flick up the volume a few more notches. Nothing happens. Annoyed, I jam the music player in front of my face and see that I'm already at maximum volume. Hm. I didn't think my music was all that loud. Y'know, I do have a few bucks left. I could go back into town and see if I can find myself a louder music player...

_Nah_, I remind myself. _Ya can't do that right now. Get the bills paid first and then worry 'bout the music player!  
_  
Even though I'm tempted to turn around and march right back out the door, I set my eyes on the elevator up ahead and start resolutely towards it. I jam my finger into the button that will bring the elevator down to the lobby and wait impatient for it to arrive. When the elevator door finally opens, I mutter, "It's about time!", and then stomp inside before pressing the button that will drop me off at my level.

A few minutes later, I exit the elevator and step into the dirty hallway. As I start towards my apartment room, the scrumptious smell of freshly baked pizza wafts to my nose. I come to a halt and look around for the source of the deliciousness. There it is to my right! A pizza box is sitting right outside of the apartment room next to mine. Say, a few slices of pizza sound pretty good right now. I still have a few dollars. I could buy myself a pizza and devour the whole thing! After all, I have worked hard today goin' into town to hang up the wanted ad and all.

...Nah, I gotta save my money! What's more important to me? Pizza or Miss Vanilla? It takes a moment or two of thought, but I decide that Miss Vanilla rules over the pizza. Forcing myself away from the delectable aroma, I push open the door to my apartment room and kick it shut behind me before going straight to my bed. Flopping down on the creaky mattress, I close my eyes and focus on the music, completely oblivious to my echidna neighbor's cursing from the room beneath mine at the sound of my squeaky bed springs.

I relax my muscles and am just startin' to get into the beat of the music when the raucous shriek of the phone ringing sounds from next to me. It figures that just as I'm starting to get comfortable, someone feels the need to ring me! It's probably just that hedgehog lady again wanting to pester me some more about the bills.

Yanking my headphones off, I grab the phone almost viciously and slam it against my ear, muttering, "Whatcha want?"

There's a very long silence on the other side of the phone. I'm starting to think that whoever called me must have hung up when I hear a slightly wary voice from the opposite end of the phone reply, "I am calling about the ad I saw in town about a certain 'detective agency'. However, it appears as if I've dialed the wrong number."

I smack my forehead at the irony. This ain't some nasty landlord; this is someone who might want to join my agency! Immediately tuning into my best behavior, I clear my throat and quickly cut in, "You've got the right number. This here's Vector, the one who posted the ad."

"I see," the even voice on the other side of the phone replies. "Are you still looking for agents?"

"'Course I am!" I exclaim. "I just hung the ad this mornin'. Are ya interested?"

There's another long silence and I wonder if whoever I'm talking to is having second thoughts. I cross the fingers of my free hand and wait as the voice finally says, "Yes. Has anyone else joined the agency so far?"

"Nope. It's just you and me," I say. "What's yer name?"

"Espio," the cool, collected voice replies. I can't tell from the sound of the voice just how old this Espio is or what species he might be. Espio continues on, "I was wondering if perhaps we could meet somewhere and talk this over in person?"

"Great idea! How 'bout we meet at the park fer an early supper? I've got some sandwiches ta bring. I'll meet ya there ASAP!" I tell Espio before slamming the phone down, this time from excitement. It doesn't occur to me that I have no idea how to find Espio in the park since I know nothin' about him besides for his name.

Wasting no time, I yank my headphones back over my ears and race across the room to the miniature refrigerator in the corner of the room. I made some sandwiches the other day with the few groceries I bought. The sandwiches look squashed and there appears to be something green growing along the crust of the bread, but I don't take the time to inspect it. I've got much more important things to worry about.

I pause in front of the mirror for just a moment to adjust the golden chain around my neck and then race towards the door. In too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator, I thunder down the stairs as fast as I can and explode into the lobby a few moments later. I don't pause to see if the nagging hedgehog from earlier is still around or not. Instead, I bolt out of the apartment and make my way to the park as quickly as possible. As I jog along, my heartbeat quickens as I realize that Miss Vanilla might be at the park! After all, I've seen her 'round there before. Who knows? I might just get lucky this afternoon and catch a glimpse or two of her.

Panting slightly, I reach the park and flop down under the shade of a tree with my squashed sandwiches in hand. After a quick look around, I see no sign of Miss Vanilla or Espio. Looks like I'm just gonna have to wait. I wait patiently for about thirty seconds. All that running was pretty hard work. I take a sideways glance at the sandwiches and decide to eat one while I wait. One sandwich turns into two and Espio still hasn't arrived. There's a few echidnas chatting under a nearby tree and there's a small rabbit running around, but nobody else can be seen.

Still ravenous, I start devouring another sandwich. I keep my eyes posted and notice two figures walking into the park. Actually, that's a lie. I only see one figure. I don't see the other one until much later. The fuchsia colored chameleon entering the park steps lightly through the grass, attentive amber eyes flicking left and right as if he's suspicious of everyone and everything. He's extremely slender and wears black cuffs around his wrists and ankles. There's somethin'..._powerful _about this guy. He isn't exactly the definition of strength with his stick-like arms and legs, but I guess it's just the hard, tough look in his eyes that catches my attention.

Only now do I notice a bee hovering in the air to the right of the chameleon. The two exchange a few words before the bee flies off and joins the rabbit runnin' around the park. I watch the chameleon lean up against a tree, jutting out his hip at an almost suggestive angle. Then again, that's probably just my vulgar mind gettin' the best of me. I eye the chameleon for a few more minutes before I remind myself that I'm supposed ta be watching for Espio.

Minutes pass and my future fellow detective is still not showing up. I eat another sandwich and close my eyes as I lean against the tree. Suddenly, a quiet voice cuts through even the blare of my music and says, "Excuse me. I was wondering if you know a Vector? You see, I'm supposed to be meeting him here, but I don't know who he is."

I immediately hit the mute button on my music, a rare thing for me to do, as I open my eyes and find myself staring into the earnest face of the chameleon I observed earlier. Frowning, I still don't make the connection and point out, "Well, ya don't need to search any further. I'm Vector."

"_You're_ Vector?" the chameleon replies in surprise, taking a step backwards as he eyes me in shock. He tries to get over it quickly though and stretches out a white gloved hand towards me, saying, "I'm Espio. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

_Vector and Espio have finally met! How do you think their first conversation will go? Review please! :)  
_


	5. Fighting Evil

**Mormar1: Wow, really? :D I'm glad you like it so much. Hopefully, you'll like this chapter too!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Oh my god, really? I'm so happy to hear that it makes you smile! It's fun to write Vector's POV even if it's kind of hard to do. I agree about the music! I love loud music. xD Thanks so much for liking this story! Here's the update I promised you earlier. ^^  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Aw, thanks! You're making me blush. Again. ;P I don't think I'm very good at writing Vector. You're the one who's amazing at it! And yeah, Vector's a total pig eating all the sandwiches, haha. Thanks for the review. :)  
**

**Alicia: I haven't seen them all either. I've just seen the ones with the Chaotix in them. Have you seen the one where Vector plays matchmaker? It is soooooo funny!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Oh, duh! *facepalms* See, this is what happens when I stay up too late. I forget everyone's names. xD Lol, does Chella like Sonic at all? If not, our conversation probably makes no sense to her. Hey, we made a deal! Espio is mine now. 3 I get him, Vector, and Mephiles! You can go hang out with Shadow. ;P Thanks for reading! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter V  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

To put it bluntly, Vector is not at all what I expected him to be. Never did the possibility that he might be a crocodile cross through my brain! When I first arrived at the park with Charmy, my eyes passed right over the bright green crocodile without a second thought. Who would have known that this would turn out to be Vector? I'm not sure what exactly I expected Vector to be. Perhaps a hedgehog or lizard? He has a gruff, powerful look to him with shiny eyes, firm muscles, and a heavy golden chain draped around his neck.

Vector's expression mirrors my own as he looks me up and down in surprise. He scrutinizes me unabashedly, his eyes traveling from my face all the way down to my purple sneakers. My skin flushes slightly as I start to feel a little uncomfortable. I'm not used to having anyone look at me quite this closely.

After another long moment of observation, Vector takes my extended hand and shakes it rapidly up and down, practically tearing off my arm in the process as he says, "Well, Espio, it's nice meetin' ya. I didn't expect ya to be a chameleon."

"I see," I reply, feeling quite relieved when Vector finally stops attempting to rip my arm from its socket. Hoping that there isn't anything wrong with me being a chameleon in Vector's opinion, I motion towards the ground opposite Vector and ask, "May I sit?"

"'Course ya can," Vector says as he waves at a squashed sandwich sitting next to him. "I brought some sandwiches...er, a sandwich. Want it? I sorta ate a few while I was waiting for yeh."

I glance over to the sandwich to find that something that looks suspiciously like green mold is growing along the edges of it. Trying not to look too disgusted, I shake my head and reply politely, "No thank you. I'm not hungry at this moment. You go ahead if you like."

"Don't mind if I do then," Vector replies, devouring the entire sandwich in two bites. I gulp, wondering just how much it takes to keep this crocodile fed. I'm not exactly afraid of him, but Vector's teeth do glint at me almost menacingly when the sunlight flickers over them.

"I saw your ad posted on the bulletin board," I comment, wanting to get straight to business. "Are you still thinking about starting a detective agency?"

"Yup," Vector nods casually, folding his arms behind his head as he leans up against the trunk of an old tree. "I've been plannin' this my whole life. I've wanted to be a detective ever since I was just a little croc. Figured it's about time I start pursuing my dream. What about yerself?"

Surprised that Vector has asked a question about my personal life, I stay quiet for a moment before replying, "Well, my father worked as an undercover agent. I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps. I want to fight evil."

"Fightin' evil, huh? It sounds like yer just the type I've been lookin' for!" Vector exclaims, appearing more interested in me than he did a few minutes ago. He straightens up against the tree and goes on, "Whaddya say to starting a detective agency with me and pursuing your dream like ya always wanted to? I'll bet your parents will be real proud of ya."

"Parent," I correct sharply, thinking of my father who died fighting for the good of everyone living in this town. "My father died while working for the greater good."

"Oh," Vector replies, looking a bit awkward. A morbid look crosses his face as he awkwardly tries to apologize, "I'm real sorry 'bout that. I didn't know."

"Yes, well, I don't think of it anymore," I reply, looking away. It just occurs to me that I've told Vector more about myself in five minutes than I've told anyone else. Not even Charmy knows this much about me. Getting a bad gut feeling, I promise myself to stop throwing out personal information and stick directly to business matters. Frowning, I change the subject and point out, "I do have a steady job at a cafe right now. I'm not sure I'm willing to give that up."

"Ya work at a cafe?" Vector asks, making a face. "That's boring business! As a detective, you'll have a lot more excitement in yer life. Don't ya want a little adventure?"

"Adventure?" I ask, Vector's words suddenly reminding me of something Bryce said to me in the past. The park dissolves before my eyes and I'm abruptly plunged into a distant memory...

_"Oh, c'mon, Espio! Think of it as an adventure. You know you won't be able to resist me all night," Bryce, sitting on the bed - _my_ bed - leers at me._

_The door to my bedroom is locked and Bryce has the key. I'm trapped in the room all alone with him. Utterly exhausted from a late shift at the cafe, I just want to lie down and pass out for the night. Of course, tonight is the night that Bryce has decided to get out all his paraphernalia. There are the usual cuffs on the bed along with an assortment of other items including gags, whips, and sinister looking things that I've never seen before. I stand in the corner of the room with my arms crossed defiantly over my chest. I won't even give Bryce the satisfaction of a response. I hate him more than anyone I've ever hated in my entire life._

_"What are you gonna do? Stand there until dawn?" Bryce taunts me mockingly, a sadistic grin on his face. "Wouldn't you prefer just to get this over with?"_

_I still refuse to answer Bryce, my eyes on the ceiling as I try to pretend I'm somewhere else. Anywhere else is better than this hellhole that used to be my sanctuary. My bedroom, the place that should be the place I go to rest and relax, is now a pit of terror and torture._

_"Ugh, you are such a little pain sometimes," Bryce says, getting up slowly from the bed, his bright red eyes gleaming in the darkness._

_I watch Bryce's movements carefully, wondering why he has his hands behind his back. I'm about to bolt when he suddenly launches himself at me. I try to tear away from him, but Bryce is much larger and stronger. We topple to the floor with me splayed awkwardly underneath him. I bite my lip to hold back a yelp of pain as my head smacks against the wooden floor. Before I can see what's happening, Bryce's hands are fastening something tight around my throat. My air supply is quickly cut in half and I can barely breathe. Looking down, I see that I've been collared and that Bryce is smirking down at me with the leather leash in his hands._

_"Better do what I want or that thing will choke you. Come on, slave," Bryce commands, practically dragging me to the bed by pulling on the leash. I choke, my eyes filling with tears which I defiantly push back. I won't give Bryce the satisfaction of seeing how much he's humiliating me. I won't!_

"Uh, Espio?" a voice from what seems like miles away jerks me back to the present. I blink and find myself in the park, looking at a crocodile who appears to be a little unnerved. He gives me a wary look and asks, "You okay over there? Ya kinda spaced out for a few minutes."

"I'm sorry," I apologize in an even voice, trying to shake my memories of Bryce to the very back of my head. "I'm fine, but thank you for the concern."

"Mm," Vector replies, still giving me a bit of a confused look before he suddenly grins toothily at me and asks, "So how 'bout it? Wanna work for my detective agency?"

For some reason, hearing Bryce's taunting in the back of my head has made me resolute. Turning to Vector, I nod in determination and state, "Yes. Evil must be fought. I will do whatever I can to help."

Just then, a blur of yellow and black comes hurtling through the air straight towards Vector. I can see the collision even before it happens. Unfortunately, there's not enough time for me to do anything about it. Even with ninja fast reflexes, all I can do is wince as Charmy tumbles through the air and crashes straight into Vector.

"Argh!" Vector exclaims, toppling over backwards as Charmy thuds into him and lands on his chest.

"Charmy!" I exclaim, giving him a stern look. "You have the whole park to yourself! Can't you at least give us a little space?"

"Sorry," Charmy replies sheepishly, finally getting off of a disgruntled Vector. He hovers next to me, his embarrassment quickly changing to excitement as he looks at the crocodile opposite him and exclaims, "Hey, are you Vector? The one starting a detective agency?"

"Yeah, that's me. Vector the croc," Vector replies, still a bit dazed.

"Oh boy, I can tell you and Esp are going to make a great team!" Charmy exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. I notice a devious look cross his face and realize that he's up to no good as he gives Vector a syrupy smiley and asks, "Can I join the agency too, Vector? Can I? Please, please, _please_?"

Before I have a chance to cut in, Vector replies, "Sure, why not? Three heads are better than two. So how d'ya know Espio?"

Now it's my turn to blush, realizing that it must be rather strange to some people to hear that a sixteen-year-old chameleon lives on his own besides for the company of a six-year-old bee. Charmy, however, thinks nothing of it and says, "I live with Espio. We're like a family! Maybe you can be part of the family now too since we're all working together!"

My little blush turns into bright red embarrassment. Before Charmy can say anything else, I quickly cut in, "Vector, I don't think it's such a good idea that Charmy works for the agency. He's very young still."

"So?" Vector asks, nonplussed. "He looks like a ready volunteer. 'Sides, we need all the help we can get. Welcome to the team, Charmy!"

"Thanks, Vector!" Charmy bubbles, buzzing over to the crocodile and exchanging a high five with him. "This is going to be so much fun! I've always wanted to be part of something like this. Being a detective is going to be even more fun than playing my video games!"

I frown, knowing that it's too late to get Charmy out of this now. Ironically, I find myself wishing that he'd prefer his video games to playing detective. I'm not even sure why I accepted Vector's offer to take me on as a fellow detective. He seems much too relaxed and very unprofessional. Shaking my head just slightly, I mutter more to myself than to anyone else, "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Oy! Lighten up, will ya?" Vector asks, jabbing a finger at me from where he's lounging against the tree trunk. I instantly recoil slightly, giving him a suspicious look. Vector laughs and says, "Geez, yer a jumpy one. Guess your sharp reflexes will be good for the agency."

"Perhaps," I reply, already regretting my decision and wondering if it's too late to try and get out of this.

Vector suddenly looks a little uncomfortable and grabs a wad of grass in one hand as he says, "So I just got one question. How do we start gettin' business?"

"Well, we have to publicize ourselves first, of course," I reply as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. Vector gives me a blank look, which in turn starts to get on my nerves. Wondering how slow this crocodile is, I add, "We won't get any calls unless people know that our agency exists."

"Yer right. Good idea," Vector nods, comprehension dawning on his face. "I can go duct tapin' some more signs around the town this afternoon!"

"Um, I don't think that will be necessary," I quickly cut in as Charmy somersaults in midair and practically goes crashing into me. I scoot a little to my right and suggest, "I can call and get us in the yellow pages. It also wouldn't hurt to create our own website."

"A website! Why didn't I think of that?" Vector muses. "I haven't got myself a computer though. What about yerself?"

"I do have a computer," I admit. I've had a small computer in my bedroom for quite some time now. I purposefully keep it in my bedroom to guard it from Charmy. The last thing he needs is unlimited access to the web. "I can start on the website tonight."

"Aw, but it won't be fun if just you work on it!" Charmy complains loudly. "Vector should work on it too! We're a team!"

"The kid's right," Vector nods. "Can I drop by yer place tomorrow sometime to help with the website?"

I have a premonition that Vector will not be very helpful when it comes to website creating, but I don't know how to say this without insulting him. Sighing, I reply, "I suppose you can stop by after five. That's when my shift at the cafe is over. Shall I expect you then?"

"'Course! I don't have anything better ta do," Vector nods.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Vector," I reply, getting nimbly to my feet and practically bumping heads with Charmy in the process. "I look forwards to working with you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Say, I'm so excited about this detective agency business that I could give ya a hug!" Vector exclaims, also getting to his feet. I immediately stiffen and take a quick step backwards from him. Charmy is the only one I've had any physical contact with since I ran away from home. I'd like to keep it that way. Honestly, I wouldn't even have had any contact with Charmy if he hadn't insisted on a goodnight hug every night before bed. Seeing my reaction, Vector quickly adds, "Don't worry, I ain't gonna do that. By the way, can I just call ya Esp? It just seems to come naturally."

"I suppose so," I reply before motioning to Charmy as I turn on my heel and start back in the direction of my little home. "Come on, Charmy. I think we are going to need to rest for tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," Charmy replies reluctantly as he turns over his shoulder and waves at our new team member, calling, "Bye Vector!"

"See ya, kid," Vector waves before adding. "Bye, Esp."

"Farewell," I reply a bit too stiffly, unsure how I'm feeling about this whole situation. Do I like Vector? Not particularly. Do I want to work for him? Definitely not. However, I do want to be a detective and some things are worth sacrificing in order to follow my dream. I only hope I'm not making the wrong decision.

* * *

_Hm...do you think Espio is making the wrong decision? Review please! :)  
_


	6. First Meeting

**zgirl16: I agree, Espio is definitely making the right decision. :D Thank you so much for your compliment! It really made my day. :D And no problem, you're an amazing writer! Your details and descriptions are so good. Yay, you like Mephiles too? Do you have any favorite Mephiles pairings? I love him!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Thank you! :) It's great to hear that you liked the chapter. Yeah, poor Esp, but I don't think memories like that fade too quickly unfortunately. The moldy bread part was fun to write! I can imagine Vector eating pretty much anything and Espio being a lot more cautious and dainty with his food. xD Vector should definitely help Espio lighten up in time although they're having a hard time getting used to each other so far. Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Oh yeah, I am going to have their relationship develop really slowly. I want them to go from disliking each other to something the opposite of that. ;P All good things come with time (usually). And that's a really good idea! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to check it out. ^^  
**

**Alicia: You have to see it! It's like one of my favorite episodes! And I've just been writing this really. I'll be on in a few minutes so we can watch the Sonic movie if you're still up to it! :D  
**

**LuluCalliope: Omg, how can you not have a crush on any guys from Sonic?! I have...four guys I like. You have at least two, right? Sleet and Shadow. xD And yup, Espio is officially part of the group! No need to apologize to Esp, he's got me and Vector now. x3 How's it going with you and Shadow? ;P  
**

* * *

**Chapter VI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

On the way back to our home, Charmy just can't keep quiet. He's positively elated that he's going to be part of the detective agency. It's too late for me to tell him he can't be in it. Vector seems as if he's going to be a very bad influence on Charmy. I don't like his casual, laid back attitude and coarse manner of speech. Vector is everything I'm not. He's loud; I'm quiet. He's huge; I'm tiny. He's easygoing; I'm a worrier. I want to be in a detective agency more than anything, but I don't think I want to be in it with my opposite.

"Isn't Vector _great_?" Charmy bubbles from next to me, cutting right into my thoughts. The bee's eyes are sparkling and he does a somersault in the air from next to me.

"I suppose he's alright," I reply, not exactly thrilled that Charmy is so taken with Vector. After all, he's only spoken a few words to the crocodile. I'm the one who looks after him and acts as a substitute parent for him. Even though my mind should not be going in this direction, I find myself wondering if Charmy might end up preferring Vector over me.

Charmy stops abruptly mid-somersault and sends me a curious look while he's still hanging upsi-down. Frowning, he asks, "Why don't you like him? He seems really nice!"

"You're only saying that because he decided to let you become part of the team," I reply evenly, wishing Vector was here right now so I could send him a dirty look.

"Well, yeah, maybe you're right," Charmy admits with a giggle, causing me to roll my eyes as Charmy zips forwards to catch up with my brisk stride. Continuing to chatter, Charmy goes on, "He does seem nice though! He smiles a lot, more than you smile anyways. I think we're going to have a lot of fun designing our new website tomorrow!"

"Perhaps," I reply thoughtlessly, figuring that the website will end up a disaster unless I'm the one who ends up creating it. If Vector doesn't have a computer, there's no doubt in my mind that he won't know a thing about website designing. As for Charmy, I do not need him winding up on pornography websites. I make a mental note to bake cookies as a distraction for Charmy. Maybe I'll be able to distract him with the cookies while Vector and I work on the website.

"We're going to have to come up with a name for our team. All detectives agencies have to have a team name," Charmy points out before listing several other things that he thinks our detective agency might need. I pretend to pay attention and just nod along absentmindedly until something catches the corner of my eye.

A tall, slender dark figure appears from around the corner of the sidewalk opposite to the one Charmy and I are walking across. Bright red eyes meet my own and my heart stops beating for a moment. Immediately stiffening, I back against the building nearest me in alarm. Black scales and blood red eyes can only mean one thing. Bryce.

"Espio! Hello? Earth to Espio!" Charmy calls, suddenly in front of my face and giving me a strange look. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Blinking, I peer over Charmy's shoulder to get a better look at the sinister black figure. As I get a closer look, I realize that it's a black hedgehog, not a chameleon. My muscles immediately relax and I send Charmy a haphazard smile, replying, "Sorry. I thought I recognized someone."

"Really?" Charmy asks with interest as we start back towards the house once more. "Who did you think it was?"

"Just my cousin," I reply, seeing no reason to lie since Charmy doesn't know anything about my cousin or my family for that matter.

"I didn't know you had a cousin," Charmy responds conversationally, confirming my earlier thought. "I don't know if I have cousins or not. I don't even know what happened to my parents. I guess it must be nice to have a family though. Do you miss your cousin at all?"

"No," I state immediately, a sour smile crossing my lips at the question. I notice a sad look in Charmy's eyes and reach out and tug at the bee's wing to bring him down to my level. "Charmy, you're my family now. I know you don't know your parents, but that doesn't mean you don't have a family."

"Aw, thanks, Esp!" Charmy exclaims, immediately cheering up. "I bet you're nicer than my parents would've been anyways, even if you don't let me stay up past ten pm playing video games."

"That's for your own good," I point out as the two of us reach the door to our cozy little home. I usher Charmy inside and then shut the door carefully behind us before I lock the door. I always lock the door at night. There's not much crime in this area of town, but one can never be too careful and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Once the door is securely bolted, I turn to Charmy and state a bit sternly, "I believe it's time for you to go to bed. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"But it's only eight!" Charmy whines, pointing to the window and adding, "See? It's not even all that dark outside yet! How am I supposed to fall asleep when there's still light coming through my window? Can't I at least play my game for an hour?"

"Alright," I sigh, figuring that it is a little bit too early for Charmy to go to bed. "But do keep the volume down. I'll be working in the kitchen for a while and I'd prefer not to have video game music blaring in my ears for the next hour or so."

"Sure thing!" Charmy replies happily, immediately buzzing off to the couch where he left his game controllers lying around earlier.

I shake my head ruefully at Charmy's antics and then head straight to the kitchen. Putting my hands on my hips, I open the cabinet and peer inside. I'm not much of a cook. I usually just order pizza in for dinners or cook frozen meals for Charmy. Unfortunately, I have no pre-made cookie packages at the moment and will have to make them from scratch. Sighing, I grab the apron hanging on the nearby hook and tie it on before grabbing the flour and other ingredients I'm going to need for the cookies.

You'd think that cookies would not be all that difficult to make. Unfortunately, this is not so. First, I have a hard time opening the vanilla. It takes me ten minutes of twisting and turning the cap before I get it open. Secondly, I accidentally knock the package of flour over and end up spilling white fluffiness all over the counter.

"Damn," I mutter before wiping the flour off of the counter and then reaching for the bag of sugar.

"OH MY GOSH!" Charmy suddenly exclaims from the living room.

Fearful that he's in danger, I waste no time in running into the parlor. Fixing my eyes on Charmy, I inquire, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I just beat the next level - the one that's supposed to be impossibly hard to beat!" Charmy yells before glancing over at me. Giggling, he adds, "Uh, Espio? Why are you wearing a dress?"

"It's not a dress, it's an apron," I reply curtly.

"Yeah, but it still looks like a dress," Charmy protests. "Only girls wear dresses."

"Well, I'm not a girl and as I said before, this is an apron," I confirm before glancing up at the clock. It's nine pm, a very good time for Charmy to go to bed. Giving him a firm look, I add, "Alright, Charmy, I let you play your game for an extra hour. Now it's time for you to go to bed. You want to be rested for tomorrow."

Realizing that he shouldn't press his luck with me, Charmy sighs and says resignedly, "I guess you're right. I'll go brush my teeth. By the way, you should take that dress off."

I roll my eyes as Charmy leaves the room and then return to my cookie dough. I dump sticky dollops of dough onto a cookie sheet and then push the cookie sheet into the searing hot oven. After setting the timer for the cookies, I clean up the kitchen as best as I can and then go to my bathroom to brush my teeth. I avoid looking at myself in the mirror as I run the toothbrush back and forth over my teeth. My eyes always seem to have a distant haunted look nowadays.

Suddenly, the door cracks open and Charmy comes in sheepishly before he points out, "You forgot to give me a hug goodnight."

Immediately, I set down the toothbrush and lean down to wrap slender arms around Charmy's warm little body. He hugs me tightly and buries his head against the crook of my neck as he murmurs in a muffled voice, "Goodnight, Esp! I love you."

"I love you too, Charmy. Now off to bed. It's getting late," I reply tenderly, releasing Charmy and turning back to my toothbrush. Just as I'm about to begin brushing my teeth again, the door to the bathroom pops back open. Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "What now?"

"It smells like something's burning..." Charmy admits.

Cringing, I realize that I've forgot about the cookies and race back into the kitchen. Sure enough, my timer is going off. In fact, it's probably been going off for the last ten minutes. I shut it off and then rescue my cookies from the heat of the oven. Unfortunately, the cookies are a bit on the brown side and have a burnt smell to them.

Charmy enters the kitchen a bit sleepily. When he sees the cookies, his eyes light up and he gushes, "Did you make cookies? Can I have one?"

"No, they're for tomorrow," I reply, opening a window in an attempt to rid the kitchen of the burnt smell.

"_Please_?" Charmy whines, giving me large puppy eyes.

"Fine. One cookie and then you are going straight to bed," I order, watching Charmy with an eagle eye as he takes one cookie and then flies off to his bedroom with a big grin on his face.

I watch him leave with an affectionate smile and then turn and retreat to my own bedroom. It is rather early, but I have a feeling I'm going to need my rest for tomorrow just as much as Charmy. I enter the bedroom and cross over to my full-sized bed with the pale blue comforter. Pealing the comforter back, I collapse into the soft mattress and tuck my knees up to my chest. As I lean over to turn off the lamp on my nightstand, a flicker of light illuminates the faded scars on my thighs. I wince at the memories of them, wishing that I could wash away my past and the scars. Although some of the memories have faded and some of the marks have healed, some will remain with me for life.

Flicking off the lamp, I pull the comforter up to my neck and bury my head in the pillow, hoping that nightmares won't haunt my sleep tonight. Closing my eyes, I start thinking of tomorrow and of Vector. I fall asleep with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but enjoy a dream-free slumber.

The next morning, I get up bright and early to go to my job at the cafe. Charmy tells me that he's going to go to Cream's house and that he'll be back early in time for the meeting with Vector. I tell him not to rush, hoping that he'll lose track of time and stay at Cream's house longer than he means to. All during the day, I worry about the meeting. I don't know why I'm worried. It's just that I don't usually invite anyone other than Charmy into my home. Vector is still very much a stranger to me.

At the end of the day, I return to the house exhausted and fretful. Charmy is already in the living room playing his video game. I decide not to ask him to stop, hoping that he'll continue to play it when Vector arrives. I don't have long to wait. Only two minutes later, a sharp knock can be heard from the doorway.

"It's Vector!" Charmy exclaims exuberantly, dumping his video game controllers on the couch and zipping over to the front door.

I wait in the living room, leaning up against the couch as I wait for Charmy to let our guest in. He throws the door open and there stands a large crocodile with a pair of chunky black headphones on his ears and the shiny golden chain around his neck. He sends Charmy a toothy grin and says, "Hey Charmy! How's the youngest member of my detective agency doin'?"

"Great!" Charmy buzzes enthusiastically as he motions for Vector to follow him. "I'll take you to Espio's bedroom!"

Vector gives Charmy a quizzical look. I resist smacking my forehead with my palm. Needless to say, Charmy's last sentence didn't come out quite right. I cut in and smooth over his error, adding, "What Charmy means to say is that I keep the computer in my bedroom."

"Ah. Well then, let's go have a look at it!" Vector replies, striding after Charmy with his long arms swinging at his sides. "Ya comin', Esp?"

"Yes," I reply reluctantly, cringing as I notice all the grime Vector is tracking into the house with his dirty sneakers. It is going to be a_ very _long day.

* * *

_Well, it looks like the first real Team Chaotix meeting is about to take place! How do you think it will go? Review please! :)  
_


	7. Not Friends

**Mormar1: Yes, poor Espio did have a horrible time with his cousin. =/ It's a good thing that the black figure was just a hedgehog instead! Thank you so much for continuing to read and review this! :)**

**Saints-Fan-12: I do! It's CoconutCoral if you want to check out my page. And yes, Espio has had it really tough. Are you a Vecpio fan at all? :)  
**

**zgirl16: Never a problem. What are you going to write next? Those are interesting couples! I actually have thought of Mephie/Amy before. Mephadow is one of my most favorite pairings though.  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Aw, thank you so much! I liked writing that part. Hugging is so cute! I think Vector needs to give Esp a big hug. What do you think? Haha, it was just a random hedgehog, but I'll see if I can bring Shadow into the fic at some point since we're both big fans of his. xD *gives you another cookie* Charmy does seem to like Vector way more than Espio right now. How sad. :( You're right; it's gonna be a very long day for Espio! Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: LOL! Well, if Vector made a move on Esp right now, I think Espio would flip out and kick Vector out of his house. ;P  
**

**Alicia: Yay! We've gotta finish the movie so I can dream about Mephiles. xD  
**

**LuluCalliope: Hm, I dunno much about anime or the Avengers. That's cool that you two both go to the same school! And whoa, you have a lot of guys! I didn't realize you liked so many. Knuckles belongs to Alicia though. ;P And lol, yeah! The house is dirty! I bet poor Esp is going to have a heart attack over it. Thank you so much for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter VII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio's house is just the way I imagined it ta be. It's small and cozy, but extremely neat and tidy. The floors are polished, the walls are spotless, and everything seems in its proper place besides for a video game controller sprawled across the comfy looking sofa in the middle of the living room. Charmy, Espio's little buddy, is practically jumpin' up and down jubilantly. I think he's the most excited member of our team so far. His big grin even beats my own. Espio, on the other hand, isn't smiling. His arms are crossed over his chest and his slender body is leaning up against the sofa.

As Charmy leads me to the bedroom where the computer is located - odd place to keep a computer if ya ask me - I can feel Espio's sharp amber eyes on my back. It's almost as if he's eyin' me with disapproval like I'm invading his house or something. Yeah, I guess I kind of am intruding, but he _did _invite me here and we are supposed to be a team now. The poor guy probably just needs to relax a little bit. He seems so uptight and tense all the time. Maybe I can find a way to turn that around.

"Here we are!" Charmy exclaims excitedly, pushing open the door to Espio's bedroom and flying inside with a euphoric expression on his face.

Still vaguely aware of Espio's ever vigilant gaze on my back, I tromp inside the bedroom and glance around. The walls are a soft shade of cream and there's a light blue blanket covering a full-sized bed. Like the rest of the house, everything in here is clean. Y'know, it's almost_ too _clean in here. The room lacks the aspect of comfort. Everything is just so stiff and rigid and...Espio-like.

Espio brushes past me to the computer, sending a shiver down my spine for some strange reason. Feeling like I ought to say something or at least comment on the room, I point out randomly, "It's a nice bedroom you've got here. It seems really...uh...clean."

"Thank you," Espio replies evenly, pulling out the stool sitting behind the computer desk. Perching on the edge of it, Espio turns on the power. As we wait for the computer to load, Charmy asks, "So Vector, do you think we can see your house sometime since you've seen our house now?"

"Er..." I start out hesitantly, sending a wary look in Espio's direction. The neat freak chameleon will probably have a fit if he takes one step inside the apartment I'm currently livin' in. Shrugging my shoulders, I reply, "I guess so. I'm just living in an apartment fer now though. It's nothin' fancy."

"That's okay!" Charmy bubbles. "I've always thought it would be fun to live in an apartment. They're sort of like hotels so it feels like you're on a vacation when you're staying in them."

"Heh, well, yer welcome to visit the apartment if you want," I reply, trying to please the youngest member of our group for now since this is our first meeting together and I want it to be a success.

The computer screen suddenly lights up and all three of us turn our gazes to the screen. Espio quickly starts up the internet and then glances over his shoulder at Charmy with an apprehensive look on his face. He suggests in a tentative voice, "Perhaps now would be a good time for those cookies. Would you like a snack, Charmy?"

"Would I ever!" Charmy exclaims, looking thrilled at the idea of cookies.

"Alright," Espio replies, standing up and stepping lightly across the bedroom to the door. His eyes flick over to me and he asks, "What about you, Vector?"

I just ate dinner about five minutes before I rushed over here, but in my opinion, there's always room for more food, especially cookies. Nodding my head up and down vigorously, I reply, "'Course I want some cookies! Who doesn't like cookies?"

"Everyone likes cookies," Charmy chimes in, agreeing with me immediately. "These cookies are even better than usual because Espio made them himself for once! He usually just buys the frozen pre-made kind since he doesn't like cooking, but these cookies are made from scratch."

"They're better than usual only if you like burnt cookies," Espio points out with a wry smile in Charmy's direction. "I forgot about the timer for the cookies. Anyways, I'll go fetch some milk and cookies. Vector, you can start working on the website if you'd like. This should only take me a few minutes."

"Alright," I nod, plopping down on Espio's stool and cranking my music up a few notches so I feel more inspired to work on the website.

Charmy instantly starts hanging over my shoulder, prepared to watch my every move. As the fuchsia colored chameleon slips out of the room, I note that just a moment ago was the first time I saw him smile since I entered the house. He's got a nice smile and I can tell just from lookin' at him that he's got a special bond with Charmy. It's too bad that he doesn't smile more often.

"What are you going to do?" Charmy interrupts my thoughts, clearly waiting impatiently for me to start working on the website.

I pause and look blankly at the computer screen, realizin' that I don't have any idea how to create a website. I don't want Charmy to know that though. He'll think I'm incapable. Instead of telling him the truth, I wave him away from my shoulder and point out, "Well, I can't do anythin' with you hanging over my shoulder like that. It's too distracting!"

"Aw, you sound like Espio. He never wants me around when he's on the computer either," Charmy replies disappointingly although he does follow my wishes and flies away from my shoulder.

With Charmy gone for the moment, I take a closer look at the internet homepage. As usual, there are the typical news articles plastered all over it. Somethin' at the top of the screen manages to catch my eye though. It's an ad that claims to win you your true love if you click the link. Hm. Maybe the link could give me some good advice for my situation with Vanilla. Glancing inconspicuously over my shoulder, I see that Charmy is still mindin' his own business. I'll just click the link real fast and see what happens...

The webpage before me immediately changes to a page full of hearts and dating advice. There are pictures of couples in love all over the screen, but I don't pay much attention to them. Instead, my eyes zone in on the words on the center of the page. It reads, "Want to spice up your life and find the guy/girl of your dreams? Just enter your name and email address here to get started!"

Despite not having a computer of my own, I do have an email address. I immediately place my hands on the keyboard and start typin' my name into the blank box. Things can't get any worse between Vanilla and me since she doesn't even know who I am yet. I might as well give this a shot. There's nothing to lose.

"What are you doing?" a curious voice suddenly asks from directly over my shoulder. "Oh wow, look at that picture! Aren't those kissing hedgehogs both guys?"

"Charmy, don't give me a heart attack like that!" I exclaim, jumping slightly as Charmy's voice goes straight into my ear. I'm startin' to get jumpy like Espio! Glancing at the screen, I notice that Charmy's right. There are two guy hedgehogs kissing. I'm not really sure what to say to Charmy about it. He probably doesn't know anything about homosexual couples...

"Nice going," a cool, disdainful voice sounds from over our shoulders.

I turn my head and gulp, knowing I'm in the doghouse now. Espio is standing behind me with his hands on his hips and a disapproving look on his face. He jabs a finger at the webpage I'm on and says, "This is _exactly _why I don't want Charmy on the internet! He's only six. Now go eat your cookies. I put them on the bed. I'll handle the website."

Espio didn't exactly insult me or get really upset with me, but I feel a wave of guilt wash over me as I shamefully get up from the stool and start towards Espio's bed. I usually don't give a damn when people insult me, but fer some unknown reason, I really don't like makin' Espio upset.

Charmy stays over Espio's shoulder until he brings up a blank webpage, apparently finding the kissing hedgehogs to be of more interest than the cookies. Only when the hedgehogs disappear from the screen does Charmy fly over to the plate of cookies on the bed. He tries to cram one in his mouth and talk at the same time as he asks Espio, "Why were those two guys kissing?"

Espio lets out a loud sigh and shoots a dirty glance in my direction as he replies, "I'll explain when you're older, Charmy. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Aw!" Charmy complains through a mouthful of cookies. "Why do I never get to know about any of the good stuff until I'm older?"

"You'll grow up soon enough," Espio points out almost sadly as he starts typing away. I can't really see what he's doing on the computer, but I'm pretty sure he's already made lots of progress on the website. Everything about Espio is speedy.

I turn my attention to the plate of cookies and notice that Espio is right; they are kinda on the brownish side. Just because they're burnt doesn't mean that they're gonna taste bad though. I grab the biggest cookie on the plate and pop the whole thing into my mouth. I chew for a moment before my eyes light up. The cookies are downright delicious! Despite being burnt, they're the most amazing things I've ever tasted. No wonder Charmy likes it when Espio cooks so much.

"Say, Esp," I start out, trying to get the chameleon's attention. He doesn't turn around or acknowledge me. Instead, he just continues typing relentlessly away. Undeterred, I go on and say, "The kid's right. Yer cookies are the best! I've never had any this good before."

"You're too kind," Espio says a bit coldly. Apparently, he hasn't forgiven me for the dating site incident yet.

"That's not true! They really are the best," Charmy protests, grabbing three more cookies from the plate before he tries to stuff them all in his mouth at one time.

As if he senses what Charmy is up to, Espio turns around and chastises, "If you eat that many cookies, you'll get a stomachache."

"Well, if you don't want me to eat some of them, then you'd better come and get some for yourself!" Charmy mumbles, crumbs flying from his mouth as he tries to chew too much cookie at once.

Espio hesitates and then admits, "I suppose I am a bit hungry. I might as well eat one cookie."

As Espio gets up from the stool, I immediately jerk up from where I'm sitting on the bed, wanting to make up my last mistake to Espio by helping him out with the website. I hurry over to the stool and plop down on it again, saying, "I'll take this over fer now. Wow, Esp, you really do know a thing or two about makin' websites, don't ya?"

"I'm really not that good," Espio denies, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he plucks up a cookie from the plate. "You can work on the background pattern for the website if you'd like."

"Sure thing," I nod, willing to do whatever it takes to make Espio happy. He really has made a lot of progress. There's a webpage up and running with information about our detective agency on it. The text explains what we're all about and has our phone number on the center of the page. Now the page just needs to be decorated like Espio suggested. It's up to me to add some life to this boring page.

After scanning the page, I find a place that says "insert image here". That must be where I should place the link to a background image. Hm, what should I use fer a background image? A light bulb pops into my head as a brilliant idea comes to mind. I search the image I'm lookin' for under another tab and copy and paste the link to the image into "insert image here" bar. The results aren't half bad if I do say so myself.

A few moments later, Espio finishes his cookie and daintily wipes his mouth with a napkin before he untucks his legs from underneath him and pads over to where I'm working on the website with Charmy right behind him. Frowning slightly, Espio glances at my webpage and asks dubiously, "What is that?"

"What's what? Oh, ya mean the background?" I ask, feeling proud of myself. Espio nods. "It's the snazziest background image I could find! Who doesn't want to see a good lookin' croc smiling out at them?"

Espio looks at my website background with that same doubtful look on his face. I thought using an attractive croc that looks a lot like me for a background image was a pretty darn good idea. Espio, on the other hand, must not think so because he waves me away from the stool and says, "I think I ought to handle this too. You and Charmy can...can..."

Espio trails off as he tries to figure out something to say. Feeling a little indignant at this point, I cut in agitatedly, "Do what? Yer not lettin' me do anything!"

"You can come up with a team name for us," Espio quickly answers smoothly, saving himself from my wrath.

"Oh. I guess we do need a team name," I agree. After thinking for a few moments, my mind stays blank. Nothin' comes to my mind. Giving the kid a sideways glance, I ask, "Can ya think of anything good, Charmy?"

"Hm, let's see," Charmy muses, his brow wrinkling as he thinks for a moment. Abruptly, his face lights up and he exclaims, "I've got it! What about Team Chaotix?"

I think about this for a moment before realizing that the name does have a nice ring to it. Even Espio turns around from the webpage, which now has a boring gray background, and admits, "That is actually a good possibility. I rather like it."

"Team Chaotix it is then!" I confirm, glad that Espio and I are agreeing on something for once.

"Whoopee!" Charmy yells, doing a somersault in midair. "We're Team Chaotix and friends forever!"

The smile on Espio's face suddenly fades and he sends a wary look in my direction. I try to send him a half-smile in return. We may be Team Chaotix, but we sure have a hellishly long road ahead of us if we ever want to be friends.

* * *

_Espio doesn't seem to like Vector very much. xD Do you think it will take him a long time to warm up to his new partner? Review please! :)  
_


	8. Trust Me

**Regular sonic fan: Oh wow, thanks so much for such an awesome review! It made me so happy to see it! :D I love Team Chaotix as well. Vector and Espio forever! *cheers* They're my favorites as well. Oh my god, I just love Espio's voice. It's amazing and really, who doesn't like ninjas? Thanks about me keeping everyone in character! I'm trying my hardest. I hope you keep reading. ^^**

**Mormar1: Let's hope so! After all, they're definitely going to be working together a lot! Thanks for the review. :D  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Do you have a dA as well? If so, I'll add you to my watch list! And lol, alright. I'm glad you're willing to give it a try! I promise to give you a warning before any romantic chapters. Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: Great! It's awesome to meet other Mephadow fans. :D I actually voted on your poll already.  
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**ShadowChaotix: I'm glad you checked out the update before you went to school too! I can totally see Vector on a dating website, can't you? Did you end up having a good day? I hope so! *hugs* I'm happy that you liked that sentence! Vector seems to think that Espio is the bad guy and Espio thinks Vector is the bad guy! Crazy, right? xD And yes, woo for Team Chaotix! *waves around Team Chaotix flags* hehe Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Yes, he probably does. xD I'm sure he'll be happy about it later though...;P  
**

**Alicia: I loved the surprise. Thank you! :)  
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**LuluCalliope: Tuesday (tomorrow) sounds like an awesome day for you! I wish I had a day off. That would be amazing! I don't think any of the schools over here get Election Day off. *sighs* I'm glad you liked the chapter! And yup, I remember how I was asking you about slash pairings. I actually haven't seen the Road to El Dorado, but I need to! Is it any good? And that's not weird at all! I like Sonadow. I have a lot of Sonadow pictures favorited under my dA account as well as all my Vecpio and Mephadow pictures. xD  
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* * *

**Chapter VIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I look around at the smiling faces surrounding me, feeling like the only one who's heart is sinking. Charmy is positively thrilled with the whole aspect of Team Chaotix and Vector's mood seems to mirror Charmy's. What about _my _current mood though? To put it lightly, I'm not so happy with Vector right now. He's been in my house for less than an hour and he's already introduced Charmy to gay couples on the internet! I knew Vector was a troublemaker from the minute I laid eyes on the sloppy, ill-mannered crocodile.

"So how's that website comin'? Is it finished?" Vector asks me, reaching behind him and grabbing another one of my burnt cookies from the plate. He pops the whole thing in his mouth and fixes me with a sharp stare. Obviously hoping that I'm not watching him, Charmy snags another cookie as well.

Looking behind me at the website, I nod and reply, "Yes, it's finished. Come and take a look at it. It has our team name typed out at the top here and below it is the information about our team. It explains what we do, what our purpose is, and our core values. I've placed the phone number at the very bottom of the page."

Vector nods a bit blankly while Charmy asks what the two of them are clearly thinking, "What are core values exactly?"

"Well, core values are basically what we stand for," I explain as simply as I can. "Basically, we fight evil and stand for what's right. Do you think the website looks alright?"

"It's pretty good. It just looks a little...little..." Charmy trails off, tilting his head at the website as he tries to come up with a word to describe it.

"It looks a little plain," Vector finishes Charmy's sentence bluntly. Charmy nods while Vector scratches his head and asks, "Can't we have some other colored background besides fer gray? I still like my background of that good lookin' croc. Seeing a handsome face like that will attract people to our agency."

I resist face palming and look at Charmy for help. Unfortunately, Charmy seems to like Vector's idea. Am I really the only one who sees how absurd it is to use a background of a grinning crocodile on a business website? Apparently so. It looks like I'm the only voice of reason in this group of three.

"I've got it!" Charmy suddenly exclaims, flying straight up into the air in his excitement, nearly bumping his head on the ceiling. "Why don't we take a picture of the three of us to put on the website? We can put it right there in that blank space between the name of the team and your core value stuff, Espio. What do you guys think? Am I brilliant or what?"

I have to admit that Charmy's idea does have some potential. At least if we take a picture of the three of us and place it on the website it will actually have something to do with the agency. Still though, I find myself hesitating, unsure if I want my face on the internet for anyone and everyone to see.

Vector, however, makes the decision for me. He grins his toothy smile at Charmy and replies, "Great idea, kid. Ya got a camera somewhere, Esp?"

Before I can reply or come up with an excuse of why I can't take a picture right now, Charmy flies to my dresser on the opposite side of the room and tugs the drawer open, causing me to flush slightly. I've forgotten exactly what's in the drawer, but I'm sure that there are things in there that I'd prefer Charmy not to see. I'm proven right as Charmy starts rifling through the drawer and gets a funny look on his face. He holds up a bottle of pills and looks over at his shoulder, asking, "What are these for, Espio? You've got about five bottles of them in here."

My cheeks go from pink to tomato red. You'd think that I could have hid my anti-depressants in a more inconspicuous place. I can feel Vector's intimidating stare on my face. Practically diving across the room, I grab the camera from out of the drawer and pluck the bottle of pills out of Charmy's grip, murmuring, "They're nothing. They're just...cold medicine. I tend to get sick quite a bit in the winter. Here's the camera. Who would like to take the picture?"

"You don't get sick in the winter very often. In fact, I don't even remember the last time you were sick-" Charmy starts to say much to my embarrassment.

"Vector, would you like to take the picture?" I cut Charmy off, wondering if this day can get any more humiliating.

"Alright," Vector agrees, snagging the camera out of my palm. "Everyone stand close together and say pizza!"

I stand a little off to the side, not wanting to have to stand too close to Vector. Charmy hovers above our heads and Vector gives me an annoyed look. Shaking his head at me, he points out, "Yer practically standin' across the room from me, Esp. Yer gonna have to get a little closer if you even want to be in the picture."

Still blushing furiously, I start to stammer something about being claustrophobic, but Vector will have none of this. He reaches out and wraps an arm around my waist, practically sliding me across the floor over to him. Blinking in astonishment, my stomach knots at the sudden physical contact as Vector holds me close to him as if we've best buddies our whole lives. He gives the camera a snarky smile and then takes the picture. I'm so in shock from Vector's unwanted contact that all I can do is stand glued to where I'm standing on the floor even after Vector has released me and has moved away.

"D'ya know how to upload a picture onto the computer?" Vector asks me, looking at the computer as if it's a foreign piece of machinery.

Still frozen, I just stare at him while Charmy flies in front of me and waves a hand before my face, groaning, "Oh no, Espio's in la la land again!"

Jerking out of my paralysis, I say a bit stiffly, "No, I'm not, Charmy. And yes, I know how to upload a picture. Give me the camera."

Vector dumps the camera in my hands and stands back to watch while I working on uploading the picture to the computer with shaky hands. Vector has been the first person other than Charmy that I've had any physical contact with since the whole ordeal with my cousin. I was more than a little stunned that he had the nerve to grab me like he did! I have a feeling that Vector is one of those touchy-feely people, again the opposite of me.

As soon as I upload the picture onto the computer, it pops up in the center of the lit up screen. I frown immediately. Charmy is grinning in the back of the photo and is giving everyone a thumbs up sign. Vector has his arm around me and is smiling that devilish, sharp-toothed smile of his. I look caught off guard with wary eyes and slightly flushed cheeks. Turning away in embarrassment, I state, "I look awful. Perhaps we should redo the picture."

"Nah," Vector shakes his head immediately. "I look too good in this pic to risk not lookin' as good in the next pic. 'Sides, you don't look half bad. Ya look sort of cute blushin' like that."

Oh god, so my blush didn't escape Vector. Trying to keep my voice steady, I reply without looking at Vector, "I'll just take that as a compliment, shall I?"

"You can take it anyway ya want," Vector smirks, clearly having fun humiliating me.

"It looks like the website is finished now," I state, trying to change the subject. I quickly shut the computer down before Vector can come up with any more crazy suggestions for the website and suggest, "Perhaps we should call and get our name in the yellow pages now. After we've done that, we've done everything possible to get our detective agency started."

"Sounds like a plan," Vector nods in agreement before he turns to Charmy and asks, "Hey kid, whaddya think about callin' and gettin' our phone number in the yellow pages? I'd kinda like a word alone with Esp here for a moment."

"Sure thing, Vector!" Charmy says immediately, glad to be doing something useful for the detective agency. Looking like Christmas has come early for him, he flies out of the room without a look backwards.

The very last thing I want right now is to be trapped alone in a room with Vector. I don't think he would ever hurt me, but my past experiences have taught me to be extremely cautious. One can never be too careful around strangers. The last time I was in a bedroom with only one other person was when Bryce tempted me into showing him my room during my aunt's party. It turns out all he wanted was to get between my legs.

I've taken precautions and I have a knife hidden underneath my pillow. I sleep with it there just in case. Sending Vector a wary look, I take a few steps backwards so that I'm standing directly next to the bed and can whip the knife out from underneath the pillow if it becomes necessary.

Vector has his head tilted at me and there's a curious expression on his face as he looks at me closely. He takes one step forwards, but there's no malice in his eyes. Looking almost uncomfortable, he shuffles to a halt and points out, "I noticed those bottles yeh have stored in that drawer over there..."

"Oh?" I reply, acting like I could care less what Vector thinks of me and my pills. "And your point is?"

"Well, with pills like that, yer either severely depressed or yer plannin' an overdose," Vector points out a-matter-of-factly. "So which one is it?"

I look at the ground, wishing that I could say that Vector is talking delusional. Unfortunately, he's not wrong in this circumstance. I _am _severely depressed. Crossing defiant arms over my chest, I reply, "This is really none of your business. How dare you suggest I'm thinking about an overdose?!"

"Alright, so yer not thinking about overdosing. Yer just depressed then," Vector states, giving me a careful look. I decide not to answer him and keep my eyes on the floor, pretending to be extremely interested in the carpet under my feet. Vector sighs and goes on, "What happen to ya, Esp? Somethin' obviously happened. The way ya flinch away from everyone and the way ya act like I'm poison ain't normal. Someone hurt yeh, didn't they?"

"N-no! Of course they most certainly did not!" I snap indignantly, meeting Vector's eyes defiantly. There is absolutely no way that Vector is getting any information out of me. What does he want to hear? That my very own cousin beat me and raped me night after night? Glaring at Vector's dubious expression, I add, "I just tend to be a bit high-strung."

"Hm," Vector replies suspiciously, clearly not buying my lie. "Look, I'm not tryin' to give you a hard time, but if we wanna be a team, we're gonna have to work together."

Vector does have a point. We're not going to get anywhere with Team Chaotix if I secretly despise him. I start to feel just a tiny bit bad for making him feel like he's poison to me. Nodding, I reply, "You're right. I'm sorry if I was a bit...cold earlier. I'm not used to working in groups."

"S'okay. I kinda figured that. I just want ya to know that I'd never hurt you or Charmy. Alright?" Vector says passionately, trying to get passed the hard mask of my face that hides my inner emotions. He offers his hand to me. "I want ya to be able to trust me, Esp. We're partners now."

Vector's right. Very slowly, I reach out and take his hand. Meeting his eyes, I decide, "I will trust you, Vector. Just don't betray me."

"Never," Vector says, shaking my hand up and down vehemently, almost dislodging my arm from its socket all over again. "Now let's go see how Charmy did with those yellow pages!"

Vector turns and strides out the door with me trailing after him. As I rub my shoulder ruefully, I hope that I really can trust this unprofessional yet seemingly concerned crocodile. I've been betrayed too many times before in my life. Another betrayal will be the end of me.

* * *

_Hm...who thinks Vector will end up betraying Espio later in the story? Review please! :)  
_


	9. Utter Embarrassment

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Wow! I feel really honored that you like this story despite not being a Vecpio fan. You just totally made my day! :) Here's an update. ^^ I try to update daily if I can. Maybe I'll make you a Vecpio fan by the end of this. I hope you keep reading! Thanks again for the awesome comment.  
**

**Mormar1: I know, poor Espio! He's had a really hard life so far. Let's hope Vector doesn't betray him. *crosses fingers* Thanks for the review!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Aw, I'm sorry you were banned. What's your username on there? Maybe I can try to find you and add you to my watch list. :)  
**

**zgirl16: No problem! And yes, I did. Your last story with Black Doom and Shadow was really amazing and I'd love to see another one like it. Haha, good guess. That seems like something Vector might do, doesn't it? ;P Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I'm glad you could come home to my update! I love your reviews so much (and your story of course)! It is sad about Espio's depression. Let's hope our favorite croc can get him off those pills. Yeah, we've gotta love oblivious Charmy! There's more oblivious Charmy in this chapter. And you're right; Vector is never a bad guy! Maybe a little pushy, but never bad. I'm so glad you're still enjoying this story. Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Nooooo, don't do that! D: I love your reviews! I'm glad you liked their interactions in the last chapter. ^^  
**

**LuluCalliope: Hey! Remember our deal? Esp is mine! *hides him behind me possessively* You have a long list of guys including Sleet, Shadow and Smarty! ;P And lol, good luck with ruling the world with Shadow after you fix your nails. xD I guess I have a lot of movies to watch now. I need to start writing these titles down because I can be really forgetful. I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter IX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector and I step out into the living room where Charmy is hovering in midair with a grin on his face. I wince as I notice that Charmy's grin is directed at Vector, not me. A sharp jolt of jealousy runs through me as I look between the two of them. I think of Charmy as my own child. It hurts to see that he's taken to Vector so quickly when Vector has done nothing but introduce him to homosexuality so far. Crossing my arms irritably, I keep my envious thoughts to myself and remind myself that I promised only moments earlier to try and give Vector a chance.

"Did ya get our phone number in the yellow pages, Charmy?" Vector asks in that casual, easygoing voice of his.

"Sure did, Vector!" Charmy replies back with a vigorous nod. "We should start getting calls really soon! What kind of detective work do you think we'll have to do first? Maybe we'll have to find someone who's been kidnapped or maybe we'll have to solve a murder mystery of some sort!"

"Yes, but hopefully not," I frown, thinking that Charmy is far too young to be exposed to the details of murder.

"Esp, what do I have to do to get ya to relax?" Vector asks, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder that immediately makes my whole body tense up. Seeing that he's affected me in a bad way, Vector immediately lets go of my shoulder and points out, "There hasn't been a murder here fer a good year and a half."

I nod slowly, not feeling much better. A spontaneous yawn suddenly slips out of my mouth. I send an inconspicuous glance at the clock and note that it's almost eight pm. Figuring that Vector has been here long enough and that it's about time he left, I send him an imploring look and say, "It's gotten rather late."

"Huh? It's only eight or so," Vector says blankly, not taking my hint. I narrow my eyes at him and tap my foot on the floor in annoyance. This time, Vector seems to take the hint. He blushes ever so slightly and says, "Oh. Well, kid, it looks like Esp thinks it's about time I left. I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Noooooo!" Charmy complains passionately, flying to the door and stopping directly in front of it so that Vector has no way out. Giving Vector a pleading look, Charmy begs, "Can't you stay a little bit later? Espio will at least let me stay up for at least another hour. We have more cookies and milk if you're still hungry. Besides, I really want to show you my video game."

Vector hesitates and looks from Charmy's sad face over to me. I don't change my expression and keep my arms folded. Not wanting to anger his new partner, Vector gives Charmy a sympathetic look and replies, "Sorry, Charmy, but I gotta get back to my apartment before it gets dark out. Don't wanna be wanderin' the streets at night."

"Hm," Charmy muses, unable to argue with Vector's logic. I've always taught him to stay off of the streets at night. In fact, I've taught him lots of safety rules. He should avoid going out of the house at night unless he's with an adult, he can only go to the park alone during the day if he's planning to meet a friend there, and he should never talk to strangers. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things he still has to learn.

Suddenly, Charmy's face lights up and he snaps his fingers, saying, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" I ask apprehensively, getting a bad feeling about this just from the look on Charmy's face.

"I've got the perfect plan! Just wait until you hear it," Charmy gushes, flying up a foot in the air in his excitement. Vector and I wait in suspense for Charmy to spill his ideas, me with a bad gut feeling and Vector appearing slightly curious. Charmy continues, "Vector can stay the night! I've always wanted to have a sleepover!"

My heart starts hammering against my chest as I see Vector's sharp eyes light up at the idea. There is absolutely no way I am letting this crocodile stay here overnight. Before Vector can say how he'd love to spend the night here, I interject, "I'm afraid that won't work. We only have two bedrooms. There's nowhere for Vector to stay."

"Why can't he just stay in your bedroom?" Charmy asks, seeing no problem with this. "Your bed is big enough for two. You let me sleep next to you that one night when I had a nightmare, remember?"

My whole body flushes and I feel heat rushing to my cheeks. Charmy is too young and innocent to realize what he's proposing, but he's certainly done a fine job embarrassing me today! Vector chuckles and asks, "How about it, Esp? Can I stay the night? Don't worry, I won't sleep in yer bed. I can just stay out here on the couch."

"No," I state flatly, earning myself a disappointed look from both Charmy and Vector. Figuring I need some excuse as to why I want to get rid of Vector, I look around wildly and focus in on the dirt Vector tracked all over the floor. Grasping at this, I continue, "I need to clean the house. I'm sure Vector won't want to stay here and listen to the vacuum. We don't want to be inconsiderate hosts, do we, Charmy?"

"I guess not. I think the cleaning could wait until tomorrow though," Charmy grumbles. It only takes him a moment before he perks up again and asks, "So what time will we see you tomorrow, Vector?"

Vector decides to be considerate and says, "I dunno. What time works fer you two? I'm available all day long. Say, Esp, you're pretty red in the cheeks. Are ya alright?"

"Fine," I reply stiffly, still blushing from Charmy suggesting that Vector and I share a bed. I think for a few moments and realize that it looks like I'm going to have to quit my cafe job now that I've decided to become part of Team Chaotix. Tomorrow morning, I'll go in to the cafe early and resign. That shouldn't take too long though. I should be free after ten 'o clock. In an almost reluctant voice, I reply, "I suppose any time after ten would be just fine."

"Alright! I'll be here at ten 'o clock sharp then," Vector says, saluting me in a comical way. Charmy bursts out giggling and throws his arms around Vector's neck as the crocodile steps towards the door. Vector looks a little shocked, but awkwardly pats the happy little bee on the back.

"I'm so glad you put up that ad about the detective agency," Charmy points out before letting Vector go. "We're going to be the best detective agency ever!"

Vector nods and then glances over at me from where I'm standing a few feet opposite from him. I keep my arms crossed, but don't glare at him anymore. Vector offers his hand to me a bit awkwardly and says, "I'll see ya bright and early tomorrow. Keep in mind what I told yeh, Esp."

"Right," I reply, taking and then releasing Vector's hand as quickly as I can. I'm going to have a shoulder ache tomorrow at this rate. "Goodbye."

Finally, after what seems like forever, I finally manage to get the house Vector-free. Unfortunately, there are large, ugly dirt stains all across my perfectly white carpet that remind me of his presence. How dreadful! I stare at the stains morbidly and sigh, not wanting to clean tonight. I'm thoroughly exhausted.

"It's been a long day," I state, lifting wary eyes to Charmy. "Perhaps we can both just go to bed tonight without arguing?"

Charmy assesses my mood and seems to realize that tonight is not a night to press his luck with me. Nodding, he says, "Okay. We've got to get our rest so we'll be prepared for our first mission tomorrow. I'll go brush my teeth and get ready for bed."

"Thank you," I tell Charmy gratefully, glad that we're not going to have to go through the usual arguments over bedtime.

Once Charmy flies off to his bedroom, I debate about what to do for the rest of the night. I'm far too tired to vacuum even though the grimy floor is practically begging to be cleaned. I could watch TV, but there's usually nothing on but sports. Sports have a tendency to put me straight to sleep. I might as well just go straight to bed like Charmy. I'm positive I'll fall asleep right away. Turning, I step nimbly across the floor and disappear into my bedroom, closing the door quietly behind me.

Wincing, I notice that Vector has even managed to track dirt onto the creamy white carpet in my bedroom. I smack my palm against my forehead and make a mental note to get up extremely early tomorrow so I can clean the carpet and then go to the cafe before Vector arrives at my house. Falling into bed, I rub my sore shoulder before slipping under the blankets. I hope to fall asleep right away, but sleep has a way of evading me. My mind keeps racing with anxious thoughts about tomorrow. Maybe I ought to take some of my pills.

Sitting up in bed, I reach over to the drawer and fumble around inside it with one hand as I search for a pill bottle in the dark. Eventually, my fingers fasten around something smooth and cylinder - definitely a pill bottle. After uncapping it, I place two pills on my tongue and then swallow delicately before setting the bottle back into the drawer. I'm only supposed to take one pill, but I could certainly use two tonight considering all the stress I've been under.

I lay down and attempt to fall asleep once more. Again, I can't seem to make myself relax. A soft creak comes from the door and I open my eyes again, glancing at the open doorway to see Charmy hovering there sheepishly. He gives me a half-smile and whispers, "I can't sleep. Can I come in?"

"I suppose so. I can't sleep either," I admit, rolling to one side of the bed so that Charmy can crawl onto the opposite side.

Plop! I feel the mattress shift as Charmy flops down next to me and props himself up on his elbow so he can sit facing me. Charmy looks into my face and asks earnestly, "Why don't you like Vector?"

I consider denying it for a few moments, but realize that it's probably not worth denying. Giving Charmy a rueful smile, I ask, "Is it_ that _obvious?"

"Yeah," Charmy admits, sending me a curious look. "Why don't you like him? He's really nice!"

"He's a stranger to us. We barely know him. I'm just being cautious for now," I tell Charmy, hoping that he'll buy my little white lie. Actually, it's not really a lie. I am just being cautious because I don't trust anyone other than Charmy.

"What's there to be cautious of?" Charmy asks, puzzled. "What could he do to us? He's obviously not going to murder us while we sleep or anything!"

"Murder isn't the only crime out there," I reply a bit sadly. Taking advantage of the fact that I have Charmy's complete attention for the moment (this is a very rare thing considering the fact that he's usually entranced with his video games), I add, "Don't suggest Vector sleeping over here again and don't ask me about the pills in my drawers in front of him."

"Why not?" Charmy asks, seeing nothing wrong with either of those things.

"It's just...not a good idea," I reply, not feeling like explaining the whole thing. Finally starting to get tired, I tell Charmy, "I think I'm going to go to bed now. You can stay here if you'd like for tonight."

"Alright," Charmy says, burying his face in the pillow before he mumbles in a muffled voice, "Will you at least try to like Vector a little more? I want us to be a team."

"I'll try," I answer, deciding to really give it some effort tomorrow for Charmy's sake if for nothing else. "I promise to try."

I get no response and realize that Charmy has already fallen asleep. His soft snores can be heard from across the bed. Smiling to myself, I close my own eyes and fall asleep almost immediately. During the night, I dream of Bryce. He has me pinned down against the bed and advances towards me slowly, his eyes black pools of malice and his lips curved up in a diabolical smile. I avoid his vicious gaze and stare up at the ceiling, pretending to be anywhere but here on the bed about to be assaulted. Unfortunately, I can't help but wince as Bryce grabs my wrists and pins them above my head with an firm hand. His grip on my wrists is iron tight. I've long since learned not to struggle, but Bryce seems to think that he needs to force me into submission. I can feel his hot, heavy breath against my neck as Bryce straddles me with ease. I continue staring at the ceiling blankly as Bryce tugs at my legs. I let them fall apart knowing that Bryce will get his way one way or the other by the end of the night. Closing my eyes, I wait for the sharp burst of pain to stab up inside me. However, after a few long moments of feeling nothing, I crack an eye open. A large green shape with flaming eyes tears Bryce off of me and sends him flying against the wall. A concerned face stares into mine. ...Vector?

"Espio, _wake up_!" a distant voice calls from what seems like miles away.

The image of Vector dissolves from before my eyes as well as Bryce's dark form. Opening my heavy eyelids, I find myself face-to-face with Charmy. Bright sunlight is pouring through the windows and I realize that I must have overslept. Damn. There's nothing worse than getting off to a late start in the morning.

"I was starting to think you'd never wake up!" Charmy complains as he flies around my head while I stare around myself, a bit disoriented after my nightmare. "I told Cream that I would meet her at the park today, but I want to hang out with you and Vector instead. What should I do?"

"You need to meet Cream at the park if you already promised her that you would," I tell Charmy a bit stiffly. "You don't have to play with her all day, but it would be rude to just not show up."

"I guess you're right," Charmy mumbles. "I'm going to go to the park now then. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can be back!"

"Alright," I reply sleepily as Charmy flies out of the bedroom as fast as lightning. It's not until after he's gone that I realize this means I'm going to be meeting with Vector all alone in just a few hours. Just my luck.

* * *

_Uh oh, Espio has to survive a whole day alone with Vector! How do you think that will go? Review please! :)  
_


	10. Computer Nonsense

**Regular sonic fan: Yep, classic team Chaotix here! :D I'm so glad that you think everyone is still acting in character! I've been kind of nervous about that, so now I'm feeling much better. Espio definitely did make the right decision! I would have joined Team Chaotix in a heartbeat too. Thank you so much for the awesome review!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I agree! It's really fun to write innocent Charmy. xD It's great that you're not a Vecpio hater. I'm going to make it my goal to get you to like the pairing by the end of this fic. I absolutely love random questions, btw, so feel free to ask me as many as you want! I'm not really a Sonknux fan...in fact, that pairing hadn't occurred to me until you mentioned it. Sonilver is alright although I'm not a huge fan of Sonic or Silver. Sonamy makes sense, but I despise Amy, so I can't stand that (sorry if you like her!). I like Sonadow if it's written well though. :) Thanks so much for still reading this! I love your reviews!  
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**Mormar1: I agree! I can see Vector looking out for Esp's safety, can't you? xD Thanks for the reading!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Hm, I tried to add you, but it said your account has been deactivated. =/ Maybe you can get a new account? And I guess Bryce is just one of those really evil guys out there. It sucks, but the world does have a few of them. I'm so happy you're still reading this! ^^  
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**zgirl16: Yeah, you're totally right about Esp! Wow, nice prediction there about the dream. Let's just say that you're probably right. ;P Yep, I know that Shadoom is a ship. I love villain/hero (is Shadow a hero? No? Well, anyways...) relationships. I bet you'd do great with a Shadoom fic!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Aw, thank you so much! Ugh, I hate school. It would be so nice if we never had to go and could just dream about the Chaotix all day, hehe. I know! Isn't Charmy hilarious? He clearly has no idea what he was suggesting to Espio and Vector! I agree, they should sleep together eventually though. *winks* The dream was sad...maybe it's a prediction of what's to come? Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thanks! I really hope you like it. :)  
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**Alicia: Yup! I guess we all kind of expected it though, didn't we?  
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**LuluCalliope: Yeah, poor Esp! He is really NOT getting along with Vector, is he? Aw, I really missed talking to you today. I did a little extra writing, but talking to you is way more fun. How was it with your grandparents? I just figured out my grandma is staying for a few days this weekend. Ugh. =/  
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* * *

**Chapter X  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I stare into the mirror with and give myself a toothy grin. I just brushed my teeth and now it's time to go over to Espio's house for our first day of work as Team Chaotix. My teeth gleam in the mirror and my breath is minty fresh. I really don't think I can look any better. Cranking up the volume on my music, I cross the room in two long strides and push the door to my apartment room open. Nothin' is going to ruin my first day working with my new team. Some poor fellow in need of our expertise is bound to give us a call today. Who knows? I could be rich by the end of the day!

Shifting from foot to foot, I wait for the elevator to reach my floor. As soon as the door opens, I practically fling myself inside, almost running over a disgruntled hedgehog in the process. He gives me an annoyed look and brings himself up to his full height. I grin sheepishly at him and mutter, "Sorry 'bout that."

The hedgehog doesn't respond and stalks out of the elevator. I pound my finger against the red button that will bring me to the lobby and then close the elevator door by pressing another button. As the elevator travels downwards much too slowly for my taste, I think about my new team. Do I like my new team members? 'Course I do! What's not to like?

...Well, alright, so maybe we aren't a big, happy family yet, but all of that will come in time. Charmy seems to have accepted me already. In fact, he even wanted me to sleep over at his house last night. I chuckle to myself at the memory as the elevator comes to a halt and opens up. I whiz out of it and hurry across the lobby undetected. Ya never know when you might accidentally run into one of those annoyin' hedgehogs who's goal in life seems to be to pester you about the rent.

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, I tilt my head back and puff out my chest as I start down the sidewalk. There aren't too many people out at this time of day. I detect a few hedgehogs clustered in front of the grocery store, but that's all. I hope that Espio has gotten his cafe job sorted out. He can't walk out on me now.

Speakin' of Espio, I know there's something not quite right about the fuchsia colored chameleon. He's far too jumpy and he's probably the most suspicious guy I've ever met. It makes him a valuable player of Team Chaotix, but I can't even imagine what it would be like to spend yer days constantly keeping a vigilant eye out for danger the way he does. I doubt the chameleon has a single friend other than Charmy. I can tell that he's hiding somethin' from me although I'm not sure what it is yet. He's guarding a dark secret and I hope to get it out of him sooner than later.

Suddenly, I notice a familiar figure walking down the street directly towards me. My eyes widen in surprise as I see a gorgeous cream rabbit with beautiful brown eyes only a few meters away from me. I try not to stop and stare at Miss Vanilla, but my eyes seem to have other plans as they latch onto her face. Miss Vanilla glances up and meets my infatuated gaze. Instead of turnin' away from me, a small smile crosses her lips. It only takes me a second before I'm giving her my most devilish smile.

As I'm searching my brain for somethin' to say to her, Miss Vanilla trips over a rock placed right in the middle of the sidewalk. She gasps and lurches forwards. I react instantaneously and reach out for her. Miss Vanilla topples against my chest instead of smacking against the hard concrete ground. My heart starts thudding against my chest as I feel her warm body against mine. She looks up at me with those alluring hazel eyes and doesn't step away from me right away. Instead, we stare at each other.

Cheeks flushing, I back away first and ask politely, "Are yeh alright, ma'am?"

"Yes, I am," Miss Vanilla replies, brushing off her long skirts as she gives me a sparkling smile and adds, "Thank you so much for saving me from falling."

"No problem," I tell her, getting lost in the big brown pools of her eyes. "Is there anythin' else I can lend ya a hand with?"

"Not at the moment, but thank you," Miss Vanilla says politely before she holds out a delicate hand to me and says, "I don't believe that we've been introduced before. I'm Miss Vanilla."

"Yeah, I know," I nod. Miss Vanilla raises an eyebrow, finding it curious that I already know her name. Damn. Now I probably sound like a stalker to her. Where _are _my manners? I search for somethin' proper to say and mumble in a rush, "I'm Vector. It's nice to meet yeh, ma'am."

We shake hands, mine trembling just a little. I can't help but feel a little disappointed when Miss Vanilla releases my hand after a few seconds. She gives me one last enchanting smile and says, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vector, dear. I have to pick up my daughter from the park, so I'll have to be on my way now. Perhaps we'll run into each other another time."

"Yeah," I nod vigorously, turning around to watch Miss Vanilla as she flounces away from me with that graceful walk of hers. "Have a nice day!"

I stare after Miss Vanilla until she's completely out of sight, my pulse still racin' from all the excitement. Miss Vanilla actually smiled at me and she even called me "dear". That's gotta be a good sign! Instantaneously energized, I start humming along to my music and continue on my way to Espio's house. This day is off to a great start.

It doesn't take me very long to reach Espio's house. When I reach the cozy yet very clean house, I stop right outside the door and slam my fist against the it to make sure Espio can hear me knocking. There's only a slight pause before an even-toned voice from within the house calls, "Come in."

I push the door open and step inside the small living room. I expect to be greeted by a hyperactive little bee, but the kid is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Espio is leaning against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest as usual. I'm startin' to think that his arms are glued in that position.

Forgetting to greet the slender chameleon, I ask bluntly, "Where's Charmy?"

"Charmy promised his friend that he would meet her at the park today. I believe he's at the park right now. He should be back shortly. I quit my day job at the cafe although I did agree to work some night shifts instead," Espio explains to me. "Feel free to sit down if you'd like. It may be a while before we get our first call."

"Nah, I'm sure someone will call right away," I contradict optimistically, earning myself a patronizing look from Espio. Shrugging it off, I tramp across the room and plop down on a wooden chair behind the polished wooden table. Propping my feet up on the table as I slide my chair back, I tuck my arms behind my head and add, "Guess I might as well sit down though."

Espio cringes when I put my feet on the table. I dunno what's buggin' him. Is it me or something else? I expect him to tell me what's wrong, but he keeps his lips in a thin line and doesn't say a word. We sit in an awkward silence, neither of us speaking. The silence between us starts to drag on a bit too long. Even I start to feel uncomfortable and begin twiddling with my thumbs. Having nothing better to do, I take a closer look at the chameleon leaning up against the couch a few feet away from me. His amber eyes are fixed on the wall to my left and although I thought he was scowling at me earlier, I notice now that he has a faraway look in his eyes and has probably forgotten that I'm even in the room with him.

"Ya know, I would've thought that we would have at least gotten one phone call by now," I reply, my voice shattering the thick silence that had fallen between us.

Espio flicks his eyes over to me and says calmly, "We have to be patient. We created the webpage only yesterday."

"I guess," I reply, feeling a little downhearted that nobody has called yet. My thoughts travel to the website and I think of something that could be a problem. Frowning, I tell Espio, "I think we should go take a look at the website just to make sure it's still up."

"Of course it's still up," Espio replies almost indignantly. "What do you think happened to it? It got removed by aliens?"

I ignore Espio's dry sarcasm and insist, "I'm gonna go check on it just in case. You can just stay here if ya want."

I get up from my chair and start across the room to Espio's bedroom. Not wanting me alone with the computer, Espio lets out a melodramatic sigh and trails reluctantly after me to the computer room. I tramp through the door to his room and go straight to the computer. Plopping down on the stool behind it, I press the power button on the computer and tap my fingers impatiently against the desk the computer is sittin' on and crank up my music a few more notches.

Espio slinks into the room and sends me a dirty look as he leans up against the computer desk. His lips move and I can tell he's saying something although I can't hear what it is. Giving him a blank look, I ask, "Huh?"

Espio repeats whatever it is that he was saying, but I still can't hear him. I give him a nonplussed look. Espio's face contorts with irritation. He reaches out and grabs one of my earphones with ninja quick reflexes as he states, "I'm not about to lose my voice screaming at the top of my lungs so that you can hear me over your music. Either turn it down or turn it off."

I wouldn't usually turn my music off just because someone tells me to, but I find that I want to at least attempt to please Espio. He seems like he's gonna be about impossible to make happy, but I can at least give it a try. For his sake, I turn off the music and say, "Alright, so what was it ya were tryin' to tell me?"

"I said to be careful with the computer because it's the only one I have and I cannot afford a new one," Espio repeats. Hesitating, he adds, "Perhaps I ought to take over this job..."

"Nah," I reply, giving the chameleon a playful shove as I fight to remain in control of the computer. "I can manage to get on a website. It ain't rocket science."

My little shove causes Espio to stumble back a few paces. It makes me realize that although his personality is hard and rigid, his body is anything but strong. He's easily pushed around. I almost feel bad for shoving him. Almost, but not quite. After all, he did kinda deserve it fer tryin' to take the computer away from me.

I turn my attention away from an irksome Espio and bring up the internet home page. To my surprise, the home page as been set to our very own website. I smile at it, liking that picture of our team smack in the middle of the website. I'm lookin' pretty darn good there and Esp isn't flinching and glaring for once. He's looking...bashful.

"The website is clearly working. Let's go back to the living room now," Espio says in a hurry to get me away from the computer for some unknown reason.

I hesitate, not wanting to leave the computer room. The living room is boring and there's nothin' to do there. At least I can monkey around on some websites in here to stay occupied. Folding my arms across my chest in a mirror image of Espio, I accuse, "Why are yeh always tryin' to get me away from the computer? I ain't gonna break it. Say, what does this button do?"

Seeing a little red button in the corner of the computer screen, I place my hand on the mouse and bring the cursor up to the button, about to click on it to figure out what it does.

"Vector, _no_!" Espio calls out in warning. He suddenly flies across the room and flings himself towards the mouse, trying to wrestle it away from me. Espio knocks into my stool in the process and loses his balance, going crashing into me. The stool rocks back and forth precariously and before I know it, we've both toppled onto the ground with the stool skidding away from us across the room.

"Oof!" I groan as I land flat on my back. A light weight comes crashing onto my chest. I see stars for a moment before my vision clears once more and I become aware of the warm little body sprawled across my chest. Espio is straddling me awkwardly with his hands splayed across my chest in an attempt to save himself from his fall. Our faces are only a few inches away from each other and I find myself breathin' in a clean, exotic scent. Seeming frozen from shock, Espio just stares at me with his bright amber eyes. I gaze back at him, findin' it kind of odd how I don't mind the chameleon pinning me to the floor.

Suddenly jerking out of his paralysis, Espio jolts backwards, a bright pink flush crossing his cheeks. I feel his body temperature rise up a couple notches as he scrambles to get off of me. I watch in amusement as he stammers, "T-that button would've deleted the website."

"Oops. Guess it's a good thing ya stopped me from clicking that button then," I reply, taking my time getting to my feet. Espio actually looks sorta cute when he's all flustered like this. Poking him gently, I ask, "You okay?"

"I...yes," Espio replies a little less stiffly than from earlier as he takes my hand in an iron grip and practically hauls me out of the bedroom with surprising strength as he states, "Now let's go to the living room before you do any more damage!"

* * *

_Well, that was certainly awkward. ;) Do you think Vector and Espio will get any calls in the next chapter? Review please! :)  
_


	11. Phone Trouble

**Regular sonic fan: I'm so glad that you liked the dating site bit! That part was fun to write. And I agree, Esp will come around soon enough. :D Vector is definitely a good guy. He always has good intentions even if he can be a little pushy at times. Thanks so much for the great reviews! I loved them!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, Vector should never go around touching unknown buttons! That's basically asking for a disaster. xD Sonknux could be fun to explore, I guess. I can only write about characters I really love though or else I get depressed and can't finish my fics. Same thoughts here about Sonilver. I prefer Sonaze. Oh my god, yeah, Sonamy is always has a high school plot to it. *shudders* I can only stay interested in original fics. Sonadow is awesome, I agree! Shadow and Sonic are such opposites. It makes their chemistry really awesome. xD Yay! I'm so happy that I'm making you a Vecpio fan! I think Vector and Esp are very cute together. :) Yay for another question! I love answering questions. It seems like I'm always the one asking questions and nobody ever asks me any. ;P My least favorite characters would have to be Cosmo and Tails. Cosmo is a perfect Mary Sue and Tails' personality does not do a thing for me. Picking a favorite character is impossible for me, so I'm gonna have to go with my top three favorites. Espio is one of them because who doesn't love cute little purple ninjas? I love Vector because he's got that tough guy look to him, but we all know he's a softie deep down. I also love Mephiles because I tend to gravitate towards darker characters in general. There's something very alluring about his voice, his personality, and how he can change forms and all that. I love Vector and Espio together, but if I could choose a Sonic character for myself, I'd choose Mephie! How about you? I'd love to hear about your favorites. ^^  
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**Mormar1: Thank you! And I agree, there will be lots more contact between them in the future. xD Thanks so much for your review!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Oh, alright! I can try watching you on that account then.  
**

**zgirl16: Thanks so much! It's great to hear that. :D And yeah, this fic is going to end up getting really dramatic later. xD That's awesome about your Shadoom fic! I love longer fics. It will be a pleasure to read.  
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**ShadowChaotix: Haha, yeah, definitely a Vecpio moment there! Gotta love those. And yup, Vanilla is in the fic now! I think she's going to be in Saturday's update some more. I think I have a habit of confusing people. *facepalms* That last chapter was supposed to be in Vector's POV. I guess I was having another Shadouge moment there. ;P Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thanks! It was fun to write. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**BlackSandHeart: Wow, I'm so glad you caught up! It's great to hear that you like the plot and that you think I'm writing Vector okay. :) I keep worrying if I'm writing him alright or not. I love Espio too! Gotta love that little purple ninja. I'd say my two favorites are Vector and Espio for obvious reasons. xD Here's an update! I tend to update about once a day if I can. Thanks for making my day with such a nice review!  
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**Alicia: I guess. I should be studying the constitution, but it's so damn boring. I think I'm going to fail my test tomorrow. x_x  
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**LuluCalliope: It's alright! We all get busy sometimes. No, you're not being a nitpick! It's good for someone to point out those things to me because I get lazy and don't notice them on my own, haha. Ooo, you watched Rango? Awesome! :D And aw, thanks. I'm glad you liked the chapter. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter XI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I give Vector no choice but to follow me back into the living room. We've only been together for about fifteen minutes and already he's managed to cause problems. First of all, he's gotten dirt all over my polished wooden table! Grime on the floor is one thing, but dirt on the table? That's so much worse! Secondly, Vector almost deleted my meticulously designed website by pressing an unknown button - the delete button. Thirdly, in my attempt to save the website, I had practically been forced to tackle him to get the mouse out of his hand. The result of all this had been the two of us tangled up on the floor together.

Still blushing from the embarrassment from earlier, I keep my eyes focused ahead of me and refuse to look at Vector. To save my table from further destruction, I point to the sofa in the living room and suggest, "Perhaps you could sit on the couch? It's more comfortable than sitting at the kitchen table."

"Aw, Esp, yer so thoughtful!" Vector exclaims, striding over to the couch once I let go of his wrist. He plops down on one side of the couch and adds, "Yer right, it _is_a lot more comfortable over here. So are you goin' to sit down too or are ya going to stand there all day?"

I hesitate, not really wanting to sit next to the scaly crocodile. He's loud, abrasive, and I have basically made it my goal to stay as far away from him as possible. Leaning up against the wall, I reply politely, "I'm fine where I am. You can turn on the TV if you'd like."

"Alright," Vector says, plucking up the remote from next to him and flicking the TV on.

Glad to have Vector distracted, I watch him skim through the different TV channels without much thought. At least he can't get into much trouble when he's sitting on the couch and watching TV. I will admit that I'm a bit surprised when Vector settles on watching the soap opera channel. I would've expected such a tough looking crocodile to show interest in sports or something more manly to put it bluntly. Even I dislike the sappy, fake soap operas that usually end up lulling me to sleep on channel ninety-three.

However, since the soap opera is keeping Vector distracted, I keep my mouth shut and start thinking about Charmy. At first, I wanted him to spend all day with Cream to keep him away from Vector. It shames me to say this, but I'm extremely jealous of the way Charmy has latched on to Vector so quickly. It won't be long before he likes the charismatic reptile more than myself. On the other hand, I'm starting to wish Charmy was here just to break the awkwardness between Vector and myself. His bubbling presence always adds a new dimension to the room.

"Idiot!" Vector suddenly yells from across the room where he's sprawled on the couch. I jump a foot into the air and give Vector a wary look as a long string of cusses follow his exclamation. Turning to me, Vector smacks his fist down on the arm of the couch and asks, "Why can't this bastard just tell the girl that he loves her already? Why cause more stupid drama over the whole damn situation?"

Ah, I see what's going on now. Vector is just getting a little too involved with the show. I point out wryly, "Well, soap operas are typically melodramatic, over-the-top love stories."

"Hmph!" Vector glares at the TV screen before flicking it off and tossing my remote carelessly to the side. I bite my lip as it lands on the floor. You'd think that Vector would show a little respect for things that don't belong to him, but apparently not. Getting up abruptly, Vector states, "I'm tired of watchin' TV! Why hasn't anyone called us yet?"

"Don't look at me," I reply evenly, not about to be blamed for something I have no control over. "We set up the webpage only yesterday. These things take time. It may take a few days for us to get any business. In the meantime, we just have to sit tight and...not throw things."

I send a pointed look in the direction of the remote that Vector threw on the floor moments earlier, but Vector doesn't seem to get my point. He crosses his arms irritably and says, "I'm positive that someone shoulda called us by now! Where's yer phone, Esp?"

"My phone?" I ask dubiously, unsure what use Vector has for my phone. "It's in the kitchen. Why?"

"I'm gonna go look at it," Vector states, stomping through the living room and entering the kitchen. I follow after him, hoping he's not going to destroy my phone for unknown reasons. "There's gotta be somethin' wrong with yer phone. That's why nobody's called us yet."

"That's ridiculous," I reply, pulling myself up to my full height, which is still a good foot shorter than Vector. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my phone."

"We'll see about that," Vector replies, continuing towards the kitchen.

Annoyed that Vector can't just trust me, I use my fast reflexes to dart out in front of him and stand in front of the phone with my arms crossed over my chest stubbornly. Vector raises an eyebrow at me, wondering what I'm doing. I snap, "There is nothing wrong with my phone and there is no need for you to look at it. You're the one who's being foolish thinking that we should get a phone call after only a few hours of posting our website up on the internet!"

"Say, all I wanna do is look at the damn thing!" Vector replies, eyes narrowing slightly as we stand nose to long crocodile snout. "What's yer problem with that?"

"You told me to trust you only yesterday and yet you can't even trust me about the simple matter of my own phone!" I snap, returning Vector's glare.

There's a long moment during which we both stare at each other with narrowed eyes and arms folded resolutely over our chests. After a moment, I find myself inhaling a dark, spicy scent. Perplexed as to why I'm thinking about what Vector smells like, I frown and break off our eye contact.

Having had enough, Vector gently pushes me out of his way and reaches for the phone. He picks it up and examines it carefully before he looks behind the counter and exclaims, "Well, there's yer problem right here! Ya don't even have the phone plugged in. Have ya even used this thing before?"

I think back and vaguely remember unplugging the phone as soon as I moved into this house, mainly to save myself any nightmarish calls from Bryce if he ever happens to figure out where I live. Barely moving my lips, I shake my head, "No. I've never had a need for it before."

"Huh. Guess we can't use this phone then. We're gonna have to go to my apartment and wait by my phone for calls instead. C'mon," Vector says, wasting no time in starting towards the door. I stay rooted to the spot and follow him with disdainful eyes, certainly not wanting to go to Vector's apartment of all places! I'm sure it's a dump considering the way he treats my house. Seeing that I'm not moving, Vector stops and turns around to face me, asking, "What's wrong now? Don't yeh want to get a call?"

"Just because you're bigger than me does_ not _mean that you can push me around or make all the decisions," I suddenly lash out, my hotheaded side getting the best of me for a few seconds. "I'm your equal, Vector. I may not be your same size, but that does not mean that you can treat me any less than anyone else. You invited me to be part of this detective agency and I agreed to being your partner assuming that you would treat me as your equal. I won't be tossed around. If you can't agree to my terms, then I quit."

Vector looks at my flushed face and my rapidly rising and falling chest, appearing taken aback. Cooling, off I find that I don't even know where my rant came from. I suppose it all started with Bryce and his need to make me his slave. Ever since then, my freedom and my natural rights have been two of the things most important to me. I will not ever allow myself to get back into another situation like the one I barely escaped from. I will not be abused again, not by Vector, not by anyone.

"Uh, I didn't realize ya felt so strongly about that. I didn't mean to upset ya, Esp," Vector points out, giving me a look as if I'm the unpredictable, insane one in the room. "Yer not exactly bein' the easiest partner to work with though..."

Having returned to my normal temperament, I realize that Vector is right. I haven't made an attempt to get along with him like I promised Charmy I would. Taking a deep breath, I tell myself to stop pointing out all of Vector's faults and to try and accept him for what he is - a large, unprofessional crocodile who thinks he's going to be able to be the leader of Team Chaotix. Hm, thinking about Vector that way doesn't seem to put him in much better lighting.

"I suppose you're right," I say, knowing that I should admit to giving Vector a hard time. "I've just been a bit stressed lately."

"Yeah, I think everyone has noticed that," Vector points out ruefully. "I forgive ya though. We all have bad days. Now c'mon! Let's not waste any more time arguin'."

I suppose I owe Vector that much and therefore reluctantly trail him out of the safety of my house and onto the streets. Vector seems happy to be in the direct sunlight and swings his arms at his sides while he turns up his music. It's so loud that I can hear it from where I'm standing next to him. We must look like opposites; Vector carelessly walking along and bobbing his head to his music while I slink along next to him, sending furtive glances all around me.

It doesn't take long to reach Vector's apartment and by the time we do, I find that Vector's apartment is exactly what I expected it to be. This apartment has got to be the dingiest apartment in the entire town. Chewing my lip, I ask Vector doubtfully, "_This _is where you live?"

"Yup! It ain't the nicest place, but at least I've managed to pay the bills so far," Vector replies, kicking the apartment door open and striding inside.

Not wanting to be left alone outside of such a beat up place, I hurry after Vector and am plunged into darkness. Apparently, whoever runs this place is too cheap to even afford electricity. It's a very good thing my eyes adjust to the dark easily or else I would've been running into things. Vector leads me to the elevator and then presses the button that will bring us to one of the upper floors. I continue glancing warily around me, knowing that a place like this no attracts lots of criminals.

"Here we are!" Vector says a moment later after we've exited the elevator and have approached a wooden door with a chipped brass doorknob. "This is my cozy little home!"

I tentatively step into the room. I was right; it's a complete dump in here. The carpet is dirty, there is trash everywhere, the window is cracked, and the wooden desk is dull and covered with old newspapers, empty bottles of sports drinks, and other unidentifiable objects. I stand awkwardly in the doorway while Vector tramps over to the chair behind his desk and sits down on it, staring at the phone on the desk with anticipating eyes.

"Ya can sit on the bed if ya want," Vector points out, sending a glance in the direction of where I'm standing awkwardly against the wall.

My body immediately tenses at the suggestion and my eyes turn suspicious as I ask sharply, "Why do you want me on the bed?"

"Oy! Is askin' yeh if you want to sit down a crime?" Vector questions. "I just thought ya might wanna sit down. Go ahead and stand if yeh want though. It doesn't matter to me."

After a moment, I realize that Vector's intentions are completely innocent and resign myself to perching on the edge of his bed. I know Vector is right to some extent. I am too paranoid for my own good, but after being assaulted and having my soul chipped into smaller and smaller pieces night after night, can you really blame me?

The two of us sit in silence for a while, Vector listening to his music and me consumed with my own dark thoughts. Apparently, Vector grows bored of his music because he finally turns it down to talk to me and states, "Wanna know what I think is the problem here?"

Not sure that I want to know what Vector thinks the problem is, I reply resignedly, "What?"

"I don't think my phone is workin'," Vector says. "There's a strange red light that's blinkin' on here."

"Oh, for god's sake..." I mutter under my breath.

"So ya wanna know what we've gotta do?" Vector goes on. I don't think I want to know the crazy scheme that is surely going to follow this statement and so I say nothing. Vector continues on anyways, "We gotta have you call my phone. Go into the room opposite mine and call my number with the phone in that room."

"W-what?!" I exclaim in shock. "I am_ not _sneaking into a stranger's apartment room like a criminal!"

"Fine then. I'll do it," Vector says, getting up from his chair and crossing to the door. "If ya hear the phone ring, pick it up and answer it."

"Vector, wait! This is stupid! We could get into lots of trouble and..." I trail off since the door has already closed behind Vector.

Shaking my head, I walk over to the phone and notice that the red light is blinking right under the button that says "messages". The flashing light means that Vector has a voice mail. Apparently, this crocodile is not only unprofessional, but is also a bit slow in the head. Great. I couldn't have gotten myself a worse partner.

* * *

_Well, it certainly seems as if Vector and Espio are having enough phone trouble. ;P What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Review please! :)  
_


	12. First Mission

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for sticking with this story and for all the awesome reviews I've been getting. You guys are the best! I wrote a little one-shot thing on Mephiles and I was hoping some of you could check it out and leave me a comment on it maybe? I'm trying to decide whether to turn it into a full-length fic at some point or just to leave it as a one-shot. Thanks, you guys! :D**

**Regular sonic fan: Aw, thanks so much! I'm glad you thought the chapter was cute. xD I agree that the Chaotix are definitely going to get a phone call soon. Vector is a little slow at times, but I think that it just makes him all the more adorable, hehe. And yeah! Vector never seems to be on good terms with his neighbors. I really hope you like this chapter!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Thank you very much! And nope, Esp didn't even have his phone plugged in. *facepalms* I think you're right though; they weren't well known in Sonic X at all. Believe me, I will NEVER get annoyed with questions. I absolutely love them! I think that's really cool that Sonic is your favorite character. I honestly think you're the first person I've met who's favorite character is Sonic. There are just so many different characters out there to choose from and I guess that's why he's not the favorite of many fans. Same thoughts here about Cosmo. I wish they had just created Sonic X without her. Hm...that's a good question! Well, I tend to like dark fics, so I'd say that my favorite genres (I can't choose just one xD) would be hurt/comfort and romance. Gotta have a little fluff here and there. :) What are your favorite and least favorite genres? Thank you so much for continuing to read this!  
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**Mormar1: I love him too! He's so funny. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: No problem! And yeah, poor Vector. He's always getting himself into trouble. ;P  
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**zgirl16: Good suggestion! I'll take a peek at it after this. :) And lol, let's hope Vector doesn't get arrested! *crosses fingers*  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I agree! Vector is hilarious. xD Good thing Espio is around to keep him in check now! I'm glad the chapter made you laugh. Laughing is always a good thing. :D And aw, no problem at all. I'm just so happy that you like this fic so much! Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thank you! I try to add some humor here and there when I can. And lol, I always thought Vector would smell spicy. I'm not sure why. xD  
**

**Alicia: I always try...although a lot of the time it's not enough, you know?  
**

**LuluCalliope: Oops! Don't miss the bus reading my updates. xP How's it going with your boyfriend? Did you get to talk to him on Friday, I hope? Haha, exactly! Ninjas do not need telephones, but apparently Vector does. xD How did the rough draft for the essay end up? I hope it went okay! I hate last minute school assignments. They're so annoying! Thanks for reading. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter XII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I sit on the chair behind the desk and wait for the phone call that is sure to come. I can't believe Vector didn't realize that the blinking red light simply means that he has a message! Now he's probably going to get into trouble for breaking into his neighbor's room to use the telephone. Part of me thinks I should go after Vector and drag him back to his own apartment room before anything bad happens, but another part of me decides that Vector can save his own skin. I don't want to be caught breaking into someone else's apartment room.

Ring, ring, ring! I cringe at the loud shrieking of Vector's phone. It's certainly loud enough for everyone on the entire level to hear. As I reach for the phone, I feel a vibration from under the floor. I stare at the floor in surprise and am shocked when a cranky voice shouts, "Keep it down up there! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"I'm very sorry," I call back through the floor, making myself a mental note to tell Vector to turn his phone ringer down when he comes back into the room. It seems as if everything that has to do with Vector is loud, even his phone. I pick up the phone and just in case it's not Vector, answer politely, "Hello? This is Espio speaking."

"Well, yeah, I kinda figured that," Vector's familiar voice sounds through the phone. "Say, the phone ringer is workin' after all! Who would've known? I'll be right back."

I hear the Vector's phone disconnect and set down my phone. The sooner Vector gets back here, the better. I tap my fingers impatiently on his desk until I notice unappetizing crumbs all across the unpolished wood. Unsure of what they came from, I dart my hand off of the desk and send it a repulsive look.

Bang! I wince again as Vector bursts inside the apartment room and slams the door behind him much louder than is necessary. He tromps across the room with heavy footsteps and says, "Guess the phone is workin'. Ain't it strange that we still haven't gotten a call yet?"

"Vector, the reason that you have a blinking red button on the phone is because you have a message. Perhaps you should get it," I point out wryly, trying not to send Vector a patronizing look.

"Huh? Yer a genius, Esp! Who woulda known that the red button means I have message?" Vector asks in wonderment, taking my place on the wooden chair and picking up the phone.

I decide not to point out that everyone in their right mind knows that the red blinking button signals a voice message. Instead, I lean up against the wall and wait for Vector to get the message. He pounds a few digits into the phone, probably his voice mail password. As I watch him, my lips curve down just slightly. Everything with Vector is so..._forceful_.

Vector's expression slowly changes as he listens to his mail. A big, toothy grin spreads across his face and his eyes light up in excitement. A few seconds later, he slams the phone down and practically yells, "Guess what, Esp? We've got our first job!"

"Oh?" I ask, a bit surprised that someone has called us already. After all, the website has only been up for less than a day. I'm definitely not complaining though. Eager to hear more about our first mission, I add, "What exactly is our first job? What must we do to prevail over evil?"

"Well, we ain't exactly fightin' evil fer this job," Vector points out, making me feel slightly disappointed. "This character called Rouge left me a message sayin' that she lost something and wants us to find it fer her. She isn't going to tell us what it is over the phone though. She said to meet her by the water fountain in front of the mail around noon. We should probably get goin' since it's eleven-thirty."

Vector gets up immediately and starts towards the door. I hold back, feeling a bit suspicious. Raising a hand, I protest, "Wait a second. How do we know that this Rouge character isn't just trying to fool around with us? Don't you find it just the least bit odd that she didn't tell us anything about the item in question?"

Vector thinks about this for a moment before he shakes his head and takes my hand, pulling me after him out of the door as he replies, "Nah, not particularly. She's probably just bein' cautious. Someone else coulda picked up my phone and got that message instead."

I suppose Vector has a point, but I am still getting an ominous feeling from somewhere within me. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going with Vector to the water fountain whether I want to or not at this rate. Vector still has my hand in a tight grip and is striding down the apartment hallway purposefully. I don't usually allow anyone to hold my hand other than Charmy, but it seems almost natural for Vector to hold my hand as he rushes us down the hallway to our first mission. I even surprise myself by thinking that it's rather nice to know that he needs me with him for this. We're a team, aren't we?

Vector drags me into the elevator with him and presses the button that will bring us to the lobby. We come to a halt, Vector still holding my hand. Now things start to feel a little awkward, so I clear my throat and give Vector a meaningful look.

"What is it?" Vector asks before he looks down and realizes that he's still squeezing my hand. Blushing slightly, he lets go and apologizes, "Oops. Sorry 'bout that."

I nod, finding that my hand suddenly feels cold. Before the elevator can reach the lobby, it jerks to a halt again. Vector is standing in the corner of the elevator, absentmindedly flipping through his tunes in an attempt to find something to listen to. I'm standing in the center of the elevator, hoping to reach the lobby soon. When the elevator doors open, a tough-looking hedgehog with narrowed eyes stomps inside. He takes one vicious look at me and starts in my direction.

"Are you the bastard creating all the racket upstairs?" the hedgehog growls, getting in my face.

I wrinkle my nose, smelling the easily identifiable stench of alcohol on his breath. It reminds me of Bryce. Shuddering, I take a step backwards and reply, "Excuse me?"

"So it was you after all!" the hedgehog yells, taking a step forwards as he advances upon me. He raises his fist as if to strike me and snaps, "You're going to pay for this!"

I stare at the hedgehog indignantly, taken aback by his lack of manners. What is this world coming to? I prepare to dodge his blow, but before I have to use my ninja fast reflexes, Vector jerks his head up from the corner of the elevator. When he sees the hedgehog fixing me with his ferocious stare, Vector's eyes turn into slits and he immediately strides forwards. Before the hedgehog knows what's happening, Vector has a hand around his throat and is staring down at him with an annoyed glare.

"Oy! Keep yer filthy hands off my buddy!" Vector defends me, lifting the hedgehog into the air and shaking him a bit violently before he slams him back down on the ground and points to the elevator door, stating, "Nobody messes with my team. Everyone who threatens Esp here is gonna have to answer to me! Now git!"

The hedgehog takes one fearful look at Vector's bright eyes and glistening white teeth before he scuttles out of the elevator. The elevator door shuts behind him and we start descending down to the lobby once more. A bit surprised and touched that Vector acted so defensive of me, I tilt my head at him as if I'm seeing him for the first time. Nobody has ever come to my rescue or defended me before. All those nights when I was left alone with Bryce and prayed for someone to come and save me, nobody ever did. I felt all alone in the world. Now, I feel as if Vector has my back whenever we're together.

"I could have handled that situation on my own," I point out a bit arrogantly before adding, "Thank you for your concern though."

Vector waves away my thanks and says, "Don't mention it. We're a team, remember?"

I nod, thinking of the two of us plus Charmy as a team for the very first time. As the elevator comes to a halt, I find that I'm no longer feeling disdainful towards the big, green crocodile. He may be a bit unprofessional, but his heart is certainly in the place. Perhaps - I can't believe I'm saying this - we can be friends after all...

I keep this thought in mind as we step out into the pitch black lobby and make our way to the entrance of the apartment. Flinching at the bright light as we step outside, I find myself lurking in Vector's shadow as I try to adjust my eyes to the sun's bright glare.

"Whatcha waitin' for?" Vector asks me, already halfway down the sidewalk with only three long strides.

"I'm trying not to blind myself," I reply dryly, taking a few running steps to catch up with him.

"Yer not gonna go blind," Vector laughs as we walk down the street side-by-side. "The mall isn't too far away from here. Oh look, there's the fountain. Say, is that Rouge right there?"

I squint my eyes and take note of a female bat pacing back and forth in front of the fountain. She's very pretty as far as bats go, but I'm not really one to care about appearances. As my past experiences have taught me, what's on the inside is what really counts.

Vector and I come to a halt in front of the bat a few seconds later. Getting straight to the point, Vector opens his mouth, but the bat speaks first in a voice laced with honey as she murmurs, "Ah, you must be the detectives. I was wondering when you would show up. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting, you know."

"Sorry 'bout that, ma'am," Vector attempts to be polite for once. "We were havin' a little phone trouble. So just what is it that ya want us to find? We got yer phone message just a few minutes ago."

Rouge glances from left to right carefully to make sure nobody is listening in on our conversation. Just for good measure, she steps forwards and speaks in a very low voice, "I'm looking for a chaos emerald. I lost it somewhere on the beach. Please don't ask how. It's a long story. Anyways, the chaos emerald is a dark blue color. You really can't miss it. I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time finding it. I'm usually an excellent jewel hunter."

"Don't ya worry about a thing!" Vector reassures Rouge, his voice sounding extremely loud compared to her whisper. "Team Chaotix has got this one under control. We'll get that emerald back to ya in a jiffy. D'ya want us to call yeh when we find it?"

"Alright," Rouge nods. "I'm sure I left my phone number on your answering machine. You can give me a ring when you find the emerald. Now I really think that I ought to make something crystal clear to you boys. That chaos emerald is extremely valuable. I need it back as soon as possible. Understand?"

"Sure thing," Vector nods, clearly trying very hard to impress Rouge. He hesitates and finally asks the question he's been wondering all along, "How much are ya going to pay us?"

"It's all business with you two, isn't it? Hm..." Rouge muses before her face lights up in a flirtatious smile. She takes a step closer to Vector and tickles his chin seductively, adding, "How about I pay you with a kiss?"

Vector blushes and actually looks like he's going to accept Rouge's offer! I resist smacking my forehead. Vector can be such an idiot sometimes! Folding my arms, I take a step forwards and state firmly, "Either you pay us with real money or the deal is off and we're wasting our time here."

Rouge raises an eyebrow in my direction and chuckles, murmuring, "Oh? It seems you're an intelligent one. Alright then. I'll pay you well. Just get me that chaos emerald as soon as possible.

"Right away!" Vector nods, clearly in a hurry to get paid. He waves me after him and exclaims, "C'mon, Esp!"

I start after Vector only after sending Rouge a long look. I don't particularly like her type. She's one of those kinds of people who use their outward attractiveness to get the things they want in life. Wrinkling my nose, I catch up to Vector as Rouge calls, "I'll be waiting!"

As soon as we're out of Rouge's hearing range, Vector says, "Alright, so our plan is to find the chaos emerald as fast as possible. Any questions?"

I practically have to run to keep up with Vector's fast strides as he hurries in the direction of the beach. Frowning, I point out, "Shouldn't we at least come up with a plan first so that we know what we're doing?"

"All we gotta do is find a big shiny gem. How hard can it be?" Vector asks.

We arrive at the beach a few moments later. I look around myself a bit reminiscently. It's been a very long time since I've been to the beach. The last time I was here was before Bryce had turned my life into a living hell. Back in those days, I was happy and didn't know of the evils lurking behind every corner in this cruel world.

"So I'm thinkin' that you go that way and I go this way," Vector cuts through my thoughts, pointing his finger to the right and then to the left.

I follow his gaze and gulp, realizing just how big the beach is. It's going to take all day for us to search the entire beach at this rate! Frowning, I point out, "I still think we need a plan."

"What sorta plan?" Vector asks doubtfully. I blush slightly and remain silent since I haven't been able to come up with a plan yet. Vectors nods and says, "Exactly. This kind of thing doesn't need plannin'."

"Searching the entire beach will take all day though," I interject, still wishing that we had a better way to go about doing this.

Vector shrugs his shoulders and starts off to his left, saying, "Well, we better get workin' then!"

* * *

_Yay, Team Chaotix has their first assignment! Do you think they'll have an easy time finding the chaos emerald? Review please! :)  
_


	13. Finding Love

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yes, I missed you! I always love your reviews. :D Lol, yes, everyone knows that the flashing red light means that you have a phone message. xD So true...let's hope it isn't at the bottom of the ocean or else the Chaotix are going scuba diving. Absolutely no problem about the question. Like I said, I just adore questions. Awesome, it sounds like we like the same types of fics! *high fives you* Hurt/comfort fics are amazing and I think they're fics you actually remember and get something out of. I like adventure too, but I'm terrible at writing it. This is mostly going to be hurt/comfort because of Esp, but I will try to put a little adventure into it if I can. Oh, and there's obviously going to be some romance in here too although I'd say it's more of the heavy type instead of fluff, lol. Yup, I've played some Sonic games! My favorite is Sonic Heroes because you can play as the Chaotix and all that. xD I love the cutscenes from the game with Mephiles although I've never actually played it. How about you? What's your favorite Sonic game? ^^  
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**Mormar1: Yup, Vector is awesome! He's Espio's protector now. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree! Let's hope Charmy can save the day. I hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: You are so right. xD I kind of doubt Vector could find it even if it was right in front of him. *rolls eyes* I thought it was really good! She's a great writer. And aw, thank you! I decided to continue Salacity as you probably noticed. ^^  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, Rouge is definitely up to no good again! She's always playing tricks on someone or the other, isn't she? Especially Knuckles. xD I'm so glad you liked the elevator scene. That was my favorite part of the last chapter. I really hope you like this next one just as much as the last one! Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Wow, thanks! That's a great compliment. ^^ I think that was my first time ever writing Rouge.  
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**Alicia: Oh god, I don't know how I manage it sometimes. I guess I must have a bad case of insomnia, lol.  
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**LuluCalliope: Wow, anime club? We don't have that around here. xP I think I like your school way better than mine. I heard you got your first kiss from your boyfriend today. Awesome! Was it as good as everyone always says their first kiss is? And yeah, I agree! I love Rouge. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I'm thrilled to finally be on our very first mission, so I don't get why Espio is bein' so pessimistic. He's still standing exactly where I left him a moment ago, staring dubiously out at the large expanse of sand stretching out before him. Unlike me, Espio seems to think we need a plan for findin' Rouge's Chaos Emerald. I don't think a plan is necessary. All we're doing is looking for a big, shiny emerald. How hard can that be? I predict that we'll have that jewel in our hands in less than thirty minutes tops.

Leaving Espio alone to search his side of the beach, I get to work and start scanning the sand around me for any sign of something sparkling in the sunlight. Nothin' shiny is anywhere to be seem. I proceed along the shore, eyes focused on the wet sand for a glint of anything shimmery. The only problem is that there are a lot of folks gathered at the beach on this sunny day. Little hedgehogs throw a beach ball back and forth, a few older hedgehog girls sun bathe in comfy-lookin' lounge chairs, and a group of rabbit kids splash around in the water.

Wait, did I just say rabbits? My thoughts immediately go straight to Miss Vanilla and I forget all about the emerald. Coming to a sudden halt, I glance around furtively fer any signs of a beautiful cream-colored bunny. Unfortunately, there's no sign of a rabbit that fits my description anywhere. My heart sinks and I kick a wad of wet, grainy sand in front of me. All that does is get tiny grains of sand stuck to the bottom of my foot. Annoyed, I lift my foot and try to shake the sand off of it.

Quiet giggling comes from somewhere to my left. Turning, I see the hedgehog kids laughing at me. Frowning, I snap, "What are you lookin' at, you little brats?"

The hedgehog kids immediately fall quiet and go scurrying away from the shore, probably going to their mommy fer comfort from the big, bad croc. Rolling my eyes, I remember my true mission here and shove Miss Vanilla to the back of my mind. I can worry 'bout her later. Right now, I've gotta find a Chaos Emerald!

It turns out that finding the emerald isn't nearly as easy to find as I thought it was gonna be. I search all down the shore of the beach and what do I find? Nothin'! Frowning, I turn and search the beach a second time just in case I missed something. Even after a second look around my half of the beach, I come up with empty hands. I'm so annoyed that I lean down and pick up a lump of sand. Most of it sifts through my fingers, but a bit remains in my palm. Trying to let some aggression out, I throw my hand back and hurl the sand in front of me as hard as I can.

Almost immediately, I feel eyes on my back. Glancing over my shoulder, I catch sight of those annoying hedgehog kids staring at me again. As soon as they notice that they've been caught staring, they all quickly turn around and run in the opposite direction. I glare after them for a moment, wishing that they could just mind their own business and get lost already!

The sound of coughing catches my attention. Turning back around, I see Espio doubled over, coughs racking through his slender body. It takes me a moment before I realize that I probably gave him a mouthful of sand when I accidentally threw some in his direction earlier. Damn.

"Okay there, Esp?" I ask hesitantly. I don't get an answer to my question. All I get is another series of brittle coughs. Not exactly sure what to do, I stride over to Espio and slap him hard on the back, trying to be reassuring as I tell him, "It's gonna be okay. Just cough it out."

Espio flinches at the force of my slap, but it seems to work. He stops choking and spits out a mouthful of sand. Wiping his mouth on his cuff, he turns to me with irritation and states, "Next time, at least try and pay attention to where you're throwing sand. You could get sand in someone's eyes or in their mouth!"

"Sorry," I reply sheepishly as the little chameleon glares at me with daggers in his amber eyes. Trying to distract him, I ask, "So did yeh have any look findin' the emerald?"

"What does it look like?" Espio snaps a bit grouchily as he hold up two empty hands. "I did tell you that we were going to need a plan to find the jewel. There's a reason why Rouge couldn't find the emerald herself. We need to plan things out and think things through first. It would do you good to listen to me once in a while."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble, not liking to be criticized quite so much. "So what exactly do ya suggest we do now?"

"Well, we clearly can't keep searching the beach since it's getting dark and we won't be able to see the Chaos Emerald even if it was right in front of us," Espio points out a-matter-of-factly. "I suggest that we return home and think about a plan for tomorrow."

"I was hopin' we could find that emerald tonight," I admit, feelin' a little reluctant to leave the beach so soon. "Rouge said she'd pay us more if we find the emerald sooner than later. I could really use the extra dough right now. The landlord's been pestering me about the rent lately."

"So you actually want to stay here and trip over your own feet in the dark?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I have to admit that he's got a point and say nothing. Figuring that he's made himself clear, Espio nods and says, "Exactly. We will continue our search tomorrow. For now, we need to use our heads. Let's go."

Seeing that I've clearly lost this battle, I reluctantly follow the fuchsia chameleon out of the beach. As I trail after him, I find myself noticin' the way the rays of peachy colored light from the sunset reflect off of Espio's shiny scales and the way his slender hips sway ever so slightly when he walks. As if sensing my stare, Espio glances over his shoulder a bit self-consciously and asks, "What?"

"Nothin'," I reply quickly, not even sure why I'm paying attention to what Espio's scales look like in the light coming from the sunset.

The two of us walk in silence until we're out of the beach and onto the sidewalk. Espio sends me a sideways glance and points out, "I have to pick up Charmy from the park. You can just go home if you'd like. It's getting dark. We can think of a plan to find the Chaos Emerald overnight and compare ideas tomorrow perhaps."

"Nah," I reply immediately, getting a bad gut feeling that Espio is just trying to get rid of me. Not going to allow him to shoo me away, I continue on, "It's better if we try to come up with a plan together. Y'know what they say. Two heads are always better than one."

Espio decides not to comment on this and makes his pace a bit brisker. I dunno if this is another attempt to get rid of me or not. Well, if it is, it ain't gonna work. I have an easy time matching my long strides to Espio's. We walk along in more awkward silence until we reach the park. Although Espio seemed to be warming up to me a bit earlier, the sand incident seems to have turned him back to his cold, rigid self once more. Esp is a hard one to figure out. I'd like to see what's behind those amber eyes of his.

As soon as we step into the park, a whiz of bright yellow and black comes barreling towards us. Before I can get out of the way, a little figure attacks me and throws its arms around my neck. I stagger backwards and end up plopping down on the ground as I lose my balance.

"VECTOR!" Charmy's excited voice screams in my ear, practically deafening me.

As I blink up dazedly, I see that Espio is trying to hide a little snicker. I would usually be annoyed and embarrassed about bein' knocked to the ground by an overexcited kid, but seeing Espio give a half-smile is almost worth it. Instead of lashing out at Charmy, I state, "Hey kid. Maybe ya don't wanna attack yer fellow team members. It could result in injury."

"I wasn't attacking you, Vector!" Charmy implores, releasing his arms from around my neck and going to hover in front of me. "If I wanted to attack you, I would have used my stinger."

"Ah," I reply, getting to my feet clumsily. Not wanting to become the victim to his stinger, I shuffle over to Espio as if he might save me from a possible future attack.

"Are you ready to go, Charmy?" Espio asks in his even voice.

Charmy hesitates and starts yammering to Espio about a tree fort he was makin' with his friend, Cream, earlier. The constant babble bores me and I find myself looking around distractedly. I glance over a little cream-colored rabbit with brown eyes. Say, she looks an awful lot like Miss Vanilla! I come to a halt and notice a figure behind Cream. My jaw drops open as my gaze locks onto Miss Vanilla for the second time today. It seems as if luck is with me fer once! Now all I gotta do is attract her attention somehow or the other. Hm.

"Hey Charmy," I start out in a much too loud voice, cutting right through Charmy's blabber. He instantly turns to me, not looking upset that I just interrupted him. In the same loud voice, I ask, "Is that yer buddy Cream other there?"

Espio raises an eyebrow at me, clearly wonderin' why I'm practically shouting even though Charmy is only a foot or so away from me. Charmy follows my gaze to the little rabbit and nods before saying, "Yeah, that's Cream. Want to meet her? I told her all about you! Cream! Come over here for a second! I want you to meet Vector."

The two rabbits across the park immediately look over at us. Just as I planned, Miss Vanilla looks over at me, recognition flooding her eyes. A warm smile crosses her face and she walks gracefully over to us with Cream by her side. I bring myself up to my full height and puff my chest out as I place a dashing smile on my face.

"This is Vector, Cream! He's the one I was telling you about," Charmy informs his friend before turning to Miss Vanilla and adding, "Espio, Vector, and me started a detective agency together! We're calling ourselves Team Chaotix!"

"I see! I'm sure all three of you will make excellent detectives, especially Vector here. I met him earlier on my way to the park. He saved me from a dreadful fall. I am in your debt," Miss Vanilla gives me a rueful smile.

"Thank you, ma'am," I stutter, cheeks flushing at the compliment. "Ya don't owe me anythin' though. It was my pleasure to help yeh out."

I notice Espio glance between the two of us. His expression quickly turns to one of understanding and his lip curls just slightly. Miss Vanilla gives me another warm smile that sends chills down my spine and adds, "I'm afraid that Cream and I must be going. It's gotten so late. I wish all three of you luck with your detective agency."

As Miss Vanilla and Cream start to turn away, I add, "Give us a call if ya ever need any sort of help, even if it's not related to detective stuff."

Miss Vanilla turns and sends me a grateful smile, calling over her shoulder, "I will certainly do that, Vector, dear. Thank you again."

I watch her leave, feeling Espio's eyes still on me. When Miss Vanilla finally disappears, the three of us start out of the park together. Charmy starts going on about something that I could really care less about, so I start daydreaming about Miss Vanilla. I can't believe I got to see her twice in one day!

A few seconds later, Espio's clear voice cuts through my fantasies as he asks, "What do _you _think, Vector?"

Embarrassed to be caught daydreamin', I blush again and stammer, "Uh...sorry, what are ya askin' me about?"

Espio rolls his eyes at me and points out, "It appears that someone is in love."

"Huh?! I am not!" Charmy immediately jumps to conclusions, thinking that Espio is referring to him and Cream. Crossing his arms across his chest, Charmy adds, "Cream is not my girlfriend!"

"I wasn't referring to you, Charmy. I was talking about Vector," Espio points out.

"Vector?" Charmy echoes my name dubiously. "You mean Vector likes Cream?"

"No. I think he's a bit lovestruck with Cream's mother," Espio states as calmly as if he's telling us the weather for tomorrow. Sending me a look out of the corner of his eye, Espio adds, "Isn't that right, Vector?"

Fer some reason, I'm not at all embarrassed about liking Miss Vanilla. She's a gorgeous rabbit. Everyone who lays eyes on her probably falls in love with her. Shrugging my shoulders, I say, "What's not to like? She's got those big brown eyes and that beautiful heartwarmin' smile..."

"Ooo! Vector is in love with Miss Vanilla! Vector is in love with Miss Vanilla!" Charmy chants loudly in a sing-song voice.

I expect Espio to tell Charmy to shut his trap, but Espio seems amused by the whole situation and doesn't say a word. Knowin' that I'll never get Charmy on my side, I turn to Espio and point out, "Well, what about you? There's gotta be someone you've got yer eyes on."

"Me?" Espio asks in shock. He immediately shakes his head and says, "No, I don't."

Now it's my turn to be shocked. Espio isn't that much younger than me. He should have at least some interest in women. Looking at him as if he just spoke a foreign language, I press, "No one at all? Geez, Esp, no wonder yer so serious all the time. Ya need to get yerself a girl!"

"No, I don't," Espio replies flatly. "I'm not interested in a relationship."

"Oh, I gotcha. I know exactly what yer problem is!" I point out triumphantly. "Yer too scared to ask a girl out, aren't ya? Well, don't you worry about that any longer. I'll help ya find a girl, Esp!"

"I don't want a girl or _anyone _for that matter," Espio frowns, crossing his arms over his chest in the standard Espio stance.

"Aw, c'mon, Esp! Everyone wants someone. Don't yeh want someone to love?" I ask. A flicker of sadness crosses Espio's face. I read into it the wrong way and figure that he's just sad about being too shy to ask a girl out. Throwing a careless arm around his slender shoulders, I continue, "Matchmakin' is my specialty. I'll find ya someone real fast. Yer not so bad lookin, ya know."

Espio blushes and turns away from me, murmuring self-consciously, "Please don't. I'm not good at taking compliments like that."

"It ain't a compliment! It's the truth!" I persist. "I bet a lotta girls think yer real sexy, Esp."

Espio's cheeks turn poppy red and he hides his face in his hands as Charmy giggles and pipes up incredulously, "Espio? Sexy?"

"Vector, please," Espio implores in an awkward, muffled voice, his head still in his hands. "Not in front of Charmy!"

Charmy giggles again and rolls his eyes at us, saying, "You guys are weird! C'mon! I'll race you home!"

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_Who thinks Vector is going to try and find Espio a girl now? xD Review please! :)  
_


	14. Broken Glass

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: So true! Esp is a sexy little purple ninja! *fangirls* Ahem. xD You were right about me picking Sonic Heroes! I was playing that last night, but I keep getting stuck in the pinball machine. *facepalms* I love the game, but I'm no good at it. Ah, I love Sonic Adventure 2 Battle! Another awesome game with a great storyline. You've played Sonic 06? Everyone says it sucks. I like the cutscenes though. xD Yay for new questions! Hm...well, I have a pretty girly voice (although it's not like Amy's), so I'd probably have to voice a girl. I guess I'd want to voice Vanilla maybe because then I could flirt with Vector! xD How about you? ^^  
**

**Mormar1: Hehe, yeah! Any predictions of who Vector will choose for Espio? I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, yup, gotta laugh at Vector's silly antics. Well, I don't really read crossover fics because Sonic is like the only fandom I know anything about. I'll definitely read all your Sonic fics though!  
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**zgirl16: I would say you're probably right. Vector doesn't tend to forget things easily. xD And wow, thanks for such a nice compliment! It really made my day! :D I think I'll update Salacity tonight because I'm updating this so late.  
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**ShadowChaotix: Exactly! Our Esp is much too good for them. There's only one guy out there for Espio. *hints* Do you think Vector will be a horrible matchmaker? Espio was feeling pretty smug about finding out about Vanilla, haha. I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thanks! It's fun to write a bit of a one-sided relationship between Vector and Vanilla. Think Vector will make a good matchmaker? ;P  
**

**Alicia: That could be another reason.  
**

**LuluCalliope: Wow, so you're more experienced than him? That's kind of cool! Sorry about your boyfriend who moved to the Caribbean. I'm sure that sucked. =/ Whoa, your drama teacher sounds awful. I'm glad I don't have her. And yeah, poor Esp and annoying Charmy! Yes, you already have a boyfriend...don't forget about him. :P I'm the one left with nonexistent cartoons, hehe. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I can feel Vector's sharp eyes on me as the three of us start back to my humble little home. My cheeks are still flushed from the embarrassment of earlier. Why on earth does Vector think I need a girlfriend? It's clear that he's head over heels in love with Vanilla, Cream's mother, but that doesn't mean that he needs to start playing matchmaker and find someone for me! Just the thought of a blind date is enough to make me shudder and turn invisible. Ever since I left Bryce, I decided to leave relationships behind me.

Since Vector's stare is starting to get a little awkward, I clear my throat and explain to Charmy, "We received our first phone call today."

"You _what_?" Charmy exclaims incredulously, coming to a halt and whirling around to face me. Giving me an annoyed look, he asks, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? What's our mission?"

"We're supposed to find a missing Chaos Emerald. It was lost on the beach," I tell Charmy, hoping that he will be able to help us with this task. "Vector and I spent all day on the beach looking for it, but we didn't find it anywhere. We're going to have to come up with a plan before we go back to the beach."

"Hm..." Charmy muses, looking thoughtful as he hovers next me. "So do you have a plan yet?"

"Not yet," I admit ruefully as we reach the front door to my house. After unlocking the door and stepping inside, I give Charmy an imploring smile and add, "We were hoping that maybe you could help us come up with a plan. Clearly, going to the beach and searching around aimlessly is not going to work."

Charmy nods, his face screwed up in concentration as he flies throw the doorway. Vector strides in behind him as if in a trance. His eyes are glazed and distant. I have a pretty good idea just what - or who for that matter - Vector is thinking about. Deciding to let him daydream, I shut the door behind him and quickly redo the lock. As I turn around, I notice Vector about to absentmindedly walk straight into my large glass bowl set by the doorway for decoration. I spent quite a bit of money on that bowl and it's probably my nicest decoration in the house.

"Vector! Watch out for the..." I trail off as there's a loud crash. Vector trips over the bowl and lands flat on his face. The bowl goes skidding across the floor, smashes into the wall, and shatters into a thousand tiny shards. I cringe, unable to look at the remnants of my favorite decoration. There's no way I'll be able to put them back together.

Vector still hasn't gotten up from the floor. He's still lying there flat on his face with his limbs splayed everywhere. I'm mostly angry at him for ruining my favorite bowl, but I find that a very miniscule part of me is concerned for him. Sighing melodramatically, I cross the floor and offer a hand to the clumsy croc, asking a bit grudgingly, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Vector mutters, lifting his head from the floor. Seeing my hand, he grabs it and practically tugs my arm out of its socket as he uses my hand to haul himself to his feet. Glaring at the shattered remains of the bowl, Vector asks, "Why d'ya have a glass bowl in the middle of the floor? The damn thing could trip someone, y'know."

Charmy, who hasn't witnessed any of this, has already flown into the kitchen and is talking about something. From where I'm standing with Vector, his voice just sounds like a mumble. Deciding not to respond to Vector's comment about my "damn bowl" for the sake of his safety and my sanity, I press my lips together and stand rigidly with my back to the wall as Vector gets to his feet. Just as Vector is about to release my hand, he suddenly wobbles again. His hand shoots out for something to grab and somehow or the other, his arm ends up wrapped around the back of my neck. Vector falls forwards and I, caught between him and the wall, fall backwards. I end up pinned awkwardly against the wall with Vector's snout pressed millimeters away from my lips. A bright pink flush crosses my cheeks as I inhale that strong spicy scent that I smelled the other day when I was too close to Vector.

"Hey guys? Where are you? What are you doing?" Charmy calls from the kitchen, clearly wondering what the hold up is. He whizzes around the corner of the kitchen and stops short when he sees the awkward situation before him. Jaw dropping, Charmy exclaims in horror, "Vector, are you _kissing _Espio?!"

"No, he certainly is not!" I reply, having a hard time keeping my voice level. I duck out from under Vector's arm and give him an irritated glance as I continue on, "Vector just fell and I was helping him stand back up."

"Hm..." Charmy says thoughtfully, not sure whether or not to believe me. He throws a suspicious glance in my direction and adds, "Well, okay, but it sure looked like Vector was kissing you. Hey, remember when Vector said you were sexy earlier? Maybe Vector thinks that you're sexy! That would be sooooooo weird."

"That's ridiculous, Charmy," I quickly defend myself, my cheeks turning even redder than usual. Why does it seem like I'm almost constantly blushing around Vector these days? Deciding not to think about the reasons behind that, I cross my arms and say, "Vector likes Miss Vanilla. Right, Vector?"

"Yup, Esp's right," Vector says from directly over my shoulder, making me jump about two feet into the air. I get another strong whiff of his spicy scent and quickly edge away from the large crocodile. Vector grins his toothy grin and adds, "'Course, I'm not sayin' that ya don't look good cuz ya do."

Charmy starts giggling again and I really don't think my cheeks can get any redder at this point. Turning away, I reply in a mortified voice, "Please just stop."

"Yer so modest, Esp," Vector rolls his eyes at me as he leans against the couch. Suddenly, he looks sheepish and starts out, "About the bowl...

"Yes, what about the bowl?" I press, narrowing my eyes at the glass shards glinting across the room at me. I'm glad for a distraction and I am certainly hoping that Vector will offer to pay for that bowl considering the fact that Charmy and I barely make it through the month with the small amount of money I earn as it is.

"Well, I just paid the rent, so I don't have a lotta dough at the moment," Vector starts out, making my stomach sink as I realize what he's about to say. "But don't worry! I will pay yeh back fer it. How 'bout ya get all the money we make from finding the Chaos Emerald?"

"That would be fine except for the fact that we haven't even found the Chaos Emerald yet," I point out grumpily, making a mental note that Vector is even poorer than I am.

"What we really need is a jewel detector of some sort. They have those on my video game. The detectors help you find the jewels you need to get in order to pass to the next level," Charmy points out randomly, sparking an idea in Vector's head.

"Say, kid, do these jewel detectors actually exist?" Vector asks curiously. "Seems like we could really use one right now."

"I have no idea, but there's one way to find out!" Charmy replies. Vector and I give him blank stares. Charmy point his finger at the door to my bedroom and states, "To the computer room!"

As Charmy bursts through the door to my bedroom, I wrinkle my nose. The last thing I need is Vector around the computer again. Unfortunately, it seems like the only way we're going to find out whether or not jewel detectors exist is if we search them on the internet. As I reluctantly start after Charmy, Vector clamps a heavy hand on my shoulder and starts out awkwardly, "Look, Esp, I really am sorry about the bowl. Didn't mean to smash it like I did."

"Forget about it. Just help me find the Chaos Emerald," I reply, stepping forwards quickly and hoping that Vector will let go of my shoulder. I don't like being touched. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. Luckily, Vector drops his hand and we enter the bedroom in single file.

"I started up the computer for you," Charmy says, hovering next to the computer. I never allow him to use it on his own, so he always gets overexcited when he's allowed to watch me doing something on the computer.

"Thank you, Charmy," I reply, quickly taking the stool behind the computer before Vector can. After getting on a search site, I type in "jewel detectors" and wait for the results to load. Charmy hovers a little too close to my ear and Vector is leaning over me in a way that makes me feel his warm breath directly on the side of my neck. A distant memory suddenly swallows me up and I feel my comforting bedroom disappear before me as I'm plunged headfirst into a nightmarish memory.

_I'm lying on my back with my wrists cuffed above my head. My body is spread out on the bed, helpless and an easy target for Bryce. He's stuffed a gag in my mouth. Well, more in my throat than in my mouth. When he first shoved it into my mouth, I couldn't breathe and started choking. Bryce merely laughs at my misery and takes a long time drinking in the sight of me handcuffed and gagged lying out before him on the bed. My pulse races and I wish Bryce would just do whatever it is he wants to do to me already. I want this done and over with as quickly as possible._

_Unfortunately for me, Bryce takes his time and slowly crawls onto the bed next to me. It takes him even longer to mount me. After straddling my trembling figure, he runs two fingertips down my side very slowly and deliberately. I don't know what he's doing, but I assume this is some kind of new torture. Bryce's fingers trail lower down my body. I part my legs for him, anxious to get this over with just so I can breath normally again and get this gag out of my mouth. I've tried to spit it out, but nothing moves the wad of cloth jammed in my mouth._

_Bryce strokes my inner leg and watches me squirm uncomfortably, his dark eyes gleaming in sadistic pleasure as he says, "You look real good like that, Espio. It's too bad I can't keep you chained up all the time."_

_I try to respond in protest, but my words come out muffled and more like a pleading squeak from behind the wet cloth._

_"No? You don't like the idea?" Bryce asks, slowly laying himself down on top of my body just to make me uncomfortable. "And just why not? What do you think you're good for besides for pleasuring me, huh?"_

_I close my eyes and don't respond. Bryce's sharp words cut through me like a knife, but I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing the hurt in my eyes. I close them tightly and try to ignore the feeling of warm, throbbing flesh pressed up against the small opening between my legs._

_Hot, humid breath brushes against my neck as Bryce whispers, "You're not good at anything. Don't you see? This is all you were ever meant to be - my dirty little whore. Now open your eyes. You're more fun that way."_

_ I refuse to do Bryce's bidding, trying to put up as much of a fight as I can despite being bound and gagged. A low snarl sounds in my hear and Bryce's teeth are suddenly directly on my throat, biting and tearing at the tender scales there._

Slam! I hid my head on something hard, causing the whole scene to fade away. I open my eyes woozily and glance around, trying to figure out where I am. The world is on a strange, tilted axis. Words spoken from above me sound like warped garble. Things look familiar though. Where am I? Right, this is my bedroom and the reason it's on an axis is because I'm lying on my side on the floor.

Sitting up a bit dazedly, I glance up to see Charmy and Vector both bending over me in concern. Rubbing my pulsing forehead, I ask distantly, "What happened?"

"You fainted!" Charmy immediately informs me. "One minute you were on the stool and then the next you were on the floor. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. I was just feeling a bit light-headed, that's all," I say, not wanting to cause Charmy to worry about me.

"Oh, alright," Charmy replies, buying my lies without a second's thought. "So let me tell you what we found out about the jewel detectors..."

As Charmy starts talking a million miles a minute, I send a look at Vector from under my eyelids. He's sending me a hard stare, one that tells me that even though Charmy is naive enough to buy my lies, he is not. I return my gaze to the floor and retreat within myself. I will never tell anyone what happened to me or anything about the abuse I suffered at the hands of my cousin. It's my burden to bear and I will bear it_ alone_.

* * *

_Aw, poor Esp. Do you think he'll ever tell Vector his secret? And I am sooooo sorry for not updating last night. My internet connection cut out completely. Review please! :)  
_


	15. No Pressure

**EvilChalkboard: Oh god, thanks for reminding me about that. I have been soooooo lazy and haven't updated that in ages. I'll try to whip out an update tomorrow or Saturday, okay? Sorry about the wait!**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yeah, poor Esp...he's had it so bad. :( Haha, yup, Vector is definitely the type to go around breaking things. Oh Vector, why are you so clumsy all the time? :P Hm, that's good to know about Sonic 06. If I ever get the opportunity to play it, I think I will. Just to find out how it is, you know? And wow, that's awesome that you can imitate voices so well! Cream would be fun to do and so would Rouge! I don't think I could speak like Rouge though. I lack her flirtatiousness, haha. Oh yes, I would definitely take a job that would allow me to create the storyline for a fourth season of Sonic X! My friend and me were just talking about this actually. xD We would change it to Chaotix X and fill the episodes with all kinds of events relating to the Chaotix and add lots of Vecpio moments in there! How about you? What would you do for a fourth season of Sonic X? :)  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, yes, always the computer room! xD I feel bad for poor Esp too. =/ Thanks for your review!  
**

**zgirl16: Thanks for understanding! :) And I agree 100%. I bet Espio would feel a lot better if he told Vector. I always feel better if I tell my problems to someone who understands. I'm not sure why the internet connection cut out. :S I'm glad it's working now though. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**ShadowChaotix: I was totally thinking of that when I wrote the bit about the computer room. :P Oh yeah, Charmy's really innocent! Can't wait until he catches them kissing or doing something more than that, hehe. xD And I know! Oh my god, Vector did such a horrible job with Tails and Cosmo. xD He probably won't do any better with Espio. :P I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Hiya! Thanks so much for catching up! :D Hehe, it was fun writing that part where Vector called Espio sexy and then forgot he was still holding his hand. xD I agree, Vector is definitely going to try and hook Espio up with someone! And he's for sure going to pry Esp's secret out of him. We know how pushy Vector can be! Thank you so much for the great reviews. You're the best!  
**

**Alicia: Tired and busy really. The norm.  
**

**LuluCalliope: I like dark stuff. xD But you know that by now. ;P I know, I really can't survive without the internet. I get all depressed without it. Lol, well, at least he was the ideal first kiss, right? And aw, it's alright. I'm okay with being single. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I attempt to focus on Charmy's words and forget all about Bryce, but that is certainly easier said than done. All my past experiences are so sharp and vivid in my mind. I remember them as if they happened only moments ago. Will I ever be able to let these memories fade or will they haunt me for the rest of my life? My stomach tightens as I realize I could spend all my days with Bryce in the forefront of my mind. Even though I left him, I'm not truly away from him. He's made me his slave for all of eternity.

Surprisingly enough, it's Vector who jerks me out of my reverie and not Charmy. He's not even speaking to me. However, I can feel his sharp gaze upon me and realize that he knows something is wrong. I sit cross-legged on the bed, trying to consolidate myself into a tight ball as I wrap my arms around my body as if I'm trying to keep myself from falling apart. Vector reaches out and places an awkward hand on my shoulder.

Jerking up, I meet his gaze with unguarded eyes. I don't mean to let my wall down, but the memories swirling around in my mind have made it crash and crumble. Vector can't know everything just from looking at me, but he clearly sees the pain in my eyes. He looks slightly taken aback and I realize my error. Correcting my mistake, I look down at the faded blue comforter on the bed. Vector's hand tightens on my shoulder almost protectively. Typically, I would be annoyed with this, but right now, I find it comforting.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to listen to Charmy. He's currently saying, "So apparently jewel detectors work just like metal detectors. Whenever they sense a jewel, they light up and start flashing red, I think. Pretty cool, huh? I think we should get one! It will definitely help us find the jewel you guys are looking for."

"Charmy's right," Vector nods in agreement before sending a toothy grin in my direction and adding, "Say, Esp, that reminds me of earlier when yeh figured out that the red flashing light on the telephone means I have a phone message!"

"Right," I reply wryly, offering Vector a dry smile that lacks my typical disdain. "Alright, Charmy, so you have a good idea. Now we just need to know where to find one of these jewel detectors."

"No problem, boss! I already know where to get one," Charmy replies proudly. "Jewel detectors are actually pretty popular. You can find them just about anywhere. I looked it up on the internet and it said that you can get one at the grocery store! There's just one problem though."

"I knew it was too good to be true," I mutter under my breath, waiting to hear the obstacle that's in our way of finding the Chaos Emerald.

"Jewel detectors are really expensive," Charmy says, getting an apprehensive look on his face. "It would take us ages to get enough money for one."

I sigh loudly. This situation really can't get any worse. Looking from Vector to Charmy, I point out, "Well, we might as well throw away this idea then. We don't have enough money for one and I'm quite sure that Vector doesn't have enough money for one either if he can't even pay us back for the bowl he broke earlier."

"Aw!" Charmy complains, bright face falling. "I thought it was such a good idea!"

"Yeah," Vector adds, his big crocodile grin absent for once. There's a long pause and then he goes on, "It's too bad none of us can get into the grocery store without bein' noticed. If we could do somethin' like that, we could just take the damn thing."

"That would be stealing, Vector," I point out in a firm voice. "Stealing is wrong."

Suddenly, Charmy brightens again and I frown, knowing exactly what he's thinking. The truth is that I actually have the power to turn invisible at certain times. Whenever I can stay calm and concentrate, I have access to my gift of invisibility. It's a shame I can't turn invisible when I'm not calm. My gift could have saved me from Bryce many times.

"Espio can go invisible!" Charmy points out loudly. "Can't you, Espio?"

Vector's head snaps up and his eyes are shining just like Charmy's now. Hoping that they're not thinking what I think they're thinking, I reply slowly, "Yes..."

"Well then, ya know what yeh gotta do, Esp!" Vector proclaims. "Don't let us down!"

"W-what?" I stammer, looking at Vector incredulously. Shaking my head resolutely, I continue on, "I am_ not _about to use my gift for thievery! I won't allow Team Chaotix to sink down to that level. This simply isn't the right way to go about finding the jewel. We'll have to come up with another option instead."

"Like what?" Charmy asks, rolling his eyes sarcastically. I stay silent because I don't know of any alternative option at the moment. Charmy says, "See? This is the only way we're going to find the emerald! You_ have _to go, Espio! Please?"

"The kid's right," Vector charms in, giving me an almost pleading look, which appears a bit odd on Vector's usually confident face. "Yer our only option."

I hate letting my friends down, but I don't want to steal either. However, with Charmy and Vector practically begging me to do this simple job that only I am capable of, they manage to break through my resolution. I start out hesitantly, "Well, I suppose I could return it when we're done with it..."

"Yeah!" Charmy nods vigorously, probably agreeing with me just to get me to go. I know he really doesn't care whether or not I return the jewel detector.

"So yer gonna do it, Esp?" Vector asks hopefully.

"Fine," I admit grudgingly. Charmy and Vector let out whoops of excitement. Vector even throws his arms around my slender waist from where he's leaning up next to the bed. I immediately stiffen and give him a look that tells him not to push it. Vector lets go of me and I hold up a hand, adding, "I am only going on the condition that I will return the jewel detector the instant we are done with it. Do not try to get me to engage in thievery ever again. This is not something I plan to make a habit. Understand?"

"Uh huh," Charmy nods. "It's not really stealing though. You're just borrowing it since you're going to return it."

"I suppose," I reply, still not feeling a hundred percent certain about this. Pointing to the door, I order, "Everyone out. I need a few minutes to compose myself for this mission."

"Okay," Charmy nods, immediately starting towards the door as he says to Vector, "Espio likes to meditate before doing important things like this. Come on! I'll show you my video game while we're waiting. It's really awesome. You get to kill the bad guys and do all kinds of awesome things!"

I wait for the door to fall shut behind my two fellow team members and then cross the room swiftly to one of my drawers. Little does Charmy know that I have no intention of meditating. On the other hand, I need something to calm my nerves. Yanking my drawer open, I start digging through it for my pills. I'm making so much racket while I search that I don't hear the door creak open from behind me once more. After what seems like several minutes of searching, I retrieve the bottle I'm looking for. Unscrewing the cap, I dump four pills into my palm and then place them carefully on my tongue before swallowing them delicately, doing my best not to get them stuck in my throat. I'm only supposed to take one pill, but I really need to calm myself before the daunting task I'm about to take on.

"So yer not tryin' to overdose, huh?" a suspicious voice sounds from directly behind me, causing me to jump a foot into the air. I whirl around to face Vector, a hand clutching at my chest in shock. "Four of those pills is an overdose, ain't it?"

"How is this any of your business?" I ask, slightly breathless from the shock of having Vector creep up on me like this. Feeling indignant, I pull myself up to my full height, but still feel small and insignificant with Vector staring down at me with untrusting eyes. Annoyed, I add, "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"'Course I have, but I had one of those gut feelings that ya were up to no good," Vectors says, folding his arms. "Guess I was right. Are ya goin' to tell me why ya took so many of those pills?"

"They're for depression. They calm me down," I state only to get Vector off my back. "It will help with the mission that _you _happen to be sending me on."

"Takin' four is bad fer you. An overdose could cause all kinds of problems. It could start breakin' down yer body," Vector warns me in a strange sort of concern for my well being.

I look down at my sneakers, suddenly very interested in the black straps crossing over the tops of them. My body was broken a long time ago. I don't care much about my physical health anymore. It's my mental health that I'm mostly concerned about.

"Espio!" Vector says my full name a bit too loudly, causing me to jump and glance back up at him, meeting his slitted eyes. "Why won't ya just tell me what happened? I might not be the motherly type, but I'm a kind-hearted croc. I promise to listen and to try and help if I can."

"Nothing happened," I lie, wondering if this is why I never seem to make friends. Every adult can tell there is something _off _about me. I've bonded with Charmy because he's the only one who can't identify the brokenness of my spirit.

"Yer lyin'," Vector points out a-matter-of-factly. "I can always tell when yer lyin'. Ya can't look me in the eye."

"We need to get back to Charmy," I abruptly change the subject, trying to push past Vector to get to the living room.

"You can't run from yer demons fer the rest of yer life all by yerself," Vector says, putting a finger under my chin and forcing me to raise my face to his. When he sees the surprise in my expression, he nods and adds, "Yeah, I know you've got demons. Ya have this haunted look in your eyes. It ain't right."

"Just drop it," I say coldly, putting up my wall against the pushy crocodile once more. Seeing an escape route, I duck under Vector's arm and quickly stride towards the door.

"You know I'm only buggin' you about this cuz I care, right?" Vector asks me as I stalk away from him.

For some reason, Vector's last words make me stop in the doorway. He actually cares for me? Nobody has ever cared for me before. My grandmother kept quiet despite clearly noticing the bruises that started appearing all over my body after Bryce moved in. Mother never attached to me and never spent too much time with me. Friends were something that I never had. At least, not until now anyways. I wonder if I can really call Vector a friend though?

"_Why _do you care, Vector?" I ask, emphasizing the first word of my question.

"Why?" Vector echoes. I nod. Acting as if I just asked a stupid thing, Vector goes on, "Well, yer my friend, my buddy, and my teammate. 'Course I care fer ya! It hurts me to see ya struggling with whatever's botherin' ya. We're here to take care of each other. That's what teammates do."

"Thank you," I murmur in an even tone, wondering what it would be like to share my tragic story. How nice it would be to release my demons and receive the comfort I've always longed for, but never gotten. Almost as soon as these thoughts enter my mind, I shove them away. I can't tell anyone about my past. It's far too humiliating. Remaining calm and decisive, I add to Vector, "But I can handle this alone."

Vector sighs, but doesn't push me as the two of us step out of the bedroom. Charmy is occupied with his video game, glowing eyes glued to the TV screen. He doesn't even seem to have realized that Vector and I were alone together in the bedroom for a suspiciously long five minutes.

"Alright. I suppose it's time for me to do this," I say, bracing myself for a mission I'd rather not go on.

"Yeah! Time to rock and roll!" Charmy bursts out excitedly, dropping his video game controller and flying over to me in a rush.

Shaking my head, I frown and add, "This task is just for me, Charmy. It would be dangerous and unhelpful for you and Vector to come with me. Just stay here and play your game. I will be back shortly. I believe there are some cookies still left in the kitchen if you'd like them."

As usual, the mention of cookies instantly cheer Charmy up. He grins and flies turns the kitchen, yelling, "Yeah, cookies! Come on, Vector!"

Vector takes one step after Charmy and asks, "Are ya sure you want to do this alone?"

I nod and take my purple scarf from the back of my wooden chair at the table and wrap it around my neck tightly. It's always chilly at night and I don't want to get a cold.

"Be careful, Esp. Charmy and I will be waitin' for ya," Vector informs me before disappearing into the kitchen.

I leave the two of them to devour the rest of the cookies and push open the door to the house. A strong, cold gust of wind greets me. Putting my head down, I take a determined step forwards and start plodding ahead. It's going to be a long night.

* * *

_So Espio is going on a mission all by himself and Vector is completely unsupervised in Espio's house. xD Do you think either of them will get into trouble? Review please! :)  
_


	16. Unraveling Secrets

**Guest: Oh my god, I can totally see Espio sneezing and getting into trouble! xD I hope you like this next chapter!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I agree! Espio definitely needs some comfort. =/ That is ironic that your friend is named Bryce. And yes...there is a good chance Bryce will appear later in the story. xD Thanks! I think Chaotix X is a cute name too. I also love your idea for a fourth season of Sonic X. I agree 100%; we certainly do not need any more new characters. That would just get really confusing. And yay! I would love to see Mephie in it! *squee* Good question! I have an easy answer to that one; no, I REALLY did not like Chris. Omg, I thought he was one of the worst characters in the episodes besides for Cosmo and Tails, who I also don't like. =/ I didn't watch episodes 50 and 51 (I only watched the episodes with the Chaotix, lol), but I'm sure they would just make me dislike him more. xD What are your thoughts on Chris? :)  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Those are really good predictions! One of them will happen in this chapter, haha. Thanks for reviewing!  
**

**zgirl16: You are definitely right! This is a disaster in the making. xD Aw, I'm so happy that you love the chapter and the story! *parties* That makes me so happy! Suffering quietly is the absolute worst. I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that! If you ever want to talk, feel free to send me a PM! My inbox is always open. And aw, you're sick? I hope you feel better really soon!  
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**ShadowChaotix: That is sooooooo true. Never trust those two alone without Esp to keep them in line! Yeah, Espio's past is pretty sad. *hugs Esp tightly* I definitely think that they're finally friends now although Vector has a funny way of showing Espio how much he cares for him. ;P I hope you like this chapter! Oh and I LOVED your new chapter, btw!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Thanks so much! I'm glad to hear that you liked the emotions in this chapter! Haha, I agree, poor Espio is definitely going to come home to a train wreck! Ooo, that's a very good question. I have a playlist of Sonic music I always listen to for when I write my chapters. A few songs have given me some inspiration like "I Am All of Me" for the Shadaria fic I'm writing and "Team Chaotix" for this fic. :3 So music gives you inspiration too? Thank so much for the great review! :D  
**

**Alicia: That's true, although weekends tend to be hard for me though since my mom is home all the time. =/  
**

**LuluCalliope: Knowing Vector, it's going to be something bad that he's going to get into trouble for later, haha. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I don't usually feel bad about makin' other people do work for me, especially if it's for the team. But fer some reason, I do kinda feel bad about sending Espio out to the grocery store all by himself to steal the jewel detector. There's something about Espio that makes me not want to allow him to go on missions all by himself. He seems...huh, what's the word I'm lookin' for? Unstable, I guess. He holds his calm pretty damn well on the surface, but I know that he's about to break down underneath that tough chameleon skin of his. One of these days, I'm gonna get under that layer of skin and find out what's really buggin' him. He won't be able to resist a charming croc like me fer long! Nobody can.

As I turn back to Charmy, I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. If Espio gets caught, I'm gonna have that on my shoulders for the rest of my life. 'Course, Esp isn't going to get caught though. According to Charmy, he's good at this invisibility thing. Nothing is at stake here except for Espio's morals maybe.

"Why do you look so gloomy, Vector?" Charmy asks as I turn around, easily readin' into my thoughts.

"Gloomy? I ain't gloomy, kid!" I reply firmly, doing my best to put a grin on my face before adding as if in an afterthought, "So Espio's pretty good at this invisibility thing, huh?"

"Oh yeah, of course he is!" Charmy nods fervently, flicking on the TV with the remote controller before adjusting the settings for his video game. "Espio can go invisible at any time unless he's embarrassed. So do you want to play this game with me? I can play it first to show you what to do."

"Uh..." I start out, having previously hatched a plan. I have a few things to do while Espio is gone. Trying to come up with an excuse to get myself away from Charmy fer a good ten to twenty minutes, I stammer a bit awkwardly, "I was actually thinkin' about having some more of those cookies Espio made. How 'bout you stay here and play yer game and I'll bring us more cookies?"

"That sounds great! I love Espio's cookies!" Charmy exclaims, practically bouncing up and down as he starts playing his video game, bright eyes glued to the TV screen. As I tramp out of the room, Charmy adds in a singsong voice, "Oh, and Vector? Don't forget to bring us some milk! Cookies are nothing without milk."

"Sure," I roll my eyes as I sneak out of the kitchen and then glance in both directions. When I don't see anyone, I turn to Espio's bedroom instead of going to the kitchen to get milk and cookies. I can get 'em later, but right now, I have something much more important to do.

I try to open the bedroom door quietly, but it makes a nice, loud creak. I hold my breath fer a minute, but Charmy is either too into his video game to care what I'm doing or he doesn't hear me. Grateful for his lack of interest, I stride inside Espio's bedroom and start straight towards his drawers. I dunno much about those pills of his, but I know enough to know that they're not good for him. He's supposed to take one pill at the most and I always catch him taking three of four. He could get seriously hurt doin' something like that!

I open up the first drawer and cringe when I see five pill bottles amongst an assort of other random items one might find in a drawer. I immediately snatch up the pill bottles and slam the drawer shut. Okay, so now what? I gotta get rid of these pill bottles, but I haven't exactly come up with a plan fer that yet. Tryin' to sneak them past Charmy is never gonna work. I need a better plan.

My eyes latch onto the window next to Espio's bedroom. Ah ha! Getting a great idea, I hurry over to the window and crank it open. There's a big green bush right below Espio's window. Could this be any more perfect? Leaning out the window, I drop the pill bottles into the bush. They're completely obscured by the bright green leaves of the bush.

Feelin' proud of myself for helping my new buddy out, I close the window and step back from the window. Before I can start back towards the door, I notice a glint of something shiny from underneath Espio's pillow. Curiosity gets the best of me and I can't help but lift the pillow. A silver knife sends me an evil wink from underneath the pillow. I stare at it in surprise, wondering why the hell Espio has a knife under his pillow of all places! I always knew the little chameleon was paranoid, but this is kinda crazy.

Supposing that I probably shouldn't toss the knife out the window just in case Espio really does need it for something, I decide to leave the weapon under the pillow and then start crossin' the room again. I don't quite make it to the door though. I notice another drawer and hesitate. Should I look at that one too? Yeah, I probably should. Who knows what other crap Espio's got lyin' around?

Telling myself that all my sneaking around is fer Espio's own good, I tug the second drawer open and glance around the inside of it. There isn't any sign of any more pill bottles. I probably should get out of the drawer, but I'm a bit of a nosy croc. I rummage around the drawer for a few more moments. In the far back corner of the drawer is a gun. Guess Espio really likes keeping weapons in his bedroom. It's an odd place to keep 'em if ya ask me, but Espio can do what he wants.

I'm about to shut the drawer when I catch sight of a photo lying at the bottom of the drawer. I immediately snatch it up and take a good look at it. It's a picture of Espio and what looks like his family. In the back of the picture is an older chameleon who looks like she might be Espio's grandma cuz her scales are all wrinkled and her eyes are squinted. There's another female chameleon standing next to her. This chameleon resembles the older one, but she looks a lot younger. I'm gonna guess she's Espio's mama.

The two female chameleons aren't too interesting to look at, so I take a closer glance at the two chameleons standing in front of the females. One of them is very tall and powerful looking. His scales are jet black and his eyes are bright red. I get a dominant feeling from him. He likes to be in control and take charge of situations. See? My detective work is paying off. I've gotten pretty darn good at predicting people's personalities just from lookin' at them if I do say so myself.

There's another figure standing next to the black chameleon. This one has got to be Espio. His scales are the same fuchsia color that they are now, but fer some reason, they look dull here. There are a few strange darker splotches on his arms and on his sides. Slammed up against the black chameleon's side, Esp looks...well..._terrified_. His amber eyes are wide and he looks like he's tryin' to say something with those big eyes of his. What's he trying to say though?

Frowning, I notice there's something else weird about Espio's eyes. He's wearing strange pinkish eyeshadow and are those fake eyelashes on his upper eyelids? Alright, so something fishy is definitely going on here. Espio wouldn't wear eyeshadow and fake eyelashes. I know him well enough to realize that. So why's he looking like this in the pic?

The answer to my question evades me. Being the investigator that I am, I keep looking at the picture and try to pick up on any details I might have missed the first time. Here's somethin' strange. The dark chameleon has a tight arm wrapped around Espio and his hand is practically resting on Espio's crotch. Feeling a little awkward, I glance away from the picture and shove it back in the drawer. Who knew Espio had a brother? I'm gonna have to ask him more about this strange black chameleon when he gets back from the store.

As I'm about to push the drawer shut, I notice a little black book labeled "journal" lying in the drawer next to the photograph. I've already snooped way more in here than I should have, but Espio's gonna be gone fer a long time and Charmy seems occupied with his video game. I grab the journal and notice that the computer screen is lit up. Say, I could take advantage of Espio's absence and get on the computer for a while. To be honest, I have no interest in Charmy's video games.

Plopping myself down on the stool behind the computer, I set the journal down on the desk to read later and then bring up a new webpage. The Team Chaotix website immediately pops up. I notice the picture of the three of us there and take a better look at it. Espio looks healthier in this pic, but his eyes are still sad and wary. What the hell happened to the poor guy?

I stare at Espio a moment longer before an ad at the top of the screen catches my attention. It says, "Want to know when you're going to find your true love? Click here and find out today!"

Unable to resist, I click on the button eagerly and wait impatiently as the website changes before before my eyes. Geez! There's definitely enough porn on this webpage. I try not to look at the pics, but my nature gets the better of me and I end up staring at naked rabbits with big tits and seductive smiles. Eyes glued on the screen, it takes me a good five minutes before I remember why I actually came to this page in the first place.

Tearing my eyes away from the hypnotizing pictures, I find more writing and start reading the blinking text. It says that all I've gotta do to find out about my true love is enter my name in the little box in the center of the screen. Alright, that ain't too hard to do. I clumsily type my name into the box and wait for my results.

After a few long seconds of suspense, more text appears at the bottom of the screen. I read it eagerly. It says, "You, Vector, of twenty years of age, have already met your true love. In a month's time, you will realize just who this true love is when you share a kiss with this special person for the first time. Your true love is shy and reserved, yet very polite. You'll be the dominant one in the relationship and you're going to have to be careful with the way you treat your partner. Shower them with love and cherish them because they may easily slip from your grasp."

I stare blankly at the last few sentences before a toothy smile crosses my face. The definition of my true love sure sounds a lot like Miss Vanilla! She's definitely shy, quite, and polite and we all know that I've already met her. The best part of my results is the bit that says I'm gonna get my first kiss in a month!

Content, I turn away from the computer screen without shutting the webpage down and glance over at Espio's journal again. I pick it up and push the guilt out of my head as I open the journal to the first page. What I find there makes my stomach flip flop. Only one word is written on the page.

_ Help._

That's all there is written there. 'Course, that's not the only thing on the page though. A few drops of red are scattered on the page. It looks suspiciously like blood although I'm gonna guess that it's just red ink. The page is crinkled as if it's been wet. Why would the paper be wet though? Maybe...was Esp crying when he wrote this?

I scan quickly through the rest of the journal, but all I find are more crinkled pages. That single word is starting to haunt me. Why did Espio write "help" of all things? Was he in trouble? If so, did anyone ever help him?

"What are you doing in here? I thought you were getting us milk and cookies!" Charmy's voice sounds from right behind my shoulder. I practically have a heart attack from surprise and whirl around to face Charmy. The little bee is giving me a confused look.

Slamming Espio's journal down on the desk behind me and hoping that Charmy hasn't seen it yet, I grunt, "You should learn to knock before enterin' a room, kid!"

"Sorry, but you were taking forever," Charmy complains loudly before glancing at the computer screen over my shoulder. His eyes grow as wide as saucers as he exclaims, "What is that website about, Vector? Why is everyone _naked_?"

Dammit! I turn to the webpage and realize that I've forgotten to click it down. I immediate exit out of it as quickly as I can and say, "Never mind that, Charmy."

"But I wanna know!" Charmy complains, sending me an annoyed look.

"Look, Charmy, it's kind of an...uh...adult website. Adults like lookin' at that sort of thing," I tell Charmy. He stares me with a blank face, obviously not getting it. Shifting uncomfortably in my chair, I add, "Say, I'd be real grateful if ya don't mention this to Espio."

"Well, okay, but you'd better not tell Espio I ate all the cookies then!" Charmy says after a moment's pause.

"Fine," I grunt, figuring that I can keep Charmy's little secret. "Alright, how 'bout ya show me yer video game now?"

"Yeah!" Charmy nods vigorously. "C'mon!"

I quickly toss Espio's journal back into the drawer when Charmy's back is turned and then follow him out to the living room. Charmy starts babblin' on and on about his game, but his words go in one of my ears and out the other. My thoughts are on Espio. He's hidin' something big - I can just feel it! His cry for help in the journal is really starting to bother me.

"Charmy?" I cut into the bee's blabber. "Is there anything ya know of that Espio needs help with?"

"Espio?" Charmy echoes blankly before shaking his head. "Nope. Why?"

"No reason," I reply.

After thinking everything through fer a few more minutes, I decide that even though I don't know Espio's dirty little secret, I can still help him out! It's a cold night out there. How about I try and make Espio feel like he's appreciated when he comes back to the house? Every little thing counts, right?

"Does Espio like tea or coffee?" I ask Charmy randomly.

"Oh yeah, he loves his tea," Charmy replies absentmindedly before he asks, "Why?"

"I'm gonna make him some," I decide, standing up. "It's a cold night and we gotta make Espio feel like we appreciate what he's doin' fer us. Is there a blanket around here somewhere?"

"Um, yeah. There's one in the closet over there," Charmy says, pointing to the closet to our right.

I stride over to the closet and pull out a large, warm blanket. I'll set Espio up a cozy little spot on the couch and make him some tea. I'll coax that secret out of him yet. Just ya wait, Esp, yeh won't be able to resist a croc's irresistible charm for long!

* * *

_Uh oh, Vector messed around with Espio's things! Do you think Espio will be really upset when he finds his stuff in disarray? Review please! :)  
_


	17. Hard Feelings

**Nicee: Thanks! I hope you keep reading. ^^  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hm...you'll find out what Espio's reaction is going to be in this chapter! It was pretty bold of Vector to just throw the pills out the window and not think of the consequences. ;P Yeah, it's cute that Vector thinks it's Vanilla. I actually hate Vectilla. xD Vecpio forever! Anyways, I agree about Vector. He may not be the brightest, but he does have the makings for a good detective. I am so glad we agree about Chris! If I ever meet a Chris fan, I probably won't know what to say to them, lol. I just see nothing in him. Whoa, he sounds like a real jerk in those episodes. D: No problem about ranting. I rant a LOT. xD Ooo, another good question! I actually hate OCs to put it simply. I think my biggest pet peeves are EspioxOC, ShadowxOC, and MephilesxOC fics. They're just...ugh. OCs are usually just a fangirl version of the person writing the story. x_x What's your opinion on OCs? :)  
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**Mormar1: I agree, I hope Espio tells Vector soon! You're right though; he's ddefinitely going to be upset that Vector went through his things. Thanks for catching up on my story! :)  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, he definitely is going to scar poor Charmy for life. He's not exactly a great role model. xD Thanks for reviewing!  
**

**zgirl16: Haha, yeah, you'll find out how Esp reacts in this chapter! And no problem. :) I'm always here to listen if you want to talk about anything. I'm so sorry about you being sick though! Those symptoms do not sound good. Have you seen a doctor? I've been alright, I suppose. I tend to get sick a lot, but it's alright. Thanks for asking!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Lol, no, Vector has not heard of privacy! xD Me too, I'd be really scared if I read that in someone's journal. D: Haha, I know! I would love to see Espio with the eyelashes too. I'd draw a picture of it, but we both know how my art comes out. *sighs* Vector is totally going to scar Charmy for life. There's no way around it, hehe. And no problem! You know how much I love your fic. Yes, Esp is way too cool to be normal! Hugs for you and Esp because you two are both awesome! *hug attack* xD  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Good prediction! Let's hope that Espio has it in him to forgive Vector. They really need to have a nice long chat and Espio needs to open up to him a bit more! Haha, yes, Vector is the nosiest croc ever! xD That's awesome that you get inspired for fics by listening to music too. Music is great, isn't it? :3 I don't think I could write without it. Thanks so much for the review!  
**

**Alicia: Yeah, pretty much...=/  
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**LuluCalliope: I definitely agree with you there. We can't blame Esp for being mad. xD Hm, you have a point about Vector. He seems grouchy a lot of the time. Aw, I'm so sorry you had an argument with your dad! Is everything alright? Want to talk about it? *hugs* Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XVII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The mission to steal the jewel detector goes as well as it can possibly go. Unfortunately, my conscious bothers me during the entire mission. I've never used my gift to actually steal something before. I can't help but feel as if I've gone against all my moral standards tonight.

To my chagrin, the jewel detector isn't exactly the easiest thing to carry around. Although it's not heavy, it's big and bulky. It takes a lot of my strength to lug it past the grocery store, the mall, and finally around the corner that turns onto the street my house is located on. By this time, it's grown very cold outside and it is starting to rain. Miserable wet drops slide down my scales and create little dark patches on my scarf. Shivering, I pull it closer to me and walk as fast as I possibly can while continuing to drag the box containing the jewel detector around. The box is two-thirds my height and about three times as wide as me. Finally, the familiar door to my cozy house comes into view.

Taking a sigh of relief, I attempt to balance the cardboard box in my arms while I try to lean into the door to get it to open. After pressing all of my weight against the door, it finally creaks open. Fatigued, I lose my balance and accidentally drop the cardboard box. It falls to the ground and goes skidding across the floor. I'm caught off balance and topple forwards...straight into Vector's arms.

A strong, spicy scent immediately engulfs me and I find myself momentarily stunned. I look up, my hands pressed against the crocodile's warm chest. He has one hand at my back and is looking down at me in concern. The warmth of his body is welcome after I spent the last thirty minutes freezing outside. I should step backwards - after all, this can't look right - but my feet don't move and I just stay where I am with my amber eyes locked onto Vector's concerned ones.

"Steady there, Esp!" Vector exclaims in his loud, slightly abrasive voice. "Are ya alright?"

"Y-yes. It's just c-cold out there," I shiver, finally taking a step back from Vector and wrapping my arms tightly around myself.

"You got the jewel detector! Awesome!" Charmy exclaims, already across the room from us with the jewel detector. I don't think he even noticed the slightly awkward exchange between Vector and myself. Inspecting the box carefully, Charmy asks more to himself than to us, "I wonder how we get this thing open?"

From my past experiences, I would have expected Vector to be right over next to the box with Charmy. Surprisingly enough, he's not. Instead of showing interest in the jewel detector, he's still by my side and has taken the initiative of unwrapping my scarf from around my neck. He drapes it on the back of one of the wooden chairs and then fetches something from the couch. Returning to me a moment later, the tough looking crocodile wraps a thick, warm blanket around my shuddering shoulders.

"Here ya go!" Vector exclaims as he tucks the blanket around me. I stare at him wide-eyed, unsure where all this special treatment is coming from. Vector isn't done lavishing me with all kinds of nice things just yet. He gently guides me to the kitchen table and points to a mug full of hot tea, adding, "I made this for yeh. Charmy says ya like tea."

"I do like tea," I murmur, still a little stunned as to where all this came from. "Thank you, Vector. Is there...something you want from me?"

"Huh?" Vector asks in a clueless manner before he registers what I'm thinking. "Can't a croc do somethin' nice fer his buddy without wanting something in return?"

"Why, yes," I reply, suddenly feeling very touched. "This is all very kind of you. I don't believe anyone has ever done something this nice for me before."

"Well, ya better start gettin' used to this kind of treatment because this is the kind of thing teammates do fer each other," Vector says, drawing out a chair from next to me. It makes a loud, grinding noise against the floor that causes us all to flinch. Plopping down on the chair, Vector asks, "Is there anything else I can do for ya?"

"No, Vector. You've done so much already. I didn't know you had this side to you," I admit truthfully as I pick up the mug and take a small sip of tea. Warm liquid streams down my throat and immediately warms me up. I stop shivering and cast Vector a long, sideways glance. Perhaps there's hope for the crocodile yet.

"How are we going to get this thing open?" Charmy complains loudly from across the room as he stares at the immense cardboard box in annoyance.

"There are some scissors in the kitchen drawer, Charmy," I call over to the frustrated little bee. "You can go get them if you like and open the box."

Charmy nods and immediately flies out of the room to go fetch the scissors. I'm perfectly content just to sit here with a thick blanket wrapped around my shoulders and with a nice, warm mug of tea in my hands. What's even better though is that I'm in a house full of friends. Yes, I consider Vector a friend now. He's done rather a lot for me today.

Breaking the silence between us, Vector says, "Ya really care about the kid, don't ya?"

"You mean Charmy?" I ask, glancing over at Vector with raised eyebrows. Vector nods, an unreadable expression on his face. I nod and reply, "I do care about him. I treat him as my own. He's the only family I have. Without him, I would be all on my own."

"Aw, don't say that! You'll always have me too, y'know," Vector points out, looking sad at my words. He hesitates before asking, "Didn't you say that ya have a brother though? Why not live with him?"

I stare up at Vector blankly. Where on earth would he get the idea that I have a brother from? I most certainly do not have a brother. I've never had any siblings. Shaking my head slowly, I reply, "I never said anything at all about having a brother. Why would you think that?"

"Uh, no reason," Vector replies, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

I give Vector a hard stare. I haven't known him for long, but for some reason, he looks a little suspicious. Before I can try and figure out what it is that's so suspicious about him, Charmy comes bursting back into the room, waving the scissors triumphantly in his hand. He flies directly over to the cardboard box and starts attacking it with the scissors, trying to get it open as quickly as possible. I flinch at his haste, not wanting him to be too careless and end up hurting himself.

"Careful with the scissors!" I warn him. "They're very pointy at the end."

"Yeah, I know," Charmy rolls his eyes at me, probably thinking that I'm taking on the role of an overprotective parent. Someday, he'll thank me though. I just don't want to see him get hurt.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can feel Vector looking at me. I immediately shift uncomfortably in my chair. I'll never be able to stop the spontaneous wave of anxiety that flows through me whenever anyone stares at me for more than a few seconds. Bryce used to stare at me for long, seemingly endless minutes back when I shared a room with him. He would chain me up or tie me in some awkward position and then just sit there and stare at me with a smirk of malice on his face. The worst time was when he chained my legs apart one night when he was feeling particularly cruel. While I was forced to hold still in that horribly awkward position, Bryce sat between my thighs and stared at my intimate parts to purposefully make me feel uncomfortable while I blushed bright red and wished I could be anywhere else in the world.

"Wow, this thing is awesome!" Charmy bubbles, jerking me out of nightmarish thoughts. "It looks like it's something out of my video game!"

Both Vector and I look over at the jewel detector. It actually looks a lot like a metal detector. I see no difference. Vector happens to glance up at the clock hanging on the wall above the jewel detector and exclaims, "Geez, it's gotten really late! Guess I should scram. Is there anything else I can do fer you two before I go?"

"Yeah! You can buy me this new video game that I want! It's called-" Charmy starts out enthusiastically before I interrupt him.

Speaking over his voice, I say, "What Charmy means to say is that we're both very grateful for everything you've done for us today. Would you like to meet us at the beach at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning? We might as well get an early start on our mission to find the Chaos Emerald."

"Sounds good to me!" Vector nods. "I'll see ya then! Take care of yerself, Esp."

I watch Vector disappear out of the door with a calculating look on my face. Vector had been acting so nice to me. Why? There has to be a reason for it. Nobody ever does anything for me unless they want something in return. Perhaps Vector's just feeling bad about breaking my precious bowl earlier.

As soon as Vector is out the door, Charmy groans, "Aw, Espio, can't we let Vector stay the night? It's so cold and dark out there! What if he gets lost?"

I hesitate, warming up to the idea of Vector staying the night just a little. Vector seems pretty harmless. Yes, he's a huge crocodile with gleaming white teeth, but I'm starting to realize that his heart is in the right place. However, Vector's already out the door and I have no intention of calling him back.

"He won't get lost," I reassure Charmy. "Crocodiles have good eyesight. It's getting quite late. I think the two of us should go to bed. We have lots of work to do tomorrow."

"Uh huh! We're going to use the jewel detector and find Rouge's Chaos Emerald!" Charmy nods enthusiastically before sprinting off to his bedroom.

I sit by myself for a few minutes and finish drinking my tea. By the time I drain the cup, I'm feeling warm and tingly inside. Glad to no longer feel like an icicle, I take my time getting up and then amble slowly to the bedroom. Once there, I go straight to my bed and sit down on top of the sheets. Leaning against a fluffy pillow, I find that I actually feel..._happy_. It's been a very long time since I've felt this way. Vector's kindness towards me was something I never would have expected from anyone let alone a crocodile. Tears of happiness drip to the corners of my eyes. I don't usually cry, but I'm feeling so emotional that I let the little drops of water spill down my cheeks.

The bedroom door suddenly whips open and Charmy comes to a halt, asking in confusion, "Espio, are you crying? What's the matter?"

"I'm fine," I quickly murmur, wiping my eyes on my cuffs as I attempt not to let Charmy see my tears. It's too late though. Charmy has already flown over to me and is staring at me in concern. He hovers directly in front of me and wipes one of the tears I missed from my cheek. Figuring I ought to offer an explanation for this, I add, "Sometimes people cry when they're happy, Charmy."

"That's weird," Charmy points out before he suddenly flings his arms around my chest and hugs me tightly, saying, "I heard that a hug always makes people feel better when they're sad."

"I'm not sad, but I will take a hug," I reply, wrapping affectionate arms around the little warm body pressing against my chest. We sit on the bed in that same position for a few minutes before I feel Charmy's breathing become slow and rhythmic. He's already asleep. Smiling down at him, I cradle Charmy against me and fall asleep moments later.

Not surprisingly, Charmy is the first one to wake the next morning. He shakes my shoulders and yells in my ear, "Espio! Get up! We have to go find Rouge's jewel today!"

I jerk up with a start and gaze around blearily. For once, I had a completely dream-free sleep. Images of Bryce and other terrors evaded my mind. Concealing a yawn with the back of my hand, I murmur, "You're right. Go brush your teeth and then we'll get some breakfast and head to the beach."

"Okay!" Charmy says, always an excited ball of energy in the morning.

I watch Charmy whiz out of the door before taking my time getting off of the bed. I usually meditate for a bit in the morning, but for some reason, I find myself reaching for the drawer adjacent to my bed instead. Although I've been feeling better lately, I still think I need my anti-depressants. However, as I reach inside the drawer, I can't find the familiar cylinder shape of the pill bottles. Hm, that's strange. I know they have to be in here somewhere.

Frowning, I look into the drawer and rummage around inside it for a moment before I'm forced to come to the conclusion that the pill bottles are definitely missing. Where are they? It takes me only a moment longer before I come to a horrible conclusion. Vector must have stolen them.

All the good feelings I have been starting to have towards Vector immediately dissolve. How dare he just go into my drawers and steal my things? I _need _those pills. They keep me from lapsing into depression and keep me calm. Vector will never know what it's like to feel completely hopeless or to have someone jeer at you and ridicule your body for hours on end. He doesn't understand why I need these pills. In his thick mind, Vector probably thinks he's doing me a favor. However, whether his intentions were for my good or not, I'm extremely upset with him.

"Espio! Are you ready?" Charmy calls from the living room.

Taking a calming breath, I force myself not to get too upset. I will confront Vector about this as soon as I get to the beach. Wait. I won't be able to confront Vector about it with Charmy around. I suppose I'll be forced to wait until Charmy leaves us alone for a few moments. God knows how long it will be until then. Perhaps I can find a way to get rid of Charmy instead...

I step nimbly into the kitchen, doing my best to conceal my chaos of emotions as I smile as normally at Charmy as I can and ask in a relatively calm voice, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to visit Cream at the park today? I know she really enjoys your company."

"Huh? Why would I want to go to the park and miss all the fun?" Charmy asks me, giving me a strange look. "I'm going to the beach with you and Vector!"

"Oh...alright," I say, realizing that there's no getting around this. "I suppose we might as well go now then."

"Yay!" Charmy exclaims, already three steps ahead of me out the door.

I follow Charmy to the door and start down the street, mind completely occupied by Vector's misdemeanor. It's only when we're halfway to the beach that I forget that Charmy never had breakfast. Coming to a half, I hold up a hand and call to Charmy, "Wait a minute. You never ate your breakfast. Come on, let's go back to the house."

"Aw, but I'm not even hungry!" Charmy whines.

"No protesting," I say in a firm voice.

Charmy complains the whole way back to the house, but I can't have him starving. After a hurried breakfast of milk and cereal, the two of us start to the beach for a second time. My fists absentmindedly clench and my eyes narrow. Vector is certainly going to get what's coming to him.

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_Well, Espio's definitely upset! Do you think he will get into a big fight with Vector? Review please! :)  
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	18. Tough Love

**Chibi-Guest: Wow, thanks so much for such a great review! I absolutely love getting reviews from new readers. Haha, yup, Vector's gonna be in big trouble! I'm sorry that your sis is sick. =/ I hope she feels better soon. I'll definitely continue this and you're not alone; I have no life either. ;P Hope you like this chapter and please keep reviewing. ^^  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Sorry! Cliffies are my specialty. ;P I'm glad you liked the part with Espio and Charmy. I always think of them as having a parent/child bond. :) Oh my god, those are my exact thoughts about OCs! Are you a mind reader or something? lol But yeah, I notice that a lot of stories focus on OCs and barely even mention the Sonic characters! *facepalms* I absolutely hate that. Yay for a new question! Alright, I'm going to use one word to describe each member of the team since all three are so different. Charmy gets excitable (I never see him when he's not hyper or excited about something, lol), Espio gets either loyal or tough (and that's not just because of this fic - I really do think he's quite tough), and Vector's gonna get kind-hearted (because too many people never see past his tough guy look and notice that he's a sweet croc underneath all that). How would you describe the Chaotix? :D  
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**Mormar1: Exactly! Vector is going to get just that, haha. xD Thank you for the review!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: xD What kind of punishments are you imagining? I hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: Lol, yes! I can see those two getting into a big fight if they were both really upset. xD That's unfortunate about the doctor though. I wish you were feeling better! Do you think maybe you could see a different doctor? Feeling sick is the absolute worst. :(  
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**ShadowChaotix: Aw, yay! I'm happy you liked the chapter so much! *huggles again* Vector totally deserves to be punished! ...Why am I suddenly thinking of all sorts of naughty things Esp could do to him? ;P And yes, I feel bad for poor Esp because he definitely thinks Vector was just being nice as a cover up. The brother thing will come up again...and the picture with the makeup. xD Thank you so much for reading! I miss talking to you and it's only been a few hours. =/  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're still reading this. I thought I lost you, lol. xD  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: That's good advice for Vector! He should definitely be running! I would be ready to knock some sense into him too if he stole from me. ;P I suppose it's good that his heart is in the right place, but still! Yeah, Vector is being cute with Espio though. *squee* I'll try and update the Mephadow fic tomorrow or Tuesday. I'd do it tonight, but I'm exhausted. I almost didn't update this story. Thank you so much for the nice review!  
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**Alicia: Don't worry, ust because I'm not on skype doesn't mean anything is wrong. I've just been busy, that's all.  
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**LuluCalliope: Haha, you're probably right. Vector made a major mistake taking Esp's pills like that. Oh my god, that's so rude of your dad! He should definitely not have called you a liar! I am so sorry! Dads can be real jerks sometimes. I'm glad you're okay now though. That's alright, I sort of figured that you were having writer's block. Take your time with updating...I know EXACTLY how writer's block is. =/ Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter XVIII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

As I stalk down the sidewalk with my teeth clenched, Charmy stops his constant blabber and suddenly flies right in front of my face, forcing me to come to a halt in front of him. I shift the jewel detector in my arms and raise my eyebrows at him. It figures that Vector couldn't have taken the jewel detector to his place to save me the trouble of lugging the horribly awkward piece of equipment all the way to the beach. My arms are going to be sore before I even start searching for the Chaos Emerald at this rate.

"What's wrong, Espio?" Charmy asks, looking concerned as he hovers in front of me, refusing to get out of my way until I answer his question.

"Nothing is wrong, Charmy," I lie. Why does it feel as if I'm always lying these days? I'm constantly fibbing to Charmy and Vector. It's no wonder I don't have any friends. Since Charmy is still giving me a suspicious glance, I make up a random excuse and add, "Let's just keep moving though. I can't carry this jewel detector around for much longer."

Charmy glances from the large silver device in my arms to the beads of sweat forming on my forehead despite the fact that it's a cool morning and a gentle breeze wafts through the air around us. He immediately gets out of my way and nods his agreement, "Good idea. We should have had Vector carry the jewel detector to the beach."

"Too bad nobody thought of that yesterday," I point out wryly as I count the remaining steps to the beach.

Finally, after much struggling and sweating, I make it to the beach with Charmy a good hundred yards ahead of me. Apparently, the little bee can't keep his excitement to himself and is now spinning through the air in elated somersaults. My original plan was to confront Vector as soon as I see him this morning, but now I hesitate. It seems such a shame to break up the chemistry that is finally starting to flow between the three members of our team. Charmy clearly loves having Vector around, Vector seems to like both Charmy and myself, and I had been finally starting to see some hope in Vector. So please someone tell me why he had to go and mess it up!

Once we arrive on the beach, I drop the metal detector into the sand and rub my sore arm muscles before plopping down in the sand myself. The bright, scorching hot sun doesn't do much for my already overheated body. On the contrary, it seems to zap the remaining amount of moisture left in my scales. Since Vector still isn't here yet and Charmy seems happy enough to entertain himself by spinning around in the air, I decide to go for a short swim to restore some of the much needed water to my scales.

"Charmy! Please come here a moment," I call to get Charmy's attention while I sit up in the sand. It sticks to my sweaty scales, causing me to want to get into the water even more.

Charmy flies over to me obediently and asks, "Yes?"

"I'm going to take a short swim," I point out, trying to flick grains of sand off of my sweaty body. "Make sure you stay in this area and don't get into trouble while I'm gone. Also, if you could keep an eye out for Vector, that would be nice as well. I have a feeling that he wouldn't be able to find us on the beach even if we were right there in front of him."

"Hehe, sure boss," Charmy giggles before giving me a mock salute and flying back over to the jewel detector to continue his airborne somersaults.

I slowly stand up and make my way to the edge of the beach. The sand here is wet and the water flows up to my ankles. Brr, it's cold. I consider backing right out of the frigid water, but I clearly can't walk around the beach covered in sand and smelling like sweat all day long. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for a sudden rush of coldness and dive nimbly into the distant water.

Splash! I cut the water like a knife and find myself engulfed in its cooling presence. I shiver for only a few minutes before I adjust to the water temperature. Just to burn time at this point, I lazily swim around in the water, diving in and out of the crashing waves with ease. Only when I see a big, clumsy crocodile entering the beach do I decide that now is a good time to exit the water. If I'm lucky, I can catch Vector alone for a few moments before he runs into Charmy.

Now freezing again after slipping out of the water, I wrap my arms around my dripping wet figure and hurry over to where Vector is looking around blankly, probably trying to find Charmy. Wishing that I had a towel or something to dry myself off with, I come to a halt in front of Vector and give him a narrow-eyed glare.

Even with me standing right in front of him, it takes Vector a good few minutes to notice me. When he does, he sends me a toothy smile and exclaims, "Hey, Esp! I was wonderin' where ya were."

"Look, Vector," I start out, deciding to cut straight to the chase. "I know what you did. You can't just steal other people's things regardless of how you feel about them."

"Huh?" Vector asks, looking nonplussed. I almost smack my forehead, wondering if the thick crocodile has already forgotten about how he stole my pills. As if to prove my point, he adds, "I dunno what the hell yer goin' on about."

I grind my teeth together, knowing that Vector_ has _to be the one who stole my pills. Charmy would never do such a thing. Vector is the only culprit and I know I've caught him red-handed. Drawing myself up to full height, I try to make myself appear menacing to Vector, but the huge crocodile still towers over me.

"I...I know you were only trying to look out for me. At least, I'd like to think that's why you stole my pills. However, you cannot just take my personal possessions like that! You can go to jail for stealing, Vector. It's a crime. We're detective agents and we fight against that very thing. Please just give me my things back and we'll put this behind us," I plead, wanting to just leave this little incident in the past. Vector, unfortunately, does not appear to have heard a word I just said. His eyes are focused on me, but he has a faraway, infatuated look on his face. Either he's daydreaming about Miss Vanilla again or he likes the sight of the shivering, dripping wet chameleon standing in front of him. Annoyed, I snap my fingers in Vector's face to jerk him out of it and ask in as even of a voice as I can manage despite my growing frustration, "Did you even hear a word I just said?"

Vector blinks and flushes before stammering, "Uh...sorry, I got a little distracted. What did ya say again?"

Willing myself to be patient, I reply in exasperation, "Basically, I just said that stealing is wrong and that I can't have you stealing again from me, Vector. Just give me my pills back and we'll let bygones be bygones."

Comprehension finally dawns on Vector's face - really, it's about time - and he gives me a nervous look as he responds, "Erm, sorry. Can't do that, Esp."

"And just why not?" I ask, my hotheaded side about to break loose. I can tell I didn't meditate this morning because my body is all uptight and I'm having a hard time staying in control of myself.

"I...uh...sorta got rid of 'em," Vector admits, taking a step backwards as if he fears I might slap him, which, at the current moment, is the exact thing I feel like doing. "I don't want ya accidentally takin' an overdose and that's the direction yeh were goin' in!"

I open my mouth and then bite my tongue. I have to admit that Vector is actually right. I had been taking more and more pills lately without thinking of the consequences. I had taken four instead of one just the other day. What would've been next? Six? Eight?

Taking advantage of my silence, Vector goes on, "I hate seein' ya so depressed like this, Esp. Charmy and I are gonna do our bests to help ya out of this funk, alright?"

Sighing, I find the fight goes out of me and I nod slowly, imploring, "Just don't steal from me again. Promise me that."

"Sure thing," Vector nods, placing a hand over his heart as he states a little loudly, "I promise that I, Vector the croc, won't ever steal from ya ever again. Happy now?"

"I suppose so," I reply a little reluctantly.

Before Vector and I can move on to more pleasant topics of conversation, a bright yellow and black bee comes whizzing towards us. He flings himself at Vector, causing the big crocodile to wobble and practically fall over. I stifle a snicker, finding it slightly amusing how just a little bee can overwhelm a large, sturdy crocodile.

"Hey Vector! I thought you were never going to get here!" Charmy emphasizes his words loudly, still hanging onto the thick, golden chain around Vector's neck. He suddenly sends Vector a funny look and asks curiously, "Why are you looking at Espio like that?"

My head jerks up to see what Charmy is talking about. To my surprise, Vector is staring at me again with that spaced out look on his face. A frown slowly crosses my mouth and I suddenly really wish I had a towel that I could use to dry myself off with. Under Vector's stare, I feel so..._naked_.

"Huh? I'm not lookin' at Esp," Vector stutters, blushing slightly. "I'm just lookin' at the water."

"Oh, okay," Charmy says in his accepting manner. He waves his arms at us and urges, "Come on! Let's get the jewel detector and start searching for the Chaos Emerald!"

Vector and I start after Charmy. Vector still has a faint blush on his cheeks and I can't help but wonder where it came from. Was he really staring at me and not thinking about Miss Vanilla earlier? If so, why was that? I can't come up with any answers to my question and soon forget about the whole ordeal as the three of us come to stand behind the jewel detector.

"Hey, kid, any idea how this thing works?" Vector asks, scratching his forehead.

"All you have to do is turn it on by pressing this little red button here," Charmy explains, flying over to the jewel detector and pressing the red button. Looking proud to know more than Vector about something, Charmy goes on, "When there's a jewel nearby, the machine will start making noise."

"Noise?" I ask suspiciously, aware that there are lots of people at the beach today. If we make a lot of noise, we'll draw a lot of unwanted attention to ourselves. "What kind of noise, Charmy?"

"How should I know?" Charmy asks, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "I've never used this thing before."

"Alright," I sigh reluctantly, hoping that the jewel detector isn't too loud. Fixing Vector with a hard stare, I add, "You can carry the jewel detector around. My arms are falling off from carrying it around earlier."

"I can carry it no problem," Vector remarks, picking up the jewel detector as if it is as light as a feather.

The three of us start our second search for the Chaos Emerald, hoping to have more luck than yesterday considering the fact that we have the jewel detector with us today. Unfortunately, things don't start out so well. Vector, Charmy, and I make our way up and down the beach but don't catch sight of anything shiny or blue. At first, hunting down the jewel is fun, but after long hours of trudging around in the sand, all of us are tired and just want to collapse. The jewel detector hasn't reacted to anything and the Chaos Emerald is still missing.

Probably the most frustrated of us all, Vector throws down the jewel detector and asks in a loud voice, "What's wrong with this thing?"

"Nothing is wrong with it. There's really no need to shout," I point out, sensing the gaze of sunbathing hedgehogs on us. One of the girls takes off her sunglasses and sends me a flirtatious smile. I turn bright pink and immediately turn away, whispering to Vector, "I'm sure we're just not looking hard enough."

"Oh yeah? We've searched the damn beach three times already today! Where the hell else could it be?" Vector asks, looking like he wants to kick the jewel detector.

I have to admit that I have no answer for him. At least, not at first. I think for a moment before replying logically, "Well, perhaps we're just not looking in the right places. The jewel may not be buried in the sand after all."

"Where else would it be then?" Vector asks in puzzlement before sending the water a hesitant look and adding, "At the bottom of the ocean?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of somewhere above our heads," I reply, squinting against the sun and scanning the horizon. There are several palm trees that tower above our heads. Is it possible that the Chaos Emerald could be in one of them? Turning to Charmy, I ask the little bee, "Do you think you could bring the jewel detector up into the air with you and search the trees for the Chaos Emerald? I know the jewel detector is heavy, so if you'd rather not bring it along, that's fine too."

"Don't worry! I'm strong. I can handle it," Charmy reassures me, puffing out his chest proudly as he picks the jewel detector up without too much of a problem. I feel a little ashamed noticing that he has an even easier time carrying the silver machine around than me.

"Be careful!" I call up to him as he flies into the air, quickly becoming a little speck.

Vector and I watch Charmy disappear before turning to face each other. Vector wastes no time in plopping down in the sand, looking completely exhausted. Wiping his brow, he mutters, "I dunno about you, but I didn't realize this detective work was gonna be so hard."

"We shouldn't be resting right now," I chastise Vector, not exactly the happiest with him despite his oath not to steal anything else from me. "We need to keep looking for the Chaos Emerald."

"You look. I'm beat," Vector replies, falling back in the sand and closing his eyes.

A bit irritated that Vector is slacking off already, I shrug my shoulders and take to searching the beach on my own. That same girl hedgehog from before catches my eye again and stands up, looking like she's about to walk over to me! Too shy to hold a conversation with a teenager, I quickly retreat to where Vector is still lying motionless in the sand. Just then, a whiz of color comes plummeting towards us from the sky.

Beep, beep, beep! I hear the jewel detector before I actually see it. Charmy flies in front of me a moment later, practically bouncing up and down as he exclaims, "I did it! I found the Chaos Emerald!"

* * *

_Well, that didn't go too badly. Hm, does anyone think Vector is acting a bit...strange? Review please! :)  
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	19. Complete Humiliaton

**Chibi-Guest: I'm glad to hear that your sister is feeling better! That's great news. :) Hehe, I agree with you that Vector is acting a bit odd! Wonder what's the cause of that? xD It is good that they didn't get into a huge fight or anything. I don't think Espio is the type to blow up at anyone. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Zari Thorn96: You just totally made my day with your review! Thanks a ton! I'm flattered to hear that you were reading it all weekend. I can assure you that I will definitely be continuing this (as long as people keep reading it, lol) and that there will be daily updates if I don't get too behind in school. xD I think two more sort of main characters will be added to the story along with some of the minor Sonic characters like Eggman, Knuckles, Tails, etc. I think you are a mind reader! Bryce will definitely be making another appearance in the story. In fact, he will be in several chapters of this story in future chapters. xD Love the way you think! Please keep reading. ^^  
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**Mormar1: Lol, yes! Vector is totally checking out sexy Esp. ;P Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, yeah, it took them long enough to find the emerald. xD Well, you don't have to like slash to think that Vector and Esp are cute together. ;P Thanks for reading!  
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**zgirl16: I'd say that your senses are probably right! xD Although the romance may be just a one-sided thing if you know what I mean? That's good that you're going back to the doctor. Let me know what they say! I hope everything will be fine. And aw, no problem! I care a lot about my friends.  
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**ShadowChaotix: Oh yes, Esp is pretty sexy when he's all wet...and Vector definitely agrees with you from the way he can't keep his eyes off Esp! xD Yay for the Chaotix being a happy family again! *hugs them all* What do I mean by suddenly? Well, I just came up with lots of ways for Esp to get revenge on Vector, hehe. I think they're all too dirty to use right now, but maybe later. xD Thanks so much for the awesome review! *huggles*  
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**Guest: Thanks so much! Here's the update. ^^  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I agree, they were searching for that emerald for a long time! You're right about the dating advice being pretty accurate. Haha, yeah, that bit with Vector staring at Espio was my favorite part to write. Oh god, if it had been me with Vector, he would have gotten lots of smacks to his head! xD I'm so happy that you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for reading! :D  
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**Alicia: Aw, thanks. :3  
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**LuluCalliope: Yup, Charmy found the emerald, but they haven't actually gotten it yet. ;P Ugh, your dad sounds really moody. My dad is like that too. Dads always jump to the conclusion that we're being rude (when we're not!) and use the opportunity to yell at us. It's stupid really. =/ Good luck with your driving class! I bet you'll do awesome. Thanks for reading!  
**

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**Chapter XIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Even Charmy's excited words don't seem to have any effect on Vector, who is still lying flat on his back in the sand with his eyes resolutely closed. Frustrated, I send him a light kick with my sneaker and then return to the overexcited bee hovering by my shoulder. Two things occur to me. The first is that although Charmy claims to have found the Chaos Emerald, he doesn't have it with him. This can only mean that although Charmy has found the Chaos Emerald, it's in a difficult spot to reach. Of course the process of finding a Chaos Emerald can't be easy.

"Where is the emerald, Charmy?" I ask, hoping that it's not in too hard of a place to get to. "I'm assuming you weren't able to reach it or you experience other complications?"

"Huh?" Vector asks, suddenly jerking upwards and scratching his head as he looks up at us from where he's sitting in the sand and asks, "What's goin' on? Did someone find the Chaos Emerald?"

Charmy and I exchange a look and roll our eyes at each other. Charmy nods and replies, "Yeah, I told you that ten minutes ago, Vector! Anyways, you're right, Espio. It's trapped between two coconuts in that palm tree to our right. I tried to reach it, but even after I grabbed it, it wouldn't come loose! It's stuck!"

"Let me at it!" Vector says without thinking, abruptly hauling his large scaly figure to his feet before he tramps over to the palm tree and stares up at it, saying, "Ol' Vector can get anything loose. Just watch this!"

"Um, Vector? How exactly do you plan on getting up that tree?" I ask disdainfully, knowing that Vector will never make it up the tree no matter what he does. I step forwards and pass him, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him aside arrogantly as I come to stand in front of the tree. "I believe this is a job for me. You two can wait for me down here and catch the emerald when I toss it down to you so we don't lose it again. We've already spent far too much time searching for the jewel. Are you both ready?"

"Sure am!" Charmy nods vigorously, flying up next to the palm tree and opening his palms so he can be ready to catch the emerald at any second.

"'Course I am. When am I _not _ready?" Vector boasts pridefully, taking his stance next to Charmy.

I decide not to comment on Vector's question. The only way Vector will happen to catch the emerald is if it falls down and hits him smack in the face. Otherwise, I'm replying on Charmy to retrieve the shiny gem. Without too much trouble, I grab the rough trunk of the palm tree and latch my fingers into the grooves of the tree. Once I am able to maintain my balance against the side of the palm tree, climbing up it is a simple manner. I easily slink up the palm tree and reach the top of it within minutes.

Looking above me, I see a large mound of coconuts and several glossy green leaves. I sneak between two of the leaves and poke my head above the immense palm tree. My stomach knots painfully inside of me when I look down and notice that Charmy and Vector look like ants. I didn't realize that this palm tree was quite so tall!

Telling myself not to worry about unhelpful things, I return my focus to the mission at hand and glance at the mound of hairy coconuts clustered together at the top of the palm tree. Just as Charmy told me earlier, a bright blue gem is twinkling at me from between two of the coconuts.

Doing my best to be careful - after all, these leaves are a bit slippery - I slink forwards until I'm crouching above the mound of coconuts. Reaching towards the sapphire jewel, I place both hands on it and tug. Nothing happens. Gritting my teeth, I tug on it even harder. Still nothing happens. This really_ is_ a job for Vector. It's a shame he isn't more..._light on his feet_.

I take a momentary rest before giving the coconuts a murderous look. I am going to get the jewel out from between them if it's the last thing I do! Team Chaotix is counting on me to get this job done. If I can't get the jewel loose, Vector will probably suggest something stupid like hiring a helicopter to bring him up here so he can retrieve the Chaos Emerald. Needless to say, it would cost us all of our pay and more to hire a helicopter for a job like this.

Determined to get the jewel loose this time, I put all my strength into tugging it loose. Yes! I feel the jewel shift slightly this time. Yanking at it harder, I manage to spring the Chaos Emerald free of the mound of coconuts. However, the effort of doing this throws me extremely off balance. The Chaos Emerald flies from my hand and starts the long descent down, down, down...

No idea where the gem is going to end up, I lean forwards and try to grab it. The jewel misses my hand by millimeters. Suddenly, I lose my footing and lurch forwards. It's impossible to keep my footing on this slippery palm leaf and I fly forwards into the air.

"Damn," I groan as the suddenly rush of air sucks my breath away.

Falling head over heels, I crash downwards with my eyes squeezed shut. Climbing, going invisible, and running are things ninjas can do. Falling several feet through the air, however, is not part of my job description! I don't like heights and I don't like falling. Knowing Vector and Charmy, they'll have their sights set on the jewel and won't see me when I come crashing to the ground. I certainly hope I don't break anything. A chameleon's body, mine especially, tends to be very fragile. The bones are delicate and need to be treated carefully.

I wait for the inevitable bone-shattering smack that will occur when I hit the ground. Surprisingly enough, it never comes. Instead, strong, secure arms wrap around my body and I'm brought close to warm scales. I dare to open one eye and come face to face with Vector. My jaw drops. I would never have guessed that Vector would be the one to catch me.

"I got ya, Esp!" Vector tells me as if I might still be worried about falling. His expression is one of crocodile concern as he asks, "Are yeh alright? That was a long fall."

"I-I think I'm fine," I stammer, glad that I didn't eat any breakfast this morning or else I would have thrown it all up by now. Blushing at still being in the crocodile's arms, I add, "Thank you for catching me. I figured you would be looking for the Chaos Emerald instead. You saved me from breaking my neck or worse."

"I saw ya and the emerald at about the same time," Vector admits. "But my best buddy means a lot more to me than some stupid jewel even if findin' it is gonna mean makin' the rent. Are ya sure yer alright? Ya look pretty shakin' up, not like I blame ya or anything."

Feeling rather touched that Vector considers me worth more than the emerald, I nod and reply, "Yes. ...You can put me down now, Vector."

"Oh, right," Vector replies, now blushing himself as he gently sets me down on the ground.

I try to take one step forwards, but my legs feel like jelly after the shock of the fall and refuse to support me. My knees buckle and I end up on the ground. How embarrassing! Just then, Charmy comes flying up to us and presents a shimmering blue gem in his hand, exclaiming, "Look! I caught the Chaos Emerald!"

I quickly try to get back to my feet and manage to hold my balance for about two seconds as I reply, "Good work, Charmy. Now all we have to do is find Rouge."

My legs shudder as I attempt to take another step forwards and I land on the ground once again. Charmy looks at me in concern and offers me his free hand, asking, "What happened to you?"

Before I can take Charmy's hand, Vector waves Charmy aside and strides towards me, explaining, "He took quite a tumble from the top of the palm tree. Guess there's only one thing ta do now."

Charmy and I both stare at Vector blankly, neither of us knowing what he's referring to. Leaning down, Vector scoops me back up into his arms and holds me against his chest like he did earlier. My cheeks flame bright red and my whole body flushes. There is no way I am letting Vector carry me around like this!

"Vector, put me down! This is embarrassing!" I exclaim, pushing half-heartedly on his chest in an attempt to get him to put me down.

"No can do," Vector replies a-matter-of-factly as he takes a step forwards. "Yer clearly no good on yer feet right now."

Charmy giggles loudly, thinking this whole situation is funny. I, on the other hand, couldn't be any more mortified with Vector carrying me around the beach like this! What does everyone looking at us think? I decide I'd prefer not to know. Trying to put up a bit more of a fight, I protest, "Please put me down! I'll never get past the shame of being carried around by you all day long!"

"Sorry, but I don't got a choice," Vector says, not looking too sorry about the predicament as the three of us start out of the beach together. I can still hear Charmy's incessant giggling in the background as Vector adds, "Don't fight me, Esp. It won't do ya any good."

Vector has a point. I'll never break free of him no matter what I do. Vector's chest muscles are as hard as rocks and the arms he's using to carry me in are so very strong compared to my stick-like arms and legs and the soft, slight curves of the rest of my body. Still though, I don't like being carried and can't help but worrying about falling. Mainly so I don't have to see at the countless people who are no doubt staring at us, I turn my face to Vector's chest and use the tip of my tail to wrap around his wrist so I can feel more secure. This time it's Vector's turn to chuckle. I can feel the vibration from his firm, scaly chest. It's a very odd sensation to say the least.

"So which way is it to Rouge's place?" Charmy pipes up, informing me that we are officially out of the beach and on the street now.

There's a long silence during which nobody answers Charmy. I smack my forehead, realizing that Vector probably has no idea where Rouge lives. What did she say about contacting her once we found the jewel? Oh right, she told Vector that she left her number on his phone. Since Vector doesn't seem to know how his voice mail system works, I'm confident that he hasn't deleted the voice mail yet.

"Rouge left her phone number on your telephone, Vector," I inform the crocodile. "We ought to go to your apartment and get that number. You'll call Rouge and then we'll find a place to meet her."

"Sounds like a plan!" Vector agrees, starting across the street to his apartment building, which thankfully isn't too far away. "Yer a genius, Esp!"

"No. I just try and use my head," I reply, deciding to risk a glance up at Vector, dry amusement written all over my face.

Surprisingly enough, Vector is looking down at me when I decide to look up at him. My amber eyes meet his brown ones and I find that Vector is sending me an almost affection smile. My lips curve upwards in slightly ironic smile as I stare the clumsy, yet kind-hearted crocodile. I shake my head at him as I murmur, "Oh, Vector..."

"We're here! Wow, this door is heavy," Charmy grunts as he tries to push open the heavy door that leads to the lobby of Vector's apartment.

Charmy's words break off the moment Vector and I were sharing and snaps up back to the present. I look down again and Vector reaches out to handle the sticky doorknob. Feeling unstable being supported with only one hand, I wrap my tail tighter around Vector's wrist. Vector smirks and pushes the door open easily. For once, I'm glad for the darkness of the apartment lobby. At least nobody can see the awkward scene of a large crocodile carrying around a small chameleon in the dim lighting.

We find the elevator in the darkness and travel up to Vector's cluttered apartment room. Luckily, there is no one else around to see us in the hallway and I don't have any more need to feel embarrassed. Unfortunately, my humiliation is not over quite yet. When Vector enters the room, he strides right over to his desk and plops down on the chair behind it. Instead of setting me on the bed or somewhere decent, Vector sets me down right on his lap of all places!

"Vector!" I protest, giving him an incredulous look. "This is...this is..."

I can't find a word bad enough to describe sitting on Vector's lap and trail off wordlessly. Charmy giggles and points out, "I saw a couple on TV doing that the other day! The girl was sitting on the guy's lap."

"Well, Vector and I most certainly are _not _a couple!" I state firmly, trying to push Vector's arms away from me as I struggle to get free from him. Narrowing my eyes, I add to Charmy, "What TV show were you watching anyways?"

Vector ignores my attempts to get free of him and sends me a snarky smile as he dials Rouge's phone number into the phone. Charmy stammers for a moment before he grins sheepishly and says, "Sorry, can't tell you now. Vector's on the phone."

Oh dear. I'm surrounded by a hyperactive bee who knows just how to manipulate me and a large crocodile who insists on smothering me. What is this world coming to?

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_Hm...who thinks Vector is having a little too much fun taking care of Espio? xD Review please! :)  
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	20. Awkward Assumptions

**Chibi-Guest: Wow, really? That would be so awesome if you ended up liking all of my chapters! And aw, I really like having reviews to reply to. My readers are all so awesome. I love them all! Dunno what I'd do without them. Yay, did I make you smile then? :D Thanks for wishing me luck in school! Good luck to you too (I presume you're in school as well? ;P). Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Hehe, me too. He's so cute with Esp! Thanks for the review!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I'm totally with you on that! It would be fun to have Vector carry us around. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: I agree about Vector having way too much fun! xD It's funny because not even Esp seems to mind it all that much, lol. That's great that the doctor says you've improved! Are you completely better now or still recovering? And aw, of course we're friends! :D  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, be quiet, Esp! We know you are loving every moment of it! I'd love to have Vector carry me around too, hehe. Oh yeah, Vector definitely comes across as the "money is everything!" type of guy. Maybe he just happens to have a weak spot for a certain chameleon though. ;P Yes, I'm a meanie! 3 I'm so glad you're still liking the story. ^^  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, yeah, Vector certainly enjoyed carrying Espio around! xD Espio is such a liar. We know he likes Vector taking care of him! I had fun writing the part where they were staring at each other. I imagined Vector making lovey dovey eyes at Esp. xD I'm so glad you liked the chapter and happy Thanksgiving break to you too! Thank you so much for reading! :D  
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**Alicia: Nope...I still have college.  
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**LuluCalliope: Lol, yup, Vector is definitely having too much fun. And wow...you're right, your dad doesn't make any sense at all. Neither does mine or my mom for that matter. She was threatening me again today about getting sent away. Ugh. Yeah, I'm fine for now, thanks for wondering. I'm just hellishly busy at the moment and have so much to do for school and the college course. It can get super overwhelming, but whatever. I'm dealing with it okay. Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter XX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I'm trapped sitting on Vector's lap while Charmy flies around the apartment and explores it curiously. Unlike myself, this is the first time Charmy has ever visited Vector's apartment. I'm quite positive that Vector hasn't bothered cleaning since the last time I came here. There are empty sports drink bottles tossed carelessly in the corner of the room, a layer of dust upon all the wooden surfaces, and a new layer of grime on the carpet. If it gets any more filthy in here, someone is going to have to call an exterminator to get rid of all the muck!

Charmy, however, does not seem to care about the clutter in Vector's apartment room. Instead, he seems content to fly around and explore the new area. He hovers next to the nightstand by Vector's unmade bed and starts going through the pile of things on the nightstand. I see more empty bottles, candy wrappers, pizza crusts, and oh, what's that? I catch a glimpse of an image Charmy should most certainly _not _be looking at. A pile mound of magazines, most likely all of them filed with porn, are hidden underneath the mess.

"Charmy?" I whisper, trying not to distract Vector since he's on the phone. "Will you come over here for a moment?"

Charmy either chooses to ignore me or genuinely can't hear me. I'd like to think he doesn't come over because of the second option, although I'm not quite sure since Charmy did hesitate when he heard me calling his name. In the background, I hear Vector blabbing on the phone, "Hey Rouge. Yeah, this is Vector speakin'. We found yer jewel and we need to know how to get it to yeh."

I usually try not to bother anyone when they're on the telephone, but this is an emergency. Elbowing Vector in the ribs, I hiss, "Vector!"

"Huh? Uh, can ya hold on a sec, ma'am? Looks like Esp's got somethin' to tell me," Vector practically shouts into the phone, his voice too loud as always probably due to the fact that he never bothers to take off his headphones or turn down his music. Raising an eyebrow at me and holding the phone away from his big mouth, Vector asks, "Whassup, Esp?"

"Perhaps you'd like to keep your magazines in a _less obvious place_?" I emphasis, nodding indiscreetly in Charmy's direction. He's almost gotten through the pile of junk and is going to be scarred for life pretty soon here if Vector doesn't move those damn magazines!

"Say what?" Vector asks blankly before he looks over at Charmy. Finally comprehension crosses Vector's face and he immediately stands up and barrels across the room, dropping me to the floor in the process. Waving his arms in the air, Vector shouts, "Charmy! Get away from that stuff!"

Taken off guard, Charmy jerks backwards in surprise at Vector's sudden rage. In his hurry to cross the room, Vector trips over a sports drink bottle and lands face first on the ground with a loud smack. He groans loudly while Charmy giggles in the background. I feel slightly satisfied that Vector got a taste of his own medicine after dumping me on the floor only moments earlier.

"Geez, Vector! Why do you want me away from your stuff so badly? Is there something secretive over there?" Charmy asks, always looking for a way to put his detective skills to use.

"Argh," Vector moans as he tries to force himself to stand back up. The clumsy crocodile shoots Charmy a glare and says, "Can't yeh just sit still and stay outta trouble fer two seconds?!"

"Sure, Vector," Charmy replies, noticing that now is not a good time to press his luck with the hotheaded crocodile.

I can't help but smirk as Vector as he tramps across the room once more. He sends me a disgruntled look and asks in annoyance, "What?"

"Well, you did kind of deserve that for dumping me on the floor," I point out, my lip curling as I notice Charmy trying to sneak back to the nightstand to get a glimpse of whatever he's been forbidden to look at. I glare at him and call out, "Charmy!"

Seeing that he's been caught, Charmy's cheeks turn red and he hesitates in midair before pretending that he was going to go look out the window instead. I roll my eyes at him. Sometimes kids can be such pains! Hoping that Vector can hurry up and finish the phone call so we can get into a "safer" environment, I'm completely caught off guard and end up squeaking when I feel arms pick me up from behind and drag me up into the air before setting me down on tough scales. I'm back in Vector's lap.

"Vector!" I snap, pounding against his chest in irritation. "I'm fine now! Let me go!"

"Sorry, Esp, but I gotta make sure yer alright," Vector apologizes. "Just sit back and let ol' Vector take care of yeh."

Charmy looks away from the window and starts staring and Vector and me instead. Apparently, we're more interesting than whatever is outside the window. I grunt in annoyance and cross my arms over my chest, the look on my face one of severe displeasure as I listen absentmindedly for Vector to finish his call with Rouge.

"Alright then, ma'am. Yeah, I know where that is. Wait, are we _what_?" Vector exclaims into the phone, looking rather shocked before he chuckles and adds, "Noooo, we ain't have World War III over here. Espio just keeps screamin' at Charmy cuz he's gettin' into trouble and he's screaming at me cuz I'm makin' him sit on my lap. Er...it's kinda a long story."

Charmy giggles and whispers to me, "Does it really sound like we're starting a world war in here?"

Smacking my forehead with my palm, I shake my head and refuse to answer Charmy's question. If I wasn't so embarrassed and flushing bright red, I would have tried to make myself go invisible. Vector goes on, "Ya don't wanna hear the whole story? Yeah, okay, that's probably a good thing. We'll see ya in a few minutes, Rouge."

Vector finally hangs up the phone and I huff in annoyance, "Were we really being that loud?"

Vector shrugs as if he could care less and then points out, "Well, yeh we were sorta makin' a racket with ya tryin' to get my attention and screamin' at Charmy."

"What? You think this was my fault?" I reply, finding it ironic that Vector wants to blame the situation on me. "You are the one with inappropriate magazines just lying around for anyone to read!"

"Yeah, well, who gives a damn?" Vector shrugs carelessly.

"I do!" I shriek, bringing our argument to a peak as I stab a finger at Vector's chest and say, "I have a right to keep Charmy guarded from all this obscenity and we all have a reputation to hold up to now that we're working together as Team Chaotix!"

Vector and I glare at each other, both of us breathing heavily. Out hots breaths intermingle and our red cheeks flame passionately at the intensity of our disagreement. Suddenly, Vector's expression relaxes into something that looks more like an affectionate grimace. His lids close halfway and he stands up with me still tucked into the crook of his arm, pointing out serenely, "Yer real cute when ya argue with me, Esp. Make sure yeh argue a lot with the girl I set you up with."

"Vector! I. Am. Not. Seeing. Any. Girl!" I burst out in separate words to make my point very clear before I add, "Won't you set me down already? This is getting ridiculous."

"That was one of the weirdest arguments I've ever heard before," Charmy points out randomly as he flies to the apartment room door and pushes it open before saving me from Vector as he adds, "You really should put Espio down now. He's probably okay to walk again."

"Fine," Vector resigns, setting me down lightly on the ground. I brush myself off and start to take a step forwards when Vector suddenly grabs my hand a little too tightly and adds, "I'm gonna hold yer hand though just to make sure yeh don't fall over again."

"Oh, for god's sake..." I mutter under my breath as Vector starts towing me along down the hallway. Deciding to change the subject as we pile up in the elevator, I ask, "Where does Rouge want us to meet her?"

"Just by the waterfall in front of the mall again. She shoulda just said that last time. It would have saved us a phone call," Vector replies as we travel towards the apartment lobby.

"And a lot of embarrassment," I add under my breath, shooting Vector a long look from under my eyelids. Suddenly a thought occurs to me and I speak up, "Someone actually has the Chaos Emerald with him, right?"

"Uh huh! It's right here, boss," Charmy replies, lifting the shimmering blue gem into the air.

I sigh with relief. It would have figured that the three of us would have shown up to meet Rouge without the Chaos Emerald with us. If something can go wrong for Team Chaotix, it will most certainly go awry. Luckily, the three of us make our way out of the apartment and to the waterfall in front of the mall without any more major mishaps. It's shaped up to be a very nice day outside. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and a soft breeze wafts around us. Rouge is standing in front of the waterfall with her hip jutted out in a raunchy manner and a secretive smirk on her face. I notice her eying Vector's and my clasped hands. I try to yank my hand out of Vector's hand, but Vector just tightens his grip on it. Damn that crocodile.

"Hey there, Rouge!" Vector exclaims, eager at the prospect of getting some money. He grabs the gem out of Charmy's hand and practically throws it at Rouge, crying, "We found yer gem!"

Rouge catches it and smiles in satisfaction as she slowly turns the gem over in her palm. Nodding, she replies, "So you did. I have to admit I was a little hesitant to give your team a call, but it turns out that you did quite a good job at finding me my Chaos Emerald. I suppose I'd better pay up unless you would rather have that kiss I offered you?"

"We want the money," I state dryly before Vector can accept less than what we bargained for.

"Fine then," Rouge replies, tossing a check into the air and watching in amusement as Vector scrambles to catch it. Her eyes flick from me back over to Vector as she continues on, "It must be nice having a boyfriend who's so protective of you, hm?"

"Wha-?!" I start out, pulling myself up to my full height indignantly. "Vector and I are most certainly_ not _boyfriends!"

"Sure you're not," Rouge replies smoothly, a knowing look crossing her face as she adds, "Just like how I presume you weren't really sitting on Vector's lap earlier."

"Haha, very funny, ma'am," Vector laughs sort of uncomfortably before linking his arm through mine and forcibly dragging me away from Rouge before I can do something evil to her. "It was a pleasure doin' business with ya. If ya ever needs any more assistance, give Team Chaotix a call."

"Will do," Rouge replies before turning and sauntering off. "See you around town, boys."

As soon as Rouge disappears from sight, I burst out in an outrage, "How could that bat possibly think that we might be...I can't even say the word!"

"Oy, calm down, Esp! She just meant it as a joke, that's all," Vector says, poking my shoulder playfully. "Yeh take everythin' way too seriously."

"Vector's right, Espio," Charmy nods, his innocent little mind not understanding the situation. "After all, you couldn't be Vector's boyfriend because you're both guys. I think the bat lady has a few too many screws loose. Um, Espio? Can I have ten dollars? Please?"

I hesitate. I really need the money to pay the monthly rent and I also wanted to replace my glass bowl that Vector so carelessly broke just the other day. However, if I happen to have one weakness, that weak point is certainly Charmy. The way he's looking at me with big, pleading eyes and a hopeful smile is too much for me. I know I'm turning soft, but I already know that I'm going to have to at least give him a little bit of money. If I don't, I'll feel selfish all day long.

"Very well," I sigh to Charmy. "You may have ten dollars, but don't ask for any more."

"Yippee!" Charmy exclaims excitedly before flying to me and throwing his arms around my neck, causing me to wobble back and forth. In fact, I most likely would have fallen again if Vector had not been holding my hand. Charmy plants a smooch on my cheek and adds, "You're the best, Espio!"

Vector chuckles and snickers, "Guess yer glad I'm holdin' yer hand after all, huh?"

"Hmph," I reply, never going to admit that I don't really mind Vector holding my hand so much. It makes me feel cared for - a feeling that I've never had during my entire life. The thing I don't like about the hand holding is that it gives off a rather awkward, untrue vibe about the two of us. We are most certainly not a couple!

Charmy starts humming in a terribly off-key voice as he flies back to the house the two of us share. Vector and I trail after him at a slower pace, neither of us feeling the need to race back to the house like Charmy. By now, it's gotten a bit late and it's almost evening. I start planning out the rest of my night. I'll have to make dinner for Charmy, clean the floors, and then perhaps read a book before bed.

"Here we are!" Charmy exclaims, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the door. He flies down and tries the doorknob, but it won't budge. Rolling his eyes at me, he points out, "You locked the door again, Espio. I don't know why you bother locking the doors during the day. It's not like anyone ever steals around here."

Pulling out the key to the house from inside my glove - that's where I always keep the keys - I unlock the door and reply evenly, "It's always best to be cautious."

The door swings open and Charmy starts to fly inside before he stops and turns back to Vector. A sad expression crosses his face as he asks me, "Does this mean that Vector has to go now?"

I turn to look at Vector as well. To my surprise, the tough crocodile actually looks a bit sad. For once, I imagine myself in his shoes. He doesn't have any family to go home to or anything to look forwards to seeing in his dingy apartment room.

Not sure what's gotten into me or why I'm suddenly being nice to Vector, I ask, "Vector, how would you like to spend the evening with Charmy and myself? I was thinking about ordering a pizza."

"I LOVE PIZZA!" Charmy yells excitedly.

"Ya really mean it, Esp?" Vector asks, his brown eyes lighting up with shocked surprise. I nod, getting a warm feeling inside. Vector nods fervently and takes a step forwards, "I'd love to stay fer the evening!"

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_Ooo, Vector is staying for the evening! How do you think that will go? Review please! :)  
_


	21. Uncovering Hope

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, that's great that you liked the chapter so much! :) Hehe, Vector does treat Espio like a little child. It's so cute! That's awesome that your computer is almost fixed. ^^ Ooo, I used to be home-schooled! Do you enjoy it? And don't worry - you're not the only lazy one! *points to self* I need a lot of motivation to do my homework sometimes. xD  
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**Mormar1: Lol, I know that feeling. I get too lazy to log in sometimes too. xD That would be awesome if Espio let Vector stay for the night. ;P Thank you for reading!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction! You'll see what happens in this chapter. Hope you like it!  
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**zgirl16: Yay, I'm glad to hear that you're fully recovered! And aw, it really makes my day to hear that. :) I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  
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**ShadowChaotix: I know! Rouge should be a fortune teller or something. She could get rich that way. Hehe, yup, Vector is taking on the role of Esp's protector. And omg, I love angry Esp. So cute! Thank you for reading. :D  
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**Is2010: Wow, thanks for the great comments! I hope you make it through all twenty chapters, lol.  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I totally agree with you there! Omg, imagine what would happen to the house if Espio left Vector in charge for say a week or so! That was pretty funny when Rouge thought our two favorite reptiles were a couple! Espio sort of freaked out over the whole thing. :P I'm glad you're looking forwards to the next chapter! Here it is!  
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**Alicia: Ugh, that sounds stressful. Good luck!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I missed you! I'm so glad you're back! :D Aw, don't feel bad. I'm just so happy that you didn't stop reading. ^^ Yes, yes, yes! Please draw a picture of Vector and Espio! I am trying so hard to get people to draw me some Vecpio art since I can't draw to save my life, but most people I ask don't want to do it. x_x I agree, this will definitely be an interesting evening for the Chaotix Ooo, that's a great question! I would definitely try to get Vector and Espio together. I'm not much of a matchmaker, but I can see myself "accidentally" locking them in the closet together or sending them on missions together. Hehe, I could also sort of elbow Espio into Vector too. xD Close contact is always good. How about you? Would you play matchmaker? ;P  
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**Chapter XXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I'm not exactly sure why I invited Vector over for dinner. The situation most likely will turn out to be a disaster. However, for some reason, I can't quite seem to turn Vector away from my door. He looked so sad at the prospect of having to leave and go home to his cluttered apartment. Besides, today is a day that should be celebrated. As Team Chaotix, we completed our very first mission and it only feels right that we should all be together for a little celebration. I'm starting to warm up to Vector. He's still a big, slow-witted crocodile, but he's starting to become a good acquaintance of mine. Well, alright, I suppose I consider Vector a friend now despite the fact that he stole my pills and keeps getting me into embarrassing situations. At least his intentions are good.

"Come on in, Vector!" Charmy shouts, already in the living room. He descends to the couch and immediately grabs for his video game controller with eager hands. Vigorously waving Vector over to him, Charmy persists, "Come play my video game with me! You can help me out and tell me whenever the bad guys are near."

"Sure, kid," Vector replies, tramping through the house after Charmy with a big, toothy grin on his face.

Standing in the doorway, I watch the two of them with a small smile flirting around the corners of my mouth. It's nice for Charmy to have another friend. He seems to really look up to Vector and they do get along rather well. I'm not jealous of Vector anymore. Charmy still cares for me just as much as he did before. He's just opened up his heart to Vector as well.

I quietly shut the door before stepping into the living room to see Charmy's eyes already glued to the TV screen and Vector lounging on the sofa. I must be feeling sentimental tonight because I feel a small tear run to the corner of my eye. Ever since Bryce shattered my world, I've been extremely depressed. All my thoughts have been dark. Before Charmy, I considered killing myself. Bryce said I was worth nothing. I believed him.

Now though, things are different. I haven't had the time to focus on my own misery what with Team Chaotix keeping me occupied. Vector, even as annoying as he can be at times, has helped me out. Perhaps he's right about the pills. I may not need them anymore as long as I keep my mind on Team Chaotix. With time, I might even be able to make an almost complete recovery.

Feeling hopeful, I lean on the edge of the couch and ask in my usual even voice, "I'm going to order the pizza now. What toppings would you two like?"

"Pepperoni!" Charmy shrieks excitedly, his eyes never leaving the TV screen as robotic aliens charge at his player in the video game. "I love pepperoni!"

"Huh, good question. How 'bout meat lovers?" Vector asks after a moment's thought.

"Alright," I reply, still hanging over the edge of the sofa, enjoying the family-like environment of the three of us in the living room together. "I'll order a pizza with pepperoni on one half and meat lovers on the other. Is there anything else you two would like? We already have an unopened soda bottle in the fridge."

"Nah, we're good," Vector replies since Charmy is too preoccupied with his game to respond. His face falls and he suddenly points out, "Say, Esp, yeh didn't choose any of the pizza toppings!"

"I'm fine with meat lovers and pepperoni," I reply even though I would have preferred veggie lovers myself. I'm used to sacrificing things for other people. It's my nature.

"Aw, that's our Esp!" Vector states proudly, making me blush as he continues, "Espio's always so selfless and is lookin' out fer the rest of us!"

Blushing furiously at the compliment - I'm never so good at taking compliments - I retreat to the kitchen and dial the number to the local pizza place. I order the pizza Vector and Charmy have decided that they want and then I work on getting clean dishes out of the cabinet for us to eat on. After that, I pull the cold soda out of the fridge and pour the fizzy liquid into three glasses for Vector, Charmy, and myself. I don't usually let Charmy drink soda since it's not exactly healthy, but I suppose tonight is a night worth celebrating.

Once all the silverware and the drinks are laid out on the counter, I balance them in my arms and then step carefully into the living room. I don't mean to brag, but I am rather good at balancing things after all my work at the cafe. I set Charmy's soda and the plates down on the coffee table before handing Vector his glass and saying, "Here you go, Vector."

Vector takes his glass from me before he suddenly grabs my wrist and tugs me down onto the couch next to him. I fall into the cushions and give him a surprised look as Vector states, "Ya work too hard! Just sit down with us and enjoy yerself fer a bit, alright?"

My muscles ache and I find that I am rather sleepy. Tucking my legs neatly underneath me, I settle down on the sofa next to Vector. Vector surprises me by throwing a loose arm around my shoulders as he raises his soda glass to me in a toast, stating, "To Charmy and Espio!"

I clink my glass against Vector's and add, "To new friendships!"

Vector gives me a knowing look before he practically drains his soda in one gulp. In a way, I'm trying to apologize for being so cold with Vector when we first met. I had been far too narrow-minded and hadn't really given him a chance. It's surprising that Vector persisted a relationship between us when he easily could have walked away. I suppose I'm lucky to have him as part of our team.

Ding dong! The doorbell rings, signaling that the pizza is being delivered. I immediately start to get up, but Vector puts a firm hand on my wrist to keep me sitting down as he says, "I can handle the pizza delivery guy. You just stay here and relax."

"Thank you, Vector," I reply, glad to not have to get up and rush around any more. My eyelids are surprisingly heavy and I find that I'm already a bit sleepy.

I snuggle into the couch while listening to Vector blab to the delivery hedgehog at the door and Charmy shriek and cheer as his video game takes a turn for the worse and then for the better. Vector comes striding into the living room again a moment later. He plops the pizza box down on the coffee table and helps himself to a large slice of pizza. I take a small slice of pizza for myself and nibble along the edge of it. Charmy is too into his video game to take a break for dinner. Normally, I would have insisted on him eating with the rest of us, but I'm feeling lenient today.

"This sure hits the spot!" Vector states, rubbing his stomach. "I was staving!"

"You always say that," I point out wryly, still nibbling at my pizza. Vector glances over at me and then chuckles. Immediately worrying if something is wrong with me, I ask in a paranoid voice, "What?"

"It's just...well...ya kind of got pizza sauce all above yer upper lip. Want me to get it for ya?" Vector offers, obviously having a hard time trying not to laugh.

Thinking that I must look pretty ridiculous, I nod and hold still while Vector reaches forwards with a gloved fingertip. He very gently wipes the sauce off of my face, his finger almost caressing my upper lip. My eyes flick upwards at the touch and we lock gazes. I feel a jerk within me as I register the expression on Vector's face as almost..._intimate_.

"Whoopee! I just beat the next level! Can you believe it?" Charmy cheers, breaking up the awkward moment between Vector and myself. He tosses his video game controller into the air and then catches it again, before adding, "Now I'm on level ten! That's the hardest level there is. It's only for professionals. Want to hear about how I beat the level?"

"Sure, Charmy. You can tell us about the level while you eat your dinner," I press, knowing that Charmy will probably forget to eat in his excitement about the game.

"Okay!" Charmy replies, absentmindedly stuffing pizza into his mouth as he starts going on about his game a mile a minute. The next hour basically consists of me enjoying the atmosphere of the room, Charmy yammering constantly about his video game through his full mouth, and Vector devouring the rest of the pizza. By the time nothing but crumbs remain in the pizza box, it's gotten rather late. With a full stomach and a happy heart, I'm almost drifting off to sleep.

Turning to Charmy, I suppress a yawn and point out, "It's probably about time for you to go to bed. Say goodnight to Vector and then go brush your teeth."

"Aw man!" Charmy complains. He looks as if he's going to protest, but then ends up yawning. Realizing that he really is tired, Charmy throws himself at Vector and hugs the crocodile tightly, exclaiming, "I had so much fun with you today, Vector! You should stay over more often!"

"Yeah, we had a blast, didn't we?" Vector grins at Charmy, also looking content and relaxed.

Next, Charmy flies to me. He wraps his arms against my slender waist and presses his head to my chest, murmuring, "I love you, Espio. Goodnight!"

"I love you too, Charmy," I reply affectionately, holding the little bee close to me. These are the moments that help me decide that my life is worth living. Feeling another heart beating against mine and hearing words of true appreciation for me is what ultimately made me decide not to end my life.

Charmy finally releases me and then flies from the room. It takes me a moment before I realize that Vector and I are all alone now. The situation could be awkward, but it's not. Vector is leaning against the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. I could kick him out, but I don't feel like it. I surprise myself by thinking that I actually like Vector's company.

"You can turn on the TV if you'd like," I offer to Vector, tossing the remote over to him. Vector nearly misses catching it and then starts flicking through the TV channels. He settles on the sports channel, which is probably the most boring channel on the television according to me. At this rate, I'll be asleep within the next five minutes.

Just as I predicted, the speech of the commentators starts to lull me to sleep. My eyelids are half closed when Vector's voice suddenly jerks through my thoughts as he asks, "Are ya really against gay couples, Esp?"

"What?" I ask, opening one eye sleepily and giving Vector a nonplussed look. "Where is this coming from?"

"I dunno, it just seemed like you were sorta appalled at the idea earlier," Vector shrugs his shoulders. "I was just wonderin' if yer a homophobe."

"I...I honestly haven't thought about it much," I reply, my brain working too slowly at this time of night for me to come up with an answer to Vector's question. "I suppose I don't have a problem with it."

"Good. Neither do I," Vector states firmly. "I believe that love is love no matter what form it comes in, y'know?"

For some reason, it saddens me to hear Vector talk about love as if it's a simple matter. Love is anything _but _simple. I gave up trying to find love when Bryce broke my spirit and my body. Giving Vector a sad sort of smile, I ask, "But what is love, Vector?"

Vector thinks for a moment and then shrugs his shoulders, replying, "Ya think too much, Esp. All I know is that when ya find love, you'll know it. Being in love is the best feelin' in the world. You want to spend all yer time with the person yer in love with and ya want to be with them constantly. Know what I mean?"

Shaking my head, I murmur, "Unfortunately, I don't know."

My mind reels and I remember how Bryce claimed to have loved me on a few rare occasions. On those rare nights, he would lay by my side and caress and stroke my body, not treating me like his whore, but like an actual being with thoughts and feelings. Bryce would lean over and kiss my cheek and then my lips as I would lay frozen underneath him, unsure what kind of mood he might be in. Looking down into my eyes, Bryce would say, "God, Esp, you bring out the best and the worst in me, you know that? I really do love you though. I do all of this because I love you. You understand that, right?"

Did I understand? No, not really. However, I would lie still and nod, glad not to be beaten or brutally raped. But then the affectionate moment would pass and Bryce's lips would skim down my chest, across my abdomen, and then to places that I will never allow anyone to go again. Then I would wonder if my cousin really did care about me or if he really just cared about the sex.

Thunk! During my reverie, I practically fell asleep and now find myself leaning up against Vector's side with my eyes closed. Before I can fall asleep, I jerk myself upright and whisper, "Vector?"

The living room is now dark and Vector looks over at me, saying, "I guess I should go now, huh? It's gotten late. Well, thanks fer havin' me, Esp. I'll talk to ya tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright," I reply. I had honestly been considering letting Vector stay the night, but he's already at the door. Glancing over at him with glassy eyes, I murmur, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Take care of yerself," Vector calls before letting the door to my house fall shut behind him.

I make one important realization before I drift off to sleep; Bryce never really cared about me, but Vector does.

* * *

_Aw, Vector cares. xD Do you think he realizes just how much he likes Espio? Review please! :)  
_


	22. Lucky Day

**Mormar1: Wow, really? I'm flattered! :D Unfortunately, it seems like Vector still doesn't realize he loves Esp yet. You'll see why in this chapter! Hope you like it. :)  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Hehe, we all have a fangirl side! I have a huge fangirl side. xD I'm so glad you're still liking this story!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, Vector is just a big sweetie who likes to pretend to be a tough guy, but we know better. xD Haha, I think we both know why Vector asked about gay couples. I don't think Espio picked up on that though. I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! And yay, today is Friday! Do you think you might be less busy today? I hope you update soon...I'm dying to know what happens to Esp after he falls down the stairs!  
**

**LuluCalliope: It's okay! We all forget sometimes. And aw, we both understand. My internet connection went out earlier and I was so mad. What was the fight about? Are you okay? =/ I hope you had an alright Thanksgiving despite the fight! Thanks for reading. ^^  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, your review totally made my morning! I am so glad that you liked it so much! Have you seen that deleted scene from Sonic X where Espio gets all emotional? I think he has an emotional side even though he tries not to show it. I always think of the Chaotix as a family and a team. I must be weird. xD Oh yeah, Vector has totally fallen for the little ninja! Now he just has to realize it, which might take a while since Vector is kind of slow. ;P Thank you so much for such an awesome review!  
**

**Alicia: Thanks! I definitely need all the help I can get right now.  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Thanks! I love the bond between Charmy and Espio. They're so cute! And true, you can't really blame Espio for not knowing what love is though after everything he's been through. Poor guy. Ooo, you sound like a good matchmaker! Good job setting up your friends. xD Aw, I'm sorry you haven't found someone for yourself. I'm still looking too. Nobody likes me, haha. That's a tough question! xD Let's see...when I think of Vecpio, I think of the Team Chaotix theme song and Live & Learn. I think Coma White sort of describes Vector's thoughts towards Espio after some things happen to Espio later in this fic, but Sonic and Marilyn Manson don't seem to mix that well, lol. And omg! So you're starting to like Vecpio? *parties* Thanks for the review! I love your reviews! I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I'm walkin' back towards my apartment room with high hopes fer Team Chaotix. Espio finally seems to be warming up to me just a bit. Who would've thought that he would actually invite me to stay over for a pizza dinner with him and Charmy? Definitely not me. In fact, I'm so happy about the situation that I don't even mind the fact that I didn't get any dough from our last mission. 'Course, once the time to pay the rent comes around, then I'll probably not feel so great. For now though, I'm just glad to see my little buddy cheering up. He doesn't even seem all that upset that I tossed his pills out the window. That's good since there's no way I'm gonna give them back to him. Esp's a tough little guy. He doesn't need pills. Those damn things just screw with yer head if ya ask me.

My stride is slow and I have my head tilted back so I can enjoy the fresh air. It might seem late cuz it's really dark outside, but it can't be past nine pm. Espio is probably just used to goin' to bed early because of Charmy. Now that I think about it, Espio seems quite protective of Charmy. It's like he's Charmy's natural born mother...er, father?

Suddenly, my eyes latch onto a figure running towards me like the devil himself is after him. Curious, I come to a halt and squint my eyes. The figure is slim, fast, and blue. That's gotta be none other than Sonic. Whaddya bet that he's runnin' from that girlfriend of his again?

"Yo! Sonic!" I call out, raising a hand in greeting as the royal blue hedgehog comes barreling towards me.

I dunno how he does it, but somehow or the other, Sonic manages to come to a halt right in front of me at the very last moment. He waves back to me and says in a cheerful voice, "Hey Vector. How are you? It's a nice night for a run, don't you think?"

"I guess so. Say, you don't happen to be runnin' from Amy Rose, are ya?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as a plan suddenly takes form in my head. Sonic gives me a rueful smile and nods, wiping sweat off of his forehead. Getting a devious look in my eyes, I glance right and left to make sure nobody is listening in on our conversation before I lean down to Sonic's level and whisper in his ear, "Say, I kinda need some help with somethin'. I need to find Espio a girlfriend and I was thinkin' about setting him up with Amy."

"_Espio _and Amy?" Sonic exclaims, looking shocked at the suggestion. "Espio is that little purple chameleon who used to work at the cafe, right?"

I nod, not really likin' the way Sonic says Espio's name. The way he emphasizes it makes it sound as if there's something wrong with Espio. For some unknown reason, I feel myself getting all defensive of the chameleon as I say, "Yeah. Why? Is there something wrong with him?"

"No," Sonic points out immediately. "I just never thought of him and Amy as a couple before. Espio is probably her opposite. He seems very quiet, reserved, and maybe a bit arrogant."

"Espio ain't arrogant," I reply firmly. "He just likes to keep his pride up, that's all. Can't blame him fer that. Would ya mind givin' me Amy's number? Maybe this will help keep her off yer back for a day."

"Well, it's definitely worth a try," Sonic shrugs. He pulls out a piece of paper from underneath his glove and hands it to me. I take the wrinkled piece of paper from him and unfold it. A phone number is written on it with curly numbers. Sonic shudders and says, "She throws her phone number at me every time I see her! I've got to run now. Good luck!"

"See ya, Sonic," I wave as Sonic's blue form becomes a blur in the distance.

I dunno if Amy Rose is gonna be Espio's soul mate, but besides for bein' a little overenthusiastic at times, she seems nice enough. Who knows? She could be Espio's type. Besides, they're both the same color and they're both really skinny. As far as looks go, they're pretty darn perfect for each other.

Determined to give Amy a phone call when I get home and try to set her up with Espio, I tromp along down the sidewalk a little faster. My steps soon come to another suddenly halt as I take in a beautiful figure swaying along slightly in the moonlight. It's Miss Vanilla of all people! Can my day get any more lucky? I don't think so. Composing myself as quickly as I can, I bright myself up to my full height, adjust the chain around my neck, and...

"Why, hello there, Vector," Miss Vanilla's soft voice floats to my ears like a lilting melody.

I immediately stab the pause button on my music player so I can hear and blush bright red, replying, "Hello, ma'am! Beautiful night, ain't it? Yer eyes twinkle like the stars."

"Thank you," Miss Vanilla replies, giving a little giggle at my comment. For the first time, I notice that the smile she's giving me could possibly be registered as flirtatious. Then again, I'm probably just thinkin' this whole thing through too much. Miss Vanilla goes on, "I was just heading home for the night. Where are you going, Vector, dear?"

"Same place," I reply, before realizing that my words came out wrong. "Er, I mean I'm goin' back to my apartment. I just left Espio's house a few minutes ago. Um, ma'am? Can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Of course you can, dear," Miss Vanilla replies without a moment of hesitation. "What would you like to ask me?"

I'm not sure why, but fer some reason, I can sense luck in the air tonight and I just feel like now is as good of a time as any to ask Miss Vanilla out. Taking a deep breath, I ask all in a rush, "I was wonderin' if you'd like to go to the movies with me tomorrow. Y'know, we could have a nice time there and go out ta dinner afterwards."

At my words, Miss Vanilla looks shocked. Crap, I musta just blown it. Dammit, Vector, you can't push yer luck too hard. It would have been better if I had just kept my big mouth shut. I search around for something else to say to cover up for my mistake, but my mind has been wiped blank of all thought.

Suddenly, Miss Vanilla's lips curve up into a smile and she says, "I'd love to go with you to the movies and to dinner! What time should I meet you at the movie theater?"

"You...actually wanna go?" I ask, my eye lighting up. Never in a million years would I have expected Miss Vanilla to say yes! I must be livin' in some kind of dream because she gives me one of those heartwarming smiles and nods. Grinning, I shrug my shoulders, not really caring what time we meet so long as we get to spend some time together. "I dunno, how about two in the afternoon?"

"That sounds lovely," Miss Vanilla says, looking just as happy as I feel. "Well, I'd best get home to Cream now, but I will certainly see you tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for the invitation!"

"Don't mention it!" I exclaim a little too loudly as I wave to Miss Vanilla as she disappears in the distance.

As soon as the gorgeous cream-colored rabbit is out of view, I grin and crank up the volume on my music again before racing towards home. Things really seem to be goin' my way right now. Team Chaotix's first mission is complete, Espio seems to finally be accepting me, I have Amy's phone number, and Miss Vanilla just said she'd go on a date with me! I suppose it only makes sense that she should accept my invitation. After all, I remember the love website I was on the other day. It said that Miss Vanilla and I would be kissin' within the month!

I burst through the door to my apartment building and waste no time pounding up the stairs to my apartment room. Once there, I throw the door open and barrel inside, pushing the door shut behind me with the tip of my tail. Figurin' that I should give Amy a call before it gets too late, I plop down on my wooden chair and stab Amy's phone digits into the phone. The phone starts ringing and I sit back in my chair and wait, hopin' that Amy is around and picks up her phone.

"Hello?" a tired voice finally answers from the other line. "Who is this?"

"Hey Amy," I say, trying to sound cheerful although I don't really like Amy all that much. 'Course, I'm not doing this for myself though. This is for Espio. Going on, I add, "This is Vector."

"Vector?" Amy asks, blankly. "I don't know any 'Vectors'."

Damn, I guess Amy really doesn't know who I am. Either that or she's too tired to think straight. Frowning, I press, "Yeh know me. Remember? Vector the crocodile?"

"Oh, right," Amy replies in a flat voice, finally having matched my face to my name. She doesn't sound too excited to talk to me, that's fer sure. Going on, she says, "Yeah, I know you. What do you want? It's late to be calling a girl. I need my beauty sleep."

I make a face at no one in particular and am glad that Amy can't see me right now. Trying to keep up my politeness, I explain, "It's about my friend, Espio. I'm goin' on a date with someone tomorrow and I want Espio to come along too. I don't want him to feel too left out, y'know? Anyways, I need to find someone to go to the movies with Espio. Will ya come along?"

"Like you want me to go as his date?" Amy sounds hesitant.

Yeah, that's exactly what I want her to do. 'Course, I can't tell her that though. The girl's too stuck on Sonic to want to go on a date with anyone else. Lying, I reply, "Nah, not like that. You'd just go with Espio as his friend so he doesn't feel lonely. The poor guy hasn't got many friends."

"That_ is _kind of sad," Amy replies, the good of her heart getting the better of her. "Well, alright then. I'll meet your friend at the movies. What time should I meet him there?"

"Two in the afternoon," I say, letting out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I didn't think Amy was gonna agree to any of this. After a moment's pause, I add, "Thanks, Amy."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for him. It must be hard not to have any friends. Anyways, it's late and I need to go. Goodnight," Amy replies in her high-pitched voice before I hear the phone on her end hang up.

Rolling my eyes, I hang up my own phone. Amy is a little brat, but hopefully Espio will like her. The only problem is that I don't really know what Espio's taste in girls is. In fact, Espio doesn't really seem to have any taste in girls. I never catch him lookin' at them or showin' them any interest. It's kinda weird for someone his age. He should have a stack of porn under his pillow like must guys! Oh well. Amy should get Espio interested in girls again. I have no fear that Amy will like Espio. What's not to like about Espio with his secretive ninja ways? Besides, for a guy, he's not bad looking at all with his slender body, soft curves, and bright amber eyes. If I was a girl, I'd find him pretty damn sexy. Of course, I ain't a girl and why I'm thinkin' this way is something I dunno. It's time fer me to get to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow with Miss Vanilla and I need to get my sleep so I can be the most charming croc I can be tomorrow!

The next day, I wake up at noon. Guess I got what Amy would call "my beauty sleep". Rolling out of bed in a tangle of sheets, I trip and land on the floor. What a great start to my morning. Cussing under my breath and ignoring the neighbor who lives in the apartment room underneath mine who decides to smack the ceiling with his broom to get me to be quiet, I cross the room to my phone and figure I'd better give Esp a call and let him know of our plans for today.

By this time, I don't even need to look up Espio's phone number. I have it memorized. Yawning widely and spraying morning breath everywhere, I absentmindedly dial Espio's phone number and then lean my elbow sleepily on the desk as I wait for him to reply.

"Hiya! This is Charmy speaking!" a hyper voice sounds from the other side of the phone.

"Oh, hey Charm," I reply to the little bee, not really wanting to speak to him right now. "Can ya get Esp on the line fer me?"

"Vector!" Charmy exclaims loudly, practically deafening me with his delight. "Yeah, sure. I'll go get him. ESPIO, THE PHONE IS FOR YOU!"

If I wasn't deaf earlier, I'm certainly deaf now. I practically fling the phone away from my ears and massage them tenderly. It looks like someone needs to teach Charmy some phone etiquette! I'm still rubbing my ears a few minutes later when a cautious voice says, "Hello?"

"Hey Esp, this is Vector," I tell Espio as the ringing inside my ears finally starts to die down. "We, uh, have a new mission. I need ya to meet me outside the movie theater at two pm. Just you though. Don't bring the kid."

"Did you just say the movie theater?" Espio echoes dubiously, already suspecting that I'm up to no good. "That seems like a very odd place for us to meet."

"Don't ya worry. You'll like this new mission. I'll meet ya at the theater," I add, starting to hang up before Espio can protest. As a last minute thought, I add, "Ya might want to wash up before ya meet me at the theater. I'll tell yeh why later."

With that said, I set the phone down and send myself a toothy smile. Espio is definitely gonna be in fer a big surprise when he shows up at the theater!

* * *

_Uh oh! Vector decided to play matchmaker after all. How do you think the double date will go? Review please! :)  
_


	23. Date Disaster

**Mormar1: Haha, I agree with you there. Vector is definitely going to have to try again. Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: Oh my, I'm so sorry that your Thanksgiving turned out to be so awful! That's very sad about your dog. We had to put our cat down because she had kidney failure. She was only six. :'( And I'm sorry you're sick again! Is it worse than before? =/ I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for liking the chapter!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I totally agree. Vector needs a long lesson on manners! Hope you like this chapter. :)  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, you're back! I missed you! I'm so happy to hear you liked both the chapters. That really makes my day! I don't have a Wii U either. Do you think you'll ask for one for Christmas? Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Lol, yes, Espio would definitely kill Vector if he heard about his thoughts on porn! xD Vector is such a bad influence on everyone. You'll find out more about the date in this chapter! And oh yes, Vector's logic always makes so much sense. *sarcasm* Your chapter was so good although I still dunno if Espio is okay or not after the tumble down the stairs. Omg, you need to stop saying that! I LOVE the charms! They are amazing! *huggles*  
**

**LuluCalliope: Hehe, Vector's logic is pretty screwed up, isn't it? Espio and Amy is a disaster waiting to happen! And aw, I'm sure it wasn't your fault! *hugs* Thanks for reading. ^^  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I agree with you! This is definitely not going in a good direction. Vector should never play matchmaker. Just think of what he did to Tails and Cosmo! What is he thinking? Well, I think he's thinking that Espio and Amy color coordinate, lol. ;P Hope you like this chapter! :D  
**

**Alicia: Thanks! *hugs* You're so nice. ^^  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I have a bad feeling about it too. xD Amy likes Sonic and only Sonic. You should try and get a job as a matchmaker! I bet you could make a lot of money doing that. It's really fun when the matchmaking works, don't you think? Yay, I'm so happy I'm turning you into a Vecpio fan! *starts celebrating* Oh, I didn't realize that you live in Canada. My Thanksgiving was really boring, but thanks for asking. To be honest, I ended up having Vector hook Espio up with Amy because she's the only Sonic girl I really know enough to write about besides for Rouge and I REALLY can't see her and Espio together. I actually had some fun writing their interactions because I think that Esp and Amy could be friends although never more than that. There are some Espio pairings I really hate though...mostly anything besides Vecpio, haha. Thanks for the review! :3  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio is probably wonderin' what the hell is going on, but if I tell him that I've set him up with a girl, I know he'll refuse to meet me at the theater. Sometimes surprises can be a good thing. In this case, it's certain a damn good thing.

I decide that now is probably a good time to get myself ready for the date. After all, I only have two hours until I'll be meetin' Miss Vanilla at the movies! I have to look my absolute best for her. With this thought in mind, I hurry into the bathroom and practically trip over a bar of soap lyin' around on the floor in my haste. I manage to save myself from the fall and kick the bar of soap out of my way in annoyance before I stomp into the shower and turn the water on. For once, I don't have my headphones on and entertain myself by singin' in the shower.

After a quick but thorough wash, I stumble back out of the shower and dry off with a towel that doesn't look like it's been through the wash anytime recent. Ignoring that, I grab my toothbrush and brush my teeth until they're sparkling clean. Then I place my heavy golden chain over my neck and gargle with some mouthwash so I can have nice, minty fresh breath fer Miss Vanilla.

I'm as handsome of a croc as I can be by one pm and have an entire hour to burn. Sittin' around has never been my thing. I get up and pace around the room in anticipation. Even loud, headbanging music can't calm my nerves. At thirty minutes after one, I decide to head to the theater early. It never hurts to be early.

Kicking the door to my apartment room open, I hurry down the hallway and enter the elevator. I recognize my grouchy hedgehog neighbor in the corner of the elevator, but don't bother paying any attention to him. My mind is solely focused on Miss Vanilla. It's great that I've got her to go on this date with me, but now I'm gonna have to work on something even harder. I'm gonna have to keep her attention all throughout the date and make sure she has a good time so that she might want to go on another date with me. Geez, this courting business is hard work!

I absentmindedly exit the elevator and then stride outside onto the sidewalk. I'm paying no attention to where I'm going and almost step out onto the street in front of a car. Luckily, I notice it just in time and jump backwards before I can become a pancake. Chastising myself fer such a stupid mistake, I force myself to put Miss Vanilla to the back of my mind and focus on the road instead.

I reach the movie theater a few minutes later but am not the first one there. Amy is already standing outside of the large brown building shifting from foot to foot as she twirls a strand of bright pink hair around her finger. She looks kinda bored and antsy.

"Hey Amy," I greet the pink hedgehog, hoping that Espio will get here soon so I won't have to entertain his girl for too long. "How's it goin'? Yer here pretty early."

"I know. I was bored. Sonic left to do something important this morning, so I don't really have anything better to do," Amy shrugs her shoulders before sighing gloomily. "I wish he would tell me more about what he does during the day. It's almost as if he doesn't want me around!"

I keep my big mouth shut since it's common knowledge that Sonic does everything possible to avoid Amy. The only one who seems oblivious to this fact is Amy herself. Despite the fact that I don't really like this girly hedgehog all that much, I do feel kinda bad fer her. One-sided love can be really difficult.

The two of us lapse into silence. I'm not real good at holding conversations. I speak when I have somethin' to say. Otherwise, I keep quiet. Thankfully, I don't have to wait too long for another member of our party to arrive. Miss Vanilla sweeps into the clearing just a few minutes later. She looks drop dead gorgeous in her dress with the long skirt and her big brown eyes sparkling excitedly.

"Good afternoon, ma'am!" I exclaim, taking the initiative and rushing over to her side. Deciding to play the part of a gentleman, I lean forwards and kiss her hand very gently.

Giggling quietly, Miss Vanilla says, "Hello, Vector. I've been looking forwards to this date. Is Miss Amy joining our group...?"

I immediately smack my forehead with my palm. To Miss Vanilla, it probably looks like I invited two woman to the movies with me! I'm surprised she even bothered to show up after catchin' sight of Amy! Before she can get the wrong idea, I quickly interject, "Yeah, but she's not with me. She's goin' with Esp. I thought we'd have a double date, y'know?"

"That sounds delightful," Miss Vanilla replies, her body relaxing slightly at my reassurance.

"Hey!" Amy frowns, turning and pointing an accusatory finger at me. "I think you said that this _wasn't _a date!"

Oops. I open and close my mouth wordlessly, not sure how to save myself from this situation. Fortunately, Espio chooses this exact moment to arrive, unknowingly saving me from Amy's wrath. I quickly step forwards and exclaim, "There ya are, Esp! I thought yeh were never gonna show up!"

"I'm right on time," Espio points out quizzically as he sends a perplexed stare at the group around him. Raising an eyebrow, he asks, "What's going on, Vector?"

Instead of payin' attention to Espio's words, I find myself lookin' at the way the fuchsia chameleon's scales glisten in the sun. He must have taken my advice and washed up real good before coming here. There's not a speck of dirt on his slender figure and the sunlight seems to radiate off of his shiny scales, causing him to appear as if he's surrounded by a glow of bright light. A clean, exotic scent wafts to my nose as I stand close to Espio. Is this his natural scent? He smells kinda...well..._good_.

"Vector?" Espio presses, shifting uncomfortably before me.

"Er, we're all goin' to the movies, Esp!" I explain, pointing to the group around me. I push him in Amy's direction and emphasize, "You and Amy and Miss Vanilla and me are all goin' together. Come on everyone! We might as well go inside and choose what movie we wanna see."

There's a murmur of agreement throughout our group as we turn and start towards the door of the movie theater. Forced to walk by Amy's side just to appear polite, Espio sends me a murderous glare the moment she's not paying attention. I gulp and give him a sheepish grin in return. Esp will see that this is fer his own good soon enough.

As we approach the doors to the movie theater, I race forwards and quickly open the door for Miss Vanilla. She gives me a grateful smile and says, "Why thank you, Vector. How very kind of you!"

"No problem. It's the least I can do for ya," I tell Miss Vanilla, trying to keep my blush to a minimum as she steps through the door.

I continue holdin' the door open as Amy enters the movie theater along with Espio. It's a darn good thing that the saying "looks can kill" ain't true because otherwise I'd be dead right now from the vicious stare Espio is sending me. Suddenly, with ninja fast reflexes, his foot lashes out and he kicks my ankle hard. Nobody else notices, so I'm forced to bite my tongue to keep my yelp of pain to myself. Espio may have tiny, stick-like legs, but he sure can kick hard!

Narrowing my eyes into slits, I immediately start thinking of a way to get revenge. I guess Espio has a reason to be mad since I did sort of lie to him about why we were meeting at the theater. Still though, that doesn't give him any right to kick me! That little brat is gonna get it now...

Doing the only thing I can think of doing, I grab the curl of his tail and yank on it a little harder than I should have. Espio practically jumps a mile into the air and stumbles into Amy as he whips his head around, a truly frightened look in his amber eyes. I instantly feel bad for what I did. Yeah, Esp might have deserved it, but I didn't need to scare him half to death. The petrified chameleon's eyes roam wildly from side to side. It's almost as if he expected me to do something to his tail. What though?

"Whoa!" Amy exclaims when Espio stumbles into her.

"I'm so sorry," Espio immediately apologizes, his cheeks blushing light pink. "I'm not normally this clumsy."

"It's alright," Amy immediately replies in a happy-go-lucky voice. "We all make mistakes sometimes. We wouldn't be human if we didn't!"

Espio sends her a sort of awkward smile, but I notice he's gotten all rigid and uptight. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to drag Espio along on this double date with me after all. Trying not to let myself feel too guilty, I glance up at the list of movies and times they're playing at on the wall opposite us. It looks like there's a nature documentary, a sci-fi movie, and a chick flick playing.

"The documentary sounds interesting," Espio points out quietly.

"A documentary?" Amy repeats, looking disappointed. "I was kind of hoping to watch the chick flick..."

"I tend to like a light movie with a bit of romance in it myself," Miss Vanilla chimes in, ultimately deciding what movie we're going to watch.

"Alright then, guess we'll be seeing 'Summer Love'," I reply, trying to sound enthusiastic as the four of us go to purchase our tickets. After we each receive one, I notice a vending machine. My stomach immediately growls. I ate some power bars only an hour ago, but I'm already starving. Looking hopeful, I ask, "Anyone wanna get some snacks? I'm famished."

Nobody replies. Guess nobody is hungry but me. Go figure. At the last minute, Miss Vanilla says, "Well, I just ate a late lunch, but you go ahead and buy some snacks, dear."

"Alright!" I say enthusiastically, not needin' any more encouragement to buy snacks. I notice Espio roll his eyes as I go over to the vending machine. I start buying every snack that looks good to me from cookies in a little package to chips to gummy worms. I spend all of my money except for a dollar that I'm planning to use on a soda in an adjacent vending machine.

"Vector?" Espio asks in his even voice. "Could you buy me a soda? I'm a bit thirsty."

"Er, I guess. I only have money left fer one soda though," I point out sadly, supposing that I can suppress my thirst until dinner and let Espio have the soda. I still haven't forgiven him for kicking me earlier, but I probably do owe him one after almost giving him a heart attack earlier when I pulled on his tail.

I reluctantly pop my dollar into the bright red machine and then hand Espio his soda. Espio gives me a knowing look and asks, "Are you thirsty?"

"Well, not right now, but after eatin' all these snacks I will be," I mutter in a crabby voice before I immediately change my demeanor and turn towards Miss Vanilla, taking her hand gently as I say, "Right this way, ma'am. I've been to theater nine before and know exactly where to go."

"You're such a gentleman, Vector! I couldn't ask for a better host," Miss Vanilla replies, causing me to feel warm and tingly all over.

The four of us enter the movie theater and find that it's practically empty. We sit near the front of the theater so we can have the best view. Miss Vanilla sits on my right and Espio sits on my left. I plop down in my seat and sneak a look at Miss Vanilla. She has her hands folded neatly in her lap and is watching the movie screen since the previews have already started. Not wantin' to annoy her, I glance over to my left to see how Espio and Amy are gettin' along.

It doesn't look like they're getting along too well by the looks of things. Espio is sitting on the right side of his chair, practically squished up next to mine. In fact, his thigh is almost brushing against my leg. I notice he's trembling every so slightly and his eyes look far away as if he's not really here in the movie theater, but in a distant world. Y'know, trying to hook him up with Amy really might _not _have been the best idea. I guess there's still time, but I think this whole date thing is doin' Esp more harm than good.

Deciding not to worry about the little chameleon next to me, I rip open my bag of cookies and start crunching on them as the movie starts. It turns out to be one of those stupid movies that only women can enjoy. I've lost interest in it within the first five minutes. Miss Vanilla is smiling and appears to be enjoying it, which is great, but I'm bored to death. I would've liked to see the sci-fi movie, but I'm with Espio on the fact that even the documentary would have been more interesting than this crap. Speaking of Espio, how's he doing now?

I glance over at the chameleon perched next to me. Espio is still sitting up rigidly in his chair, but his eyes have lost the faraway look in them. He delicately sips at his soda and I notice that he has his tail wrapped around himself. I can't help but stare at his soda longingly. My throat has been coated with salt and I really need a drink.

Espio must have noticed me staring at him because he flicks his vigilant eyes over in my direction a moment later. He leans over and whispers in my ear, "If you're really so thirsty, I suppose we can share the soda."

Another shiver runs down my spine as I feel Espio's warm breath next to my ear. I eagerly grab the soda from him and take a large gulp from it. Absentmindedly, I put my hand on the armrest of my chair. I forget that the armrest to my left is actually Espio's armrest to his right since our chairs share the same armrest. Espio's hand is already there and I accidentally end up placing mine right on top of his. Espio glances up at me in surprise and tilts his head at me.

"Sorry," I mouth, quickly tossing the soda bottle back at Espio.

He catches it easily and mouths back, "For what?"

"For accidentally grabbin' yer hand," I reply, letting Espio know that I'm not regretting this date quite yet. Espio stiffens again and frowns. I poke his shoulder gently and mouth, "You can't tell me ya aren't enjoyin' this at all!"

"I'm not," Espio mouths back dryly before he fixes his polite stare back on the movie screen.

I sigh, realizing that this date isn't all I thought it would be. Espio clearly hates being here and I surprise myself by realizing that I'm not havin' that much fun either. Instead of paying attention to Miss Vanilla, I'm busy worryin' about Esp instead. All I can do is hope that dinner will go better.

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_Well, it doesn't look as if anyone's having a very good time at the movies except maybe Amy and Vanilla. Do you think dinner will go any better? Review please! :)  
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	24. Dinner Drama

**Mormar1: Don't worry, Esp isn't too hurt. He's just a little mad at Vector. :P Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: Haha, I don't think dinner will go better either! xD Six is pretty young, I agree. I'm glad your dog had a long life. Well, my cat was a Himalayan Persian and apparently kidney failure is common in that breed. It was very sad though. :( Omg! That's a very high fever! Are the meds working? I hope you feel better REALLY soon! My Thanksgiving was okay. Nothing special really. I just stayed home, did some writing, and worked on a project for school.  
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**Saints-Fan-12: You'll see if dinner goes well or not in this chapter! Let's keep our fingers crossed. xD Thanks for the review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Me too! We'll see if dinner goes okay or not in this chapter. ;P Yay, I'm so happy that your computer is fixed! That's annoying that your parents are using it right now though. =/ Do you have any idea when you might get it back? And aw, I'm sorry! You deserve one! It is a lot colder outside. I'm freezing right now. Are you staying warm alright? I think I need to hide under some blankets. xD Thank you for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Thanks! It wasn't as good as your chapter though. Yours was so awesome that I reread it. xD Yeah, poor Esp with the tail yanking. Vector does all the wrong things. *rolls eyes* And yeah! Vector is paying all his attention to Espio and not Vanilla. What a great host he is! *sarcasm* Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're feeling better, btw! I'm feeling sick now too! =/  
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**LuluCalliope: Are you sure? I looked it up and google told me she was a hedgehog, so now I dunno. xD And lol, yup, Vector can be a gentleman at times if he wants to put some effort into it. Usually he's just a grouch though. ;P Amy would be so happy if Sonic was at the movies with her. I don't think she's being too rude to Esp. At least, not as rude as Vector is being. xD Thank you for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, yeah, that was funny when Esp kicked Vector! He totally deserved it! Vector pulling Espio's tail was kind of mean though. I agree, chick flicks are the worst! I get so bored during them and end up thinking of other things instead. Good prediction about Vector thinking about Esp all during dinner! I hope you like this chapter! :)  
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**Alicia: Nope, not really...  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I can picture Espio being extremely uncomfortable at the movies. It's probably one of the last places he would go by choice. :P Thanks! I can picture them sharing a straw or something. That would be cute! Lol, it's okay if you run out of questions. xD I hope you keep reading though. ^^ I think what I like most about Vecpio is the fact that Esp and Vector are such opposites. You know how they say opposites attract? I think it's true! There are also a lot of different ways to write them. Like in this fic, I'll have Esp in charge of their relationship, but you could also write it vice versa. It's fun that way. :3 Thanks for the great review!  
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**Chapter XXIV  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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The best parts of goin' to the movies are the snacks. The pretzels are nice and salty, the cookies are crunchy and sweet, and the gummy worms are chewy and sugary. If it weren't for my snacks, I probably would have fallen asleep during the movie. All that's happened in the movie so far is a lot of gossip. Girl hedgehogs meet at each other's homes and blab on and on about the guys they like. Nobody actually seems to be doin' anything about it. What's the point of a boring movie like this? I dunno what chicks see in this kind of thing.

Espio, however, is having an even worse time than me. He keeps sending nervous glances over to his left where Amy is sitting next to him. A knot of guilt forms at the pit of my stomach. Alright, so I'll admit that maybe I screwed up when I decided to set my buddy up on a date. I really hope that Espio loosens up during dinner so that he can at least summon up the nerve to talk to Amy!

I'm definitely lookin' forwards to dinner. The sooner this movie is over, the better. I've finished my snacks and am so bored by the movie that I find myself glancing over at Espio again. His long tail is curled around his slender body and the tip of it is curled up to his right on the chair. I watch the tail flick around uncomfortably every few seconds before it returns to its natural coil. Esp has kind of a cute tail. It's a lot different than a croc's long, scaly tail.

For some reason, I'm so bored that I end up deciding to play a game with myself. Inconspicuously, I lean against the left side of my chair. Espio doesn't turn or even bother to look in my direction. He's sippin' his soda and has it in a death tight grip. Geez, you'd think I'm sendin' him to his grave or sumthin'!

Deciding to see just how close I can get to the chameleon without him noticing me fer my own entertainment purposes, I slip my hand under the armrest connecting our chairs and slowly ease it onto Espio's chair. He keeps his eyes down and continues sippin' his soda very delicately. Maybe it's just the dim lighting in here, but Espio's scales look more pink than usual, creating an almost feminine glow around him. I slip my hand forwards just a bit and dare to brush a fingertip against Espio's agitated tail. I dunno why I'm doing this. Boredom does strange things to people, I guess.

Figuring I shouldn't press my luck any further, I start to retreat my hand. Before I know what's happened, Espio has seized my wrist by wrapping his tail around it. He yanks me over to the edge of my chair and mouths over at me, "You owe me big for all of this."

"I don't owe ya anythin' yet," I protest as my hand starts to go numb from the tight hold of Espio's tail on my wrist. "Yeh might enjoy yerself at dinner."

"Hmph," Espio sighs quietly so that only I can hear him. "If I don't, then you owe me."

It's my turn to grunt. I shouldn't owe Espio anything! After all, I set up this whole date thing for his sake! Instead of blabbing on and on about how I owe him, Espio should be thankin' me fer my consideration. Feeling grouchy, I fold my arms over my chest and deliberately ignore Espio. Espio decides that two can play at the game. He releases my wrist and retreats his tail back to his own chair. With an expression that mirrors my own, Espio turns towards the movie screen and folds his arms across his chest defiantly.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the movie ends. I'm the first out of my seat. Espio nimbly stands up besides me, but refuses to look at me. It looks as if we're going to play a game of ignoring each other for the rest of the night. Well, if that's the way Espio wants to handle things, then fine! I won't speak to him either. He's the one being selfish, not me!

Turning my attention to Miss Vanilla, the one who should have been on my mind this whole time instead of my Chaotix "buddy", I offer her my hand to help her stand up. Miss Vanilla graciously puts a small hand into mine and stands up next to me, sending me one of those heartwarming smiles that makes chills run down my spine. Amy jumps up from her chair and the four of us exit the movie theater and step out into a gorgeous sunny day.

"That was a lovely movie," Miss Vanilla states in a whimsical voice once we're all enjoying the fresh air. "The ending was adorable. Thank you so much for bringing me here, Vector. I really enjoyed myself."

"Er, yer welcome," I stammer, deciding not to make any comments on the ending of the movie because I was too busy being annoyed at Espio to think about it.

"Are we going to go somewhere for dinner now?" Amy pipes up from where she's walking next to Espio. "I'm starting to get hungry."

"Right, dinner," I nod, not having thought this far ahead. Hell, I haven't even come up with a place we can go to for dinner yet. Trying not to look like an idiot who hasn't planned out this date, I glance sheepishly over at my party of three and ask, "Does anyone know any places around here that serve good food?"

"We should let the ladies choose where they would like to go for dinner," Espio states in his low, even voice. Turning to Amy, he asks politely, "Do you have any requests?"

"Hm, let's see..." Amy muses, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she comes to a halt. A moment later, her bright green eyes light up and she nods eagerly as she says, "Well, there is this Chinese restaurant just down the road from here. It's pretty good! I tried to get Sonic to bring me there once, but he said he was too busy to take me."

Espio's expression turns sympathetic and he replies firmly, "Then we will go to that very restaurant."

"Aw, thanks, Espio!" Amy exclaims, sending him a grateful smile. "You're really nice!"

Espio's cheeks turn light pink, but he's smiling and looks happy. So you'd think that I'd be happy too now, right? Wrong. For some reason, I don't like the way Amy and Esp are lookin' at each other. It causes a sick feeling to rise up inside of me. I dunno where this strange emotion is comin' from, but it sure ain't a good one.

Instead of talking to Miss Vanilla like I probably should, I spend the entire walk to the Chinese restaurant sulking. I can't figure out why I'm in such a strange mood and that really seems to be gettin' on my nerves. When we enter the restaurant, I have my teeth gritted. Amy and Espio have started up a conversation about - ya guessed it - Sonic. Espio politely contributes to the conversation and tries to give Amy helpful advice on how best to attract Sonic's attention. He suggests doin' little things for Sonic like givin' him little gifts. Argh. Who knew Esp of all people is an expert on love?

A female hedgehog waitress greets us as soon as we enter the restaurant. She gives us a polite smile and asks, "Would you like a table for four?"

"Yeah. Thank you, ma'am," I say, having a hard time keepin' my manners up.

The waitress brings us all the way to the back of the restaurant. It's not too busy here, but there is a surrounding sound of idle chatter floating around us as we all take our seats and pick up our menus. We're sittin' pretty close together. In fact, I'm only inches away from Miss Vanilla! I send her an awkward smile as I flip open my menu and start scanning it for somethin' good to eat. I ate some snacks only an hour ago, but I'm starving again. Miss Vanilla returns my smile and sets her napkin in her lap

While I continue searching the menu, I hear Espio and Amy chatting up a storm from across the table! What happened to the shy, quiet chameleon from earlier? I glance over the top of my menu at the couple with narrowed vermilion eyes. Although Espio isn't really sayin' all that much, he's certainly gotten Amy's attention. She's telling him all about her hobbies and about how she's been part of a female hedgehog's volleyball league for a few years now. I know Espio doesn't give a damn about sports, but he looks at Amy with attentive eyes and comments on what she's saying in all the right places.

Jealousy starts to surge up within me. I know _exactly _why Espio is doin' this. He's tryin' to make me feel bad since he's gettin' on much better with Amy than I'm getting on with Miss Vanilla. It's like I'm too scared to speak to her. Wait, did I just say scared? Vector the croc is never scared! I'm just nervous about screwing things up between Miss Vanilla and myself if I say too much.

Trying to distract myself from the monster of envy rising up in my chest, I turn to Miss Vanilla politely and ask, "What are you goin' to order, ma'am?"

"The vegetables and rice sound delicious," Miss Vanilla replies softly before reciprocating the question, asking, "What about you, dear?"

"Uh..." I trail off, still not having decided what I want to eat yet. I flick my eyes back to the menu and decide upon whatever I glance at first. "I guess I'll have the spicy veggies dish."

"That sounds interesting," Miss Vanilla says politely.

The two of us lapse into silence again while Amy continues to chat with Espio. I stare at them from under a green veil of jealousy. It's unfair that Espio can get along so well with a girl that he isn't even interested in when I can't seem ta hold a conversation with Miss Vanilla fer more than three sentences!

The waitress hedgehog comes over to us a moment later and asks, "Are you all ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'll take the spicy veggies," I grumble, not really wanting the spicy veggies, but am stuck orderin' them since I told Miss Vanilla that's what I was gonna have in my haste to answer her question.

"I would like the vegetables and rice if that's not too much trouble," Miss Vanilla adds considerately.

"We would like one order of chicken and rice and another order of spring rolls," Espio says, motioning to Amy and himself.

As soon as Espio gets done speaking, my cheeks flame red at my thoughtlessness. I should have ordered fer Miss Vanilla and myself. That would have been the polite thing to do. I tap my foot irritably on the ground from under the table. This date really just keeps gettin' worse and worse. It's definitely not helping how Espio is trying to show me up and flaunt how well he can get along with a girl if he puts some effort into it. I try to best him and think up some really intriguing conversation to engage Miss Vanilla in, but nothing comes to my mind.

When the food arrives, I eat much too quickly, just wanting to get this awkward date over with and also wanting to get Espio away from Amy. He doesn't like her and he's just feigning interest in her to get revenge on me. We've been ignoring each other ever since we left the movies. Espio refuses to look at me and sends all his small smiles in Amy's direction. I try not to glance over at him, but it's hard not to when he brings Miss Vanilla into the conversation between Amy and himself!

The spicy food burns my tongue and my stomach starts to churn grumpily from somewhere inside of me. I'm gonna get a stomachache now probably. Trying to cool my tongue, I slurp down my entire glass of water and watch Miss Vanilla, Espio, and Amy all laughing together and having a good time. How come I was the one who arranged this date and I'm the one who's feelin' left out?

Frustrated, I look fer somethin' to distract myself with and pick up a fortune cookie lying on the center of the table. I don't usually put much faith in the silly cookies, but sometimes they're fun to read. After unwrapping the plastic from around the cookie, I crack it in two and pull out the small slip of paper from inside it with the fortune written on it.

_ Your life is about to change direction. You will learn to put your priorities in check and you will find out something very important about yourself in the next few days._

I stare at my fortune nonplussed. My priorities are already in check. I'm runnin' my very own detective agency, I'm makin' good money with Team Chaotix, and I'm on a date with a beautiful woman. I should be satisfied with my life, but something ain't quite right. Something's off.

"Ooo, look! There's one fortune cookie left!" Amy exclaims from across the table, her high-pitched voice breaking into my thoughts. She nudges Espio and suggests, "Why don't you open it?"

Espio hesitates and then probably more fer Amy's sake than for his own, agrees to it and says, "Alright."

Even though I'm supposed to be ignorin' the fuchsia chameleon across the table from me, I find myself watchin' him out of the corner of my eye as he carefully cracks the cookie open and then reads the fortune inside it. His cheeks automatically flush pink and he looks at the ground.

"What does it say? Let me read it!" Amy urges, gently easing the piece of paper out of Espio's hand. Her bright green eyes skim over it quickly before she exclaims, "Wow! Your fortune says that you're going to start developing feelings for a certain person that will lead to a relationship. That sounds soooooooo romantic!"

Well, isn't that just great? I've made no progress with Miss Vanilla during this entire date and Espio gets a fortune that says he's started to develop feelings fer Amy that will lead to a relationship between the two of them. My nasty mood heightens and I decide to bring this date disaster to an end.

"Say, I'm not feelin' too great. Guess this food is a little too spicy for me," I mutter.

"That's a shame," Miss Vanilla says in concern, leaning over and placing a hand on top of mine. This should make me feel better, but it doesn't. She continues on, "Perhaps we ought to leave now?"

I nod a little too eagerly and stand up too quickly, almost knocking my chair over in the process. I save the chair just in time, but hear Amy giggling at my clumsiness in the process. Chewing on my tongue, I stamp out of the restaurant with Miss Vanilla right behind me. Amy and Espio follow at a distance. I can practically feel that arrogant chameleon's little smirk even though I'm not lookin' at him. He's feelin' pretty smug with himself after getting revenge on me for dragging him along on my date. Well, the date ain't over quite yet. A wicked plan hatches in my mind and an evil grin crosses my face. Esp better be watching his back!

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_Early update because I'm feeling sick tonight...so anyways, now Vector is out for revenge! What do you think he will do to poor Espio? Review please! :)  
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	25. Unstoppable Feelings

**Guest: You'll find out shortly! Thanks so much for the review! :)**

**Mormar1: I feel bad for Vector too! I definitely think he's got the fortune all wrong in his head. ;P Hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: Aw, thanks so much! It makes me so happy to hear that you're still liking my writing. :) I'm really glad you're starting to feel better. I hope the meds keep working! Do you still have a fever? I'm actually feeling way better now. Thanks for asking!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: That's a good guess! And hehe, the match was pretty funny. Let me know what you think of this chapter! :3  
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**Chibi-Guest: Guess what? I'm already better! I guess your well wishes worked. Thanks a ton! :) Hehe, that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm sitting in front of the heater with a blanket right now. I'm so glad that you liked the chapter. You'll get to find out what Vector's plan is in this chapter! I hope you feel less tired tomorrow. Thank you for such a nice review!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Haha, exactly! Esp needs to send his flirting in Vector's direction. xD It's painful to write about them ignoring each other! Jealousy is so much fun! Hey, your fortune is true! You are a genius! My genius anyways...hehe. ;P Oh yes, Vector would be a much better host for Espio considering the fact that he's been thinking about Esp during the entire date. Thanks so much for reading! *huggles*  
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**LuluCalliope: Yeah...I saw on three places that it said she's a hedgehog, but who knows. I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks! ^^ And yes! Espio totally needs to watch out for evil Vector. Thank you for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yup, Vector is feeling extremely jealous at the moment! And omg, you are so right. xD All of Vector's plans totally backfire on him. He has good intentions (usually), but they never work! I'm feeling a lot better now. Thanks so much for the concern and for the awesome review! They always make me feel better!  
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**Alicia: Nah. I've got everything I need really. As soon as I'm out of this house, my life will be perfect!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Vector's extremely jealous and it's all his fault! I agree, Espio better be watching out before Vector makes things worse for both of them. xD Wow, thanks for the compliment about everyone being pretty in character. I always find that hard to do. :P The easiest character for me to write is definitely Espio. I guess he just comes naturally to me. Shadow is by far the hardest. I just have a really hard time writing him. Vector was a pain at first too. It used to take me hours to write Vector chapters, but now I can write them in about the same amount of time that I can write an Espio chapter. Who's the hardest and easiest character for you to write? And yay! I'm glad you won't stop reading this. Here's the update! ^^  
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**Chapter XXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I'm still busy plannin' my revenge on Espio as the four of us start lazily down the sidewalk. The sun is fading quickly and the horizon has turned to a peach color. I glance over inconspicuously at Amy and Espio who are walking side by side to my left. My teeth grit together as I see a pleasant smile on Espio's face as he looks at the pink hedgehog besides him. I still dunno what's wrong with me. I should be happy for Esp since isn't the whole point of this date about gettin' Espio and Amy together?

I scratch my head and can't believe that I actually wanted these two together only earlier today. I still haven't figured out why I suddenly don't want 'em together, but I don't care about that right now. The only thing going through my mind is getting revenge on Espio. He had no right to steal Miss Vanilla's attention from me during dinner. 'Course, I didn't really have anything to say to her, but still. I wanna wipe that smug little smile off of the purple chameleon's face and get him the hell away from Amy.

Suddenly, Miss Vanilla speaks up, finally breaking the tense silence as she murmurs, "My goodness, it's gotten very late! I think I really ought to be getting back to the house now. I've left Cream alone for too long as it is. Thank you so much for the wonderful dinner, Vector. It was a pleasure spending time with you."

Under usual circumstances, I would have been jumpin' fer joy over Miss Vanilla's words. Right now, it seems like all I can do is smile stiffly and reply, "The pleasure was all mine, ma'am."

"Goodbye, dear," Miss Vanilla says in farewell before giving me one of her special smiles and leaning forwards to kiss me gently on the cheek. Before I can really process what just happened, Miss Vanilla has turned and is sashaying down the street towards wherever it is that she lives.

For some reason, my eyes immediately go to Espio. I puff out my chest, happy that he saw Miss Vanilla give me that little smooch. See, Esp? I'm makin' more progress than you are when it comes to this whole romance business. Nobody can turn down an irresistible croc! To my annoyance, Espio really doesn't seem to care that Miss Vanilla just kissed me. He just keeps smilin' that same little smile at Amy and continues ignoring me. Argh! What is it gonna take to get Espio's attention back?

Getting more and more irritated by the second, I lash out in anger and kick the back of Espio's right leg. The poor chameleon immediately loses his balance and topples into Amy. The two of them end up in a tangle on the street with Amy lying directly underneath Espio in what would be an intimate position under other circumstances. Once again, my plan has backfired! Instead of gettin' Espio away from Amy, I've just sent him flying into her.

"I'm very sorry," Espio stammers to Amy, his cheeks flaring bright pink as he finds himself directly on top of her, his amber eyes staring into her sparkling green ones.

"Oh, it's okay. I know you didn't mean for that to happen. You actually look kind of cute when you're blushing like that," Amy giggles in her girly voice before she leans up and gives Espio a kiss on the cheek. Espio freezes and doesn't move. Now he's stuck on top of her in that horribly awkward position. It's up to me to intervene!

Annoyed at everything and everyone at the moment, I lean down and grab Espio's arm almost violently. After tuggin' him to his feet, I start dragging him away from Amy, calling over my shoulder without a backwards glance, "It's time for a very important Team Chaotix meetin'. We've gotta run. Sorry 'bout that."

Espio tries to jab me with his elbow to get me to release him, but my grip on his arm is firm. Sighing melodramatically, Espio, ever the gentleman, says in his typical manner, "What Vector means to say is that we unfortunately must be leaving now. It was very nice getting to know you. I hope you have a nice evening."

"It was nice getting to know you too! You're a lot different than I thought you would be," Amy calls after us. "We should meet up again some time! Maybe with Sonic too!"

Hell no! I am not hookin' Espio and Amy up ever again! Before Espio can respond to Amy's statement, I drag him around the corner and quickly take in my surroundings. It looks like I just turned into an alley in a rush to get away from Amy. Eh, it will work fer now. Releasing Espio's arm, I give him a shove up against the wall of the alley so I have him pinned there and mutter, "Yeh wanna tell me what all that was about back there? I think ya got some explainin' to do!"

"What exactly do you want me to explain, Vector? I didn't do anything at all back there. If I'm not mistaken, it was a certain green crocodile who kicked me into Amy," Espio replies in an even voice, not seeming upset with me, but clearly not happy with me either.

"Yeh know _exactly _what I'm talkin' about! Don't play coy with me!" I mutter, jabbing a finger against the chameleon's chest. I glare at the little figure before me, but my glare quickly dissolves as I look closer at Espio. The sun has disappeared now and his amber eyes seem to sparkle in the dark. His eyelids are half-closed and the expression on his face is one of contempt. I might be the one yellin' at him, but Espio knows he has the upper hand in the situation.

Refusing to back down, Espio bats my hand away from his chest and pulls himself up to full height as he stares defiantly up at me and says, "Everything that happened tonight was entirely _your _fault. You were the one to trick me into this situation. You told me that we had a mission to go on when you really just wanted to embarrass me by setting me up on a date. You cannot blame me for one single thing tonight. In fact, you still owe me quite a bit for the way you treated me tonight. Pulling on my tail and kicking me when you didn't get your way was immature behavior."

I'm honestly really shocked that there isn't steam comin' out of my ears at this point. Espio is getting under my skin right now and it's driving me crazy. Foldin' my arms across my chest, I remark loudly, "Well, I definitely won't be settin' ya up anymore dates or doin' anything else nice fer ya after this!"

"Oh?" Espio asks, still holding onto that cocky attitude he's gained recently. He takes a step closer to me so that we're chest-to-chest and stares up at me with those big amber eyes of his as he states, "Tell me why, Vector. Are you jealous?"

My cheeks turn bright red and I'm glad that it's dark outside so Espio can't see the way I've turned tomato red. Stuttering defiantly, I lash out again, "Why the hell would I be jealous of _you_? I wouldn't wanna kiss ya like Amy did!"

A long silence follows my statement and I suddenly realize my mistake. I cringe and turn my head away as Espio points out dubiously, "I was asking if you were jealous of the progress I made with Amy compared to the progress you made with Vanilla. I wasn't asking if you were jealous of Amy kissing me."

"'Course ya weren't!" I shout a little too loudly in the small alley. Espio's strong alluring scent is forcing its way into my nose and I take a step backwards from him to clear my head. Still defensive, I add, "I knew that."

"You didn't seem to know it only a minute ago," Espio replies doubtfully, clearly not believing my obvious lie. Suddenly, he reaches forwards and takes my hand. I glance back at him with guarded eyes and see that he's dropped his cocky attitude for a minute. In a much different tone, Espio starts to ask gently, "Vector, do you-"

"Shut up, Espio!" I yell harshly into the darkness, suddenly hating the little chameleon standing in front of me. I dunno what kinds of feelings he's creating within me, but I don't like 'em. "Just shut yer trap and leave me alone!"

"Fine then," Espio replies coolly, his disdainful attitude already back into place. "But next time you call me, it will be about something business-related. Goodnight."

With that said, Espio turns on his heel and steps out of the alley. I glare after him, noticing the slight sway of his hips and the bob of his tail much more closely than I should. Still feeling hotheaded and wanting to punch someone, I stomp out of the alley and start straight towards home. I run into Sonic on the street as I trudge along.

"Hey Vector!" Sonic calls out in his cheerful voice. "How did the date between Amy and Espio go?"

I clench my hands into fists at the question and look up at Sonic with a murderous expression on my face. I give him a grunt in response to his question and continue stomping down the street. The only thing I want right now is to forget all about this crappy day and go straight to bed. I try to clear my head, but the image of a certain chameleon with glistening purple scales, shining amber eyes, and a small smile on his face keeps popping up to the forefront of my mind.

Finally, I reach my apartment room and kick open the door angrily before smackin' it with my tail to shut it behind me. I rip off my shoes and throw them across the room to let some aggression out before I lift the heavy golden chain off of my head and fall heavily into bed. My stomach churns uncomfortable inside me, but I don't think it's just from the food.

Rolling over, I stare at the ceiling and decide to give sorting out my thoughts a go. Alright. First things first. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. It doesn't do much good, so I try turnin' up the volume on my music instead. That seems to help a little, but not much.

The first question I tackle has to do with why I'm feelin' so miserable right now. I actually got a kiss from Miss Vanilla, yet, for some damned reason, I'm not even happy about it! Instead, I'm annoyed at Amy fer showin' interest in Espio by the end of the date and I'm even more upset about Espio's stupid fortune that said he'd be fallin' in love and startin' a relationship with someone soon. I'm jealous of Esp, aren't I? I keep starin' at him through a veil of envy. I can't stand seein' him next to Amy anymore. It makes me feel sick inside and all I wanna do is whisk him away from her.

All these thoughts lead me to another question. _Why _am I jealous of Espio? I already know the answer to my goddamn question, but it scares me and I don't wanna admit it aloud. I'm gonna have to admit it sometime though and now is as good of a time as ever. Alright. I take a deep breath and slowly face the horrifying concept for the very first time. I'm jealous of Amy because...well...it seems as if I might actually have some feelings for Espio.

My stomach tightens into a suffocating knot and I feel like I've gotta throw up. What's wrong with me? I can't have feelings for Espio! That just ain't right. Espio's my teammate and my buddy. What's more is that he's a guy! Alright, so he's pretty feminine for a male, but that doesn't make any of this right. I do _not_ have feelings for Espio and I am _not _jealous of him and Amy.

...Er, that's a complete lie. I'll never ever be able to admit these strange feelings to anyone though, especially not to Espio himself. I shudder to think of what the rigid little chameleon would do if he knew about my chaotic thoughts concerning him. He'd leave Team Chaotix and never speak to me again!

Stuffing my tumultuous feelings way deep down inside me, I squeeze my eyes shut and pull my sheet over my head as I try to fall asleep. I decide that it doesn't matter if I have feelings for Espio or not. He's never gonna know about it, so who cares? Using this thought to reassure me, I finally drift off into a restless sleep.

The next morning, I wake up feelin' a lot more calm than yesterday. As I wake up to the sound of my music, I sit up slowly in bed and scratch my head as I think over yesterday's events. Y'know, Espio is actually right. I acted pretty darn stupid and childish yesterday. I shouldn't have kicked him or yanked on his tail. He's right; I really do owe him.

Despite the fact that it's a new day, I find that the slightly amorous feelings I felt towards Espio yesterday still haven't disappeared. I dunno what it is about Esp that I like so much. Maybe it's that he's my opposite? He's got those small, delicate features, a slender, soft body with just a few slight curves, and his eyes are just so powerful. Ya look into them and yeh feel like yer starin' into a whole new world. It ain't Espio's fault that he creates these stupid feelings inside me and I've gotta stop treatin' him like dirt because of them. Right now, I owe him a big apology fer the way I behaved yesterday.

Determined to go and make up with Espio, I get out of bed and decide to take a quick shower to look my best. After the shower, I throw my chain over my neck and step into my shoes on my way out of the door. I'm not exactly sure what I'm gonna do for Espio yet, but it's gonna be good. He deserves somethin' big from me after yesterday. Now that I think about it, I also lost my temper with him in the alley and started yellin' at him like a complete nutcase.

Making up my mind, I decide to go to the store. I'm gonna browse until I find the perfect thing fer Esp and then I'm gonna buy it for him regardless of the cost. I've gotta show him how much he means to me - er, I mean to Team Chaotix - before he quits the team after my stupid behavior from yesterday.

* * *

_It seems like Vector has finally figured out why he doesn't want Espio and Amy together anymore. :P Do you think he'll be able to get Espio to forgive him in the next chapter? Review please! :)  
_


	26. Making Up

**Guest: I'll try to. ;P I like this fic a lot more so I update it more frequently, but I can try and update the other one in the next few days.  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, yes, very cute! Do you think Vector will admit his feelings to Esp anytime soon? Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: I'm definitely with you there. Espio will probably end up forgiving Vector. Vector can be pretty convincing when he puts his mind to something. I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better! Thank you so much for reading. :)  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction! You'll find out whether or not Esp forgives Vector in this chapter. Thanks for reading!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yay, we have a winner! You made a very good prediction about the bowl. And aw, you're so sweet for saying that. I'm glad to be feeling better too! *sends you cookies over the internet* Hehe. xD Oh no, do your parents still have your computer then? I hope you get it back soon! I'm really impatient and hate waiting for things. ;P And yup, Vector is finally realizing how much he likes Esp! Woohoo! :3 Hope you like this chapter!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Vector is definitely having extreme jealousy problems at the moment! And omg, ikr? What did you think Espio was going to say if Vector hadn't interrupted him? Vector is so rude. I mean, really, he should have let Esp finish his question! I know, admitting to someone how much you like them is like the hardest thing ever to do, don't you think? Yup, it does sound like something Vex would say to Esp. I think we're writing so much Vecpio that we're turning into them, lol. xD  
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**LuluCalliope: I'd say that Amy thinks Espio is a nice enough guy. For some reason, I've always thought the two of them could be friends. What do you think? And lol, yeah, Cream can definitely take care of herself. xD Thank you for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! It was fun writing about how Vector finally realizes how much he likes (possibly loves xD) Esp! Oh, I agree. Vector's really just a big sweetie inside. He'll lure Espio back to him somehow or the other. And yeah! Everything always goes wrong for Vector. Thanks so much for the awesome review!  
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**Alicia: Yay! I can hardly wait! We're going to have so much fun. :3  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, yup, Vector's just like a school girl. xD That's such a funny, but true, comparison! Hehe, Vector did finally admit it. Yay! Well, it's still a good question because Esp might not like him quite yet. What do you bet that Vector is going to want to push their relationship along much too fast? ;P Hm, well, the storyline took about three days or so to put together. I wouldn't say it was too difficult to come up with. I came up with the romance bits just from using my imagination and the whole Espio/Bryce parts came from a book I read. :3 Thanks for such a great review! They always make my day. ^^  
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**Chapter XXVI  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The sun streaks in through my window, alerting me to another new day. Since I'm in the house all alone, I turn from my back to my stomach and bury my face in my pillow once more. There's no need to get up early. Charmy is at Cream's house having a sleepover with her. The sleepover was actually my idea. When Vector told me to meet him at the movie theater yesterday, I was immediately suspicious and certain that Vector was up to no good. That's why I set up the sleepover for Charmy. Vector has already introduced Charmy to things he shouldn't even be aware of yet. I don't need him influencing Charmy any more. As much as Vector likes to think he's part of our family, he'll never be able to break through the bond Charmy and I share. We will always be closest. Well, at least I like to think that. I think of Charmy as my own child and I would do anything for him.

As I wriggle under the covers and try to get comfortable, I reflect on yesterday's events. I don't know what gave Vector the nerve to try and set me up on a date. I've told him on several different occasions that I have no interest in girls. Does Vector listen to me in regards to any of this? No. Does the thick crocodile have any respect for me? No.

A wry smile turns up the corners of my lips as I remember how I got my revenge on Vector by engaging Amy and Miss Vanilla in conversation all during dinner. I had deliberately left Vector out of the conversation, and being the slow-witted reptile that he is, he hadn't been able to find a way to regain Miss Vanilla's attention. I never flirted with either woman, so I feel no shame at all. Although I am quite shy around the opposite sex, I can usually repress my emotions and act as a polite, well-mannered chameleon if I feel like it.

Surprisingly enough, by the end of the night, I found that I actually like Amy to some extent. Although she can be extremely bubbly and a bit overly enthusiastic at times, I consider her a friend. Miss Vanilla, however sweet of a rabbit she is, will never be someone I can think of as a friend though. A good fifteen to twenty years separate us in age. I'm honestly surprised that she even considered going on a date with Vector. I suppose age makes no difference as long as the two of them like each other though.

..._Do _they like one another though? Vector hadn't been making much of an effort with Miss Vanilla yesterday. Perhaps he's just shy around his object of infatuation. I'm not certain about this though. Whatever goes through that crocodile's head is a mystery to me.

By the end of the last night, I had accomplished my goal and had made Vector's night downright miserable. I still don't feel bad about it. He deserved it for ignoring my wishes that I had made quite clear to him on several occasions. Vector does not seem to think of me as an equal. He seems to think that he can boss me around and treat me as a minor just because he's the leader of Team Chaotix and the oldest of our group. After I showed him up last night, I hope his reasoning will change.

The sunlight starts dancing on the cream walls of my bedroom, urging me to get up. Figuring that I might as well stop wasting the day away, I reluctantly tug the covers away from my body and slide nimbly to the ground before meticulously making the bed. I'm very particular about keeping the bed neat and tidy. I suppose this is because I was forced to lay on a dirty bed stained with blood and smelling of sex night after night when I lived in my mother's house with Bryce sharing my bedroom.

Once the bed has been made, I slide my feet into my sneakers, tug my gloves with the thick cuffs over my hands, and then make my way to the kitchen. It seems rather quiet in the house today with Charmy gone. Sometimes I like the quiet, but it makes me feel lonely on other occasions such as this morning. I find I keep glancing over at the clock and hoping that Charmy will come home soon. Of course, knowing Charmy, he'll probably spend the rest of the day at Cream's house.

As I start fixing myself some tea, I surprise myself by thinking that I'd even prefer Vector's company to this loneliness. I don't think Vector will be giving me a call anytime soon though. He lashed out at me quite harshly after dinner last night, furious at the way I had ruined his date with Miss Vanilla. Cool and composed as usual, I kept my calm with the rabid crocodile and told him to only call me again when he wants to talk about something business related. Otherwise, Vector is to leave me alone.

After fixing my tea, I cup the warm mug in my hands and retreat to the wooden table. Perching on a chair, I look around the room, missing the sound of Charmy's video games and his excited exclamations. No wonder Vector has those headphones of his constantly blaring loud music in his ears.

As I sip my warm tea, I absentmindedly reach out and pluck up yesterday's newspaper. I never got around to reading it yesterday what with the drama Vector got me into. Prepared for a nice, relaxing morning, I settle back in my chair and flick the newspaper open. Not much is of interest there. I turn through a few more of the pages before finding an article on crime.

Unable to help myself, I read the entire article and feel my stomach twist into a knot by the time I reach the end of it. The article talks about the criminals who have been caught and imprisoned in the last month within this city. After reading about how a rapist got off with only a year imprisonment, I crinkle the newspaper into a ball and push it to the edge of the table. Anyone who is twisted enough to violate another being in that way should be locked up for life at the very least.

Staring into my mug of tea, I remember the details of the first time Bryce raped me. Even now, many months later, I can still clearly recall the way his crimson colored eyes bore into mine, the way he whispered quiet, taunting words in my ear, and the way he took me without any hesitation or concern for the pain I would no doubt feel. Bryce made me feel so dirty. I still can't make myself feel pure again even after scrubbing myself raw over and over. Keeping my body clean has always been important to me.

I squirm uncomfortably in my chair and wrap my arms around myself at the unwelcome thoughts flooding through my mind. Bryce has turned me into an isolated, unfriendly chameleon. It's all because of him that I have no real friends. Vector probably doesn't consider me a friend after yesterday. Perhaps I was a little cold with him, but I had to make my point clear. I will not be treated as any less than his equal. I will not be bossed around and that's all there is to it.

Unsure what to do without my cafe job or Charmy to keep me occupied, I find that I'm actually missing Vector. At least when he's around, he gives me something to do because I constantly have to keep an eye on him to make sure he stays out of trouble. Honestly, despite however much I choose to complain about Vector, I really do like him deep down. He's my opposite, yes, but he does seem to care for me at times when he's not too busy being selfish.

Ding dong! The ringing of the doorbell immediately sends me jumping off of my chair and flying towards the doorway. It must be Charmy back from Cream's house already. I wasn't expecting him for a bit, but I'm certainly not complaining that he's home early.

Once I reach the door, I undo the complicated lock and open it. To my utmost surprise, it's not a hyperactive little bee standing before me in the doorway. Instead, it's Vector looking sheepish. What's he doing here? I thought I told him not to call me again only yesterday. I suppose coming over isn't exactly the same thing as calling, but still.

Although I'm actually more pleased than displeased to have Vector here, I decide not to let him know this and instead put a hard expression on my face as I say in an icy voice, "Hello."

"Hey, Esp," Vector greets me, still looking sheepish. He notices the way I'm blocking the doorway and cringes before adding, "Look, I just wanna talk. Can I come in fer a few minutes?"

I scrutinize the crocodile with wary eyes. He seems to be in a much better mood than yesterday. In fact, he looks apologetic. The only thing I don't like is the way he happens to be holding his hands behind his back. It appears as if he's trying to conceal something from me.

Slowly stepping away from the doorway, I allow Vector inside and reply, "I suppose so."

Sighing with relief, Vector tramps inside, treading dirt onto my clean carpet as usual. At this point, I've pretty much given up on having the carpet in the house clean. The only room in which I must have clean carpet is the bedroom. Everything in the bedroom needs to stay neat and tidy.

Kicking the door behind him with a loud bang, Vector stops hiding whatever it is he was concealing behind his back and holds out a big, beautiful glass bowl to me as he states in a matter-of-fact voice, "I, uh, got this for ya. I sort of owed ya somethin' after smashing yer last bowl."

"Why Vector..." I murmur, completely unsure of what to say.

The bowl, to say the least, is much more beautiful than the last one I had. This bowl is tinted light blue and has a delicate little pattern grooved into the edges of the glass. When the sunlight catches the bowl, it causes it to sparkle and shimmer. I've never had such a beautiful object before. Everything I buy is usually from the discount section of the store I happen to be at.

Trying not to get too sentimental, I take the large bowl from Vector and stroke the smooth sides of it reverently as I whisper, "I've never had anything so nice before."

Vector stands awkwardly next to me with a half-smile on his face as he replies, "Glad ya like it, Esp."

I quickly hurry over to the empty place on the floor where I kept my last bowl and set this new bowl in the appropriate spot. Just as I imagined, the bowl catches the sunlight streaming in through the window perfectly! I clasp my hands together with delight and am content to just stare at my new decoration. My last bowl meant quite a bit to me, but this one is so much more than the last one.

Remembering my manners, I tear my eyes off of my new treasure and turn to face Vector, thanking him, "This is very kind of you. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Vector waves my apology away before he adds, "Look, uh, this wasn't just because I wrecked yer last bowl. I wanted to do somethin' nice for you after yesterday. You were right. I shouldn't have set ya up on that date after yeh told me not to. I was being thoughtless."

"You're...you're actually _apologizing _to me?" I ask in shock. I expected Vector to still be upset with me after his little tantrum last night.

"'Course I'm apologizing. That's what best friends do," Vector nods resolutely.

"Well, thank you for apologizing, Vector. I do appreciate it," I reply, supposing that we might as well make up. Hesitating, I add a bit reluctantly, "I apologize for upsetting you last night and I also apologize that your date with Miss Vanilla didn't go better."

"Eh, it's alright," Vector replies, shrugging off the matter. "Honestly, I dunno if Miss Vanilla is the right one for me or not. I couldn't think of anything ta say to her last night. She didn't look at me much either."

"That was my fault," I admit, not wanting to be the reason for ruining Vector's blossoming relationship with Vanilla. "She certainly likes you."

"I dunno," Vector says, not acting all that concerned over the matter, which I think is a strange thing for Vector. Suddenly, without any warning at all, Vector reaches out and clasps both of my hands in his. The sudden gesture catches me off guard and I instantly flick my eyes up to Vector's. Amber meets vermilion and we just stare at each other for a moment before Vector says all in a rush, "Don't leave the agency! I couldn't run it without ya. I gotta have yeh as part of it!"

"I wasn't thinking about leaving the agency," I reply, looking between our clasped hands to Vector's urgent face, wondering where all this is coming from. "Why?"

"Ya weren't?" Vector asks dubiously. I shake my head slowly. Vector looks extremely relieved and laughs awkwardly, adding, "Oh. I thought ya might be considerin' it after I treated ya like crap yesterday."

"No, I have no plans to leave the agency. I need the money as much as you do," I admit in dry amusement.

"Er...Esp, there's somethin' else I gotta tell ya," Vector adds, squeezing my hands a little too tightly.

"Yes?" I ask, finding it strange that it doesn't feel awkward that Vector is holding my hands like this.

"You...me...uh..." Vector stammers, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. I wait for him to go on. The crocodile isn't exactly the most articulate and sometimes it takes him a while to say things that I probably could have gotten out right away. All in a rush, Vector adds, "Yer not just my partner. I care for ya way more than that. Yer my best buddy and I can't imagine not havin' yeh around. So just...um...stay in my life, Esp."

"Vector, I..." I trail off, finding an unwanted tear dripping to the corner of my eye. Vector really _does _care for me. He actually says I'm his best friend and that he likes me for reasons other than the part I play as a member of Team Chaotix. The way he's looking at me makes me feel like I'm more than just an unwanted, purposeless chameleon.

"Are yeh actually crying?!" Vector exclaims, sounding horrified. "The last thing I wanted to do was make yeh more upset!"

"I'm not sad. I've just never had a friend before. Not besides Charmy, that is," I reply in a slightly husky voice.

I would have wiped my tear away, but Vector is still holding my hands. Releasing one of them, Vector reaches forwards and wipes the tear from my cheek. Instead of removing his hand after that, Vector cups the right side of my face in his hand and gently tilts my face up to his.

"Look, if yeh haven't had any friends in yer life, then ya haven't met any decent folk!" Vector reassures me. "Yer the nicest, smartest, bestest buddy that anyone could ask for."

I refrain from pointing out that "bestest" is not an actual word because I'm too busy trying to figure out why there's a strange jerk from somewhere inside my chest. The way Vector is looking at me, well, I'm not certain how to describe it. It scares me and excites me at the same time.

"Don't be sad. There's nothin' to be sad about," Vector says, suddenly wrapping his arms around me and drawing me close to his chest.

Being close to anyone after Bryce's abuse usually puts me on edge, but I find that with Vector, I feel safe. He may be slow-witted and daft at times, but he's trustworthy and I believe every single word he just told me. I rest my head against his warm, scaly chest and find that I actually like being close to him.

Suddenly, the door whips open and a loud voice calls, "Espio, I'm home!" Charmy comes flying into the doorway and makes a face, adding, "Ick, I leave for a few minutes and you guys are getting all mushy. Wait, Espio, are you crying?"

I reach up and suddenly realize that tears are spilling down my cheeks. Damn. So much for trying to be a good role model for Charmy. I've tried for so long to keep up the wall between Vector and myself, but it's finally come crashing down and I'm not going to put it back up.

"I'm not sad, Charmy. Remember when we talked the other day about how some people cry when they're happy?" I say in as even of a voice as I can manage.

"Yeah. I know how to make you feel better!" Charmy exclaims before launching himself at Vector and myself, yelling, "GROUP HUG!"

* * *

_Ooo, mushy moment between Vector and Esp! Do you think the little chameleon might have any feelings for the croc? Review please! :)  
_


	27. Picnic Propositions

**Guest: Um, probably not. Sorry. Don't feel like you have to read any of this if you don't want to...  
**

**zgirl16: I think you're right! Espio just needs to think his feelings through a bit more. And yay! I'm so happy to hear that you'll be reading this until the end! There's a lot more to go though. I'd say we're only one quarter of the way through the whole thing. *sudden squee* I love Mephadow! I can't wait to read it! :D  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Haha, I agree! And yeah, I think Charmy was a bit impulsive there. xD Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Thanks so much! It's great to hear that you liked the chapter. It was one of my favorite ones to write. You're were totally right about the bowl! Great job on that! I love group hugs too and just hugs in general. ^^ Oh no! Did you ask your parents about the computer? I really do hope you get it back! I'm sure you wouldn't fail if you tried to write a fanfic! You'd probably do an awesome job with it. And aw, you're so sweet! Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Yup, mushy moments! :D Vector is so sweet buying Espio the new bowl like that. He obviously loves him. Why can't Esp see that? And yeah, no crying, Espio! You should be feeling happy and smooching Vex or something. I agree with you so much. It's so hard to tell someone you like them, especially when you're best friends with them. What's worse is that's how relationships usually start out, you know? Between really good friends? And hehe, I dunno. I have Vector's dirty mind though, that's for sure. xD Are you feeling better? I keep worrying about you!  
**

**LuluCalliope: I love mushy moments too! I'm such a sap. ;P Anyways, I'm definitely with you on that. I only pair Amy with Sonic although I don't have a problem with her being friends with other characters. That's funny you brought it up because I actually ship Charmy and Cream when they're older. I think they're cute together! What do you think? Thank you for reading!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Wow, really? I'm so glad that you thought it was the cutest chapter yet! It makes me so happy to hear that. :3 Vector must really care a lot about Espio if he's buying him expensive things. We know how much Vector likes his money. xD I agree! Esp just needs to figure out his own feelings. Thank you for such an awesome review! It made my day!  
**

**Alicia: Hm...I'm not sure! Whatever you want to do is great with me. :) I'm just so happy that we'll be together!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Charmy, why did you have to ruin the moment?! And aw, yay! I'm glad to hear you liked the last chapter so much. ^^ That's awesome news about your boyfriend! I'm so happy for you! And haha, I know exactly what you're saying. I could never date someone who's not a Sonic fan because I tend to ramble on and on about it constantly. There will be more mushy and awkward moments between Esp and Vector, that's for sure! And OMG, I have made you a Vecpio fan! I am so happy right now, really, you have no idea. xD  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXVII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

As Charmy wraps his arms tightly around Vector and myself, a strange feeling of unity tingles through my body. Caught up in a tight embrace with my fellow Team Chaotix members, I feel as if I'm part of a family. We're not a family in the technical way, but we care for one another as if we are a family. Charmy and Vector love me in a way my genetic family never did. Charmy's wings beat lightly against one side of my body and Vector's strong, secure arm wraps around my other side. With these two by my sides, I feel as if I'm invincible. With Vector and Charmy, everything is going to be alright.

Finally, Charmy is the first to pull away, breaking up our hug. He sends me a close glance and then smiles contently as he points out, "Yay, you're not crying anymore, Espio! I knew a hug would cheer you up. How long has Vector been here for? I would have come home sooner if I knew Vector was here!"

"He's not been here for very long," I reassure Charmy before pointing proudly at my new beautiful glass bowl, adding, "Look at the bowl Vector picked out for us. It's much nicer than our last one. Did you have a nice time with Cream? I thought about you last night."

"Yeah, we had fun," Charmy nods, glancing over at the bowl and not showing much interest in it. Vector and I exchange a look and smile at one another. Charmy flies above our heads and complains, "I'm bored. Let's do something! Isn't there a mission or something we can go on?"

"I'm afraid not," I admit, wishing just as much as Charmy that Team Chaotix had gotten another call mainly so we can go on another mission and make some money. Although money isn't everything to me, it's an essential aspect to owning a home, paying the bills, and buying the groceries.

"We could go somewhere for a while. Ya know, just to get out of the house?" Vector suggests, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah!" Charmy chimes in, nodding his head up and down eagerly. "Let's go to the park! There's a volleyball net there. Maybe we can play some volleyball and then have a picnic lunch?"

"That's a very good idea," I agree, glad that Charmy wants to do something other than play his video game for hours. I have to admit that going to the park and getting some fresh air sounds like something even I will like doing. Already stepping towards the kitchen, I inform my friends, "I'll go see what we have for our picnic."

"I'll come too!" Charmy adds enthusiastically, hovering at my shoulder as I cross the room.

"Count me in!" Vector exclaims, not missing any opportunity to be surrounded by food.

Followed by two, I reach the refrigerator and pull it open. Unfortunately, there's not much inside the fridge besides for a block of yellow cheese, some tomatoes, a large cucumber, and some pickles. Frowning, I push the items aside and check to make sure that there's nothing hiding in the back corner of the fridge. Nothing more can be found expect for an old yogurt that expired two months ago. It looks like I need to do some shopping soon. Shrugging my shoulders, I pull out the cheese and the jar of pickles and offer them to Charmy and Vector.

Vector's face automatically falls and he asks in a disappointed voice, "Is that all ya got?"

Before I can reply, Charmy cuts in and says, "There's got to be something else in the pantry!"

I flinch as Charmy zips over to the pantry and throws the door to it open. I usually try to keep Charmy out of the pantry because all that's in there is junk food. It's too late now though and Vector is staring at the food inside the pantry as if he's died and gone to heaven. He hurries into the pantry and starts grabbing all sorts of packages of food. By the time Charmy and Vector emerge from the pantry once more, their arms are full of unhealthy foods. Vector has bags of cookies, potato chips, tortilla chips, and snack mix with him. Charmy is carrying a bag of chocolates, hard candies, and another sort of candies that I don't even remember buying.

Putting my hands on my hips, I shake my head and interject, "No, we aren't bringing that much junk food along with us. Each other you just pick one thing to bring. I'm going to check the freezer. Perhaps there's something a bit more healthy in there."

"Aw, but Espio!" Charmy whines loudly as I march over to the freezer and open it up. There's nothing in there but ice cream and frozen pizza. I quickly shut the freezer door before Charmy can get any other ideas. Charmy continues complaining, "You never let us eat anything that tastes good! It's always fruits and vegetables with you."

"That's because we need to keep our bodies clean and healthy," I reply a-matter-of-factly. "Just because sweets taste good does not mean that they are actually good for you."

"I bet that Vector eats candy and chocolate! Isn't that right, Vector?" Charmy turns to Vector, sending him an imploring gaze.

"The kid's right," Vector replies, nodding seriously. "A few sweets here and there aren't gonna hurt us."

"Fine," I grumble, hating it when Charmy makes me feel like the bad guy. Sending Vector a glare for siding with the little bee, I resign, "You may both bring two things with you. I will bring the pickles and the cheese. If you know what's good for you, that's what you'll be eating."

"Whoopee! Thanks!" Charmy cheers, deciding on the chocolates and the hard candy. Vector has a harder time deciding, but finally decides on the cookies and the chips. Great. Doesn't it just figure that they would pick the four most unhealthy items out of the selection in the pantry? I wouldn't have minded it so much if Charmy had wanted snack mix and tortilla chips!

Deciding not to let the food situation bother me too much, I step nimbly over to the closet and retrieve a woven basket and a checkered blanket from within it. I hold the basket out and let Charmy and Vector dump their food into it. I start to step towards the door when Vector takes the basket from me.

"Let me carry it, Esp!" the big crocodile suggests. "It's gotta be pretty darn heavy."

"Thank you, Vector," I reply gratefully since my arms are still sore from when I had to drag the jewel detector around the other day.

The three of us step outside and are immediately greeted with a face full of bright sunlight. Despite the fact that the scorching hot sun will dry my scales out, I welcome the warmth for now and tilt my face upwards towards its brilliant glare. Charmy starts humming as we start down the sidewalk. Vector absentmindedly bobs his head up and down as he jams to his music from next to me.

As the three of us stride along, I start thinking more about Vector's recent behavior towards me. Ever since the night I went out to steal the jewel detector, he's been acting differently towards me. I haven't been able to figure out why though. Try as I might, not one single reason for Vector's odd behavior pops into my head. The only conclusion I can reach is the fact that Vector really does cherish my friendship as much as he says he does. When I look into Vector's eyes, I can tell he's not hiding anything from me. Unlike myself who's had to suppress several emotions from months of abuse, Vector wears his feelings on his sleeve. I'm so glad I finally have a friend in him. It no longer matters to me whether he's a bit slow-witted and clumsy. He cares about me and that's what I've always wanted; someone who cares and likes me for _me_.

"I just love picnics!" Charmy exclaims, cutting through my thoughts. "Do you know why, Espio?"

"No, I don't know why," I reply, glancing over at him curiously. "Why, Charmy?"

"Because they're so much fun!" Charmy yells out enthusiastically, causing several hedgehogs walking down the street to glance in our direction. They merely smile at Charmy and then continue on their way. Charmy, unaware of the curious gazes he's drawing to our threesome, continues on in his same boisterous voice, "What's even better is that, you, me, and Vector are going on it together!"

"That does make it special," I agree with a small smile in Charmy's direction.

Charmy grins at me and grabs my hand happily, swinging it back and forth as we continue on to the park. Although he can't hear our conversation with his loud music banging in his ears, Vector glances over us a moment later and notices Charmy and me holding hands. I'm staring straight ahead of myself when I suddenly feel a strong, firm hand grasp my free one. Confused, I glance over in Vector's direction, wondering what he's doing.

"Um, Vector?" I ask a bit awkwardly, a faint blush crossing my cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"Er...nothin'," Vector replies, blushing tomato red and immediately dropping my hand.

For some reason, I feel almost disappointed when Vector drops my hand. Still though, I can't have him holding my hand in public! I know he doesn't mean anything by it, but anyone looking at us will assume the worst - that we're a couple. I certainly can't have that!

The three of us arrive at the park a few minutes later. I sigh happily, feeling much more at peace in the calm park than on the busy streets. Luckily, it's the perfect day for a picnic. The sky is blue and shows no signs of rain and a very gentle breeze keeps us from getting too hot. What's even nicer is the fact that the park is mostly empty. The only other figure in the park is a female fox sitting and reading under a tree on the far side of the park.

"What should we do first?" I ask Charmy and Vector, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Let's eat!" Vector exclaims loudly. "I'm starving!"

"When are you not starving?" I point out dryly even though I don't protest and start setting out the picnic blanket.

Five minutes later, the three of us are sitting on the picnic blanket and are crunching on pickles, cookies, and candy. I'm certain it's rather obvious who is eating what. Vector is attacking the cookies ravenously, Charmy is shoving candy into his mouth as fast as he can, and I'm the healthy one eating the pickles.

"You know," Charmy points out through a mouthful of candy. "It's almost like we_ are_a family! Having you two around is just like having parents really."

"Heh, ya think so?" Vector asks before puffing out his chest and elbowing me gently, adding, "We're better than havin' parents though, aren't we, Esp?"

"Well, I do try my best to take care of Charmy," I point out modestly, still not very good at taking compliments or praise of any sort.

"I think you two could be my parents! Well, if you were bees I mean," Charmy says as he realizes his logic failure.

Vector laughs aloud, spraying cookie crumbs all over. A few land on my knee. I send him a slightly disgruntled look and brush them off of my shiny purple scales before nibbling lightly at my pickle. I practically spit it out a moment later when Vector smirks and adds, "Espio makes a good mother, doesn't he, Charm?"

"Um..." Charmy shrugs his shoulders sheepishly, deciding not to answer that question.

Shooting Vector an annoyed look, I stick my nose up in the air and reply, "I'm just as male as you are! Just because my scales happen to be purple does not mean anything about my gender!"

"Oh, Esp, don't take everything so seriously," Vector rolls his eyes, suddenly leaning over and wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he drags me across the blanket towards him so that I'm leaning up against his side. Giving my shoulder a light cuff, Vector adds, "We're just teasin' yeh a bit. Ya know we still love ya."

I'm a little taken back at the comment, so I say nothing. Love? What is it? Do friends love each other? I suppose so. I've never figured out the definition of love even after hours of thinking about it as I lay on my back in the little bedroom in my mother's house that had become a nightmarish pit for me.

"I know what yer problem is! Yeh just need to sweeten up a bit and I know the perfect remedy for that!" Vector states triumphantly. I give him a wary glance as he reaches across the red and white checkered blanket and picks up one of the small chocolates from inside the bag. He holds it in front of my mouth and says, "Open up, Esp!"

I frown and open my mouth, about to explain how chocolate is bad for the body and the negative consequences that come from eating it. Unfortunately, I don't get to discuss the downfalls of chocolate. When I open my mouth, Vector crams the chocolate between my lips, forcing me to chew the sweet and glare at him the whole time.

After I finish chewing, Vector asks, "What did ya think? Yeh can't tell me ya hated it because nobody hates chocolate!"

I hesitate. The chocolate actually didn't taste that bad. It was rather good. The only reason I have an aversion to eating it is because it's so unhealthy for you. Reluctantly, I admit, "I suppose the chocolate wasn't that bad."

"Oh, c'mon! Ya know yeh loved it," Vector rolls his eyes at me.

"I wouldn't go that far," I reply, holding up a hand in warning. "Just because I said that I-"

Before I can finish my sentence, Vector interrupts me by popping another chocolate between my parted lips, adding, "Here, have another one! We're gonna sweeten ya up yet!"

Not really that upset, I send Vector a mock grimace and poke his scaly side, mumbling between a full mouth, "You bastard! You better watch out because I'm going to get you back for this."

"Heh, hit me with yer best shot then," Vector replies, sending me a snarky smile as he tightens his arm around my shoulders. That's when a strange thought occurs to me. Is Vector actually _flirting _with me?

* * *

_Espio has a good question there! Do you think Vector is trying to flirt with him? Review please! :)  
_


	28. Volleyball Vicissitude

**Saints-Fan-12: I'm with you on that one. Vector is kind of a flirt, lol! And don't worry, we all do that. It causes drama! Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I definitely agree with you! Your predictions are usually right, so I think you know what that means. ;P I'm glad you'll be getting your computer back soon! That's great news. I don't think I could live without my computer. And aw, I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one too! :)  
**

**Mormar1: Hehe, is there anything in particular you want Vector to do? ;P I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Aw, thanks! And yup, of course! Hehe, you know my whole story plot since we talk about it so much. xD Esp is too feminine not to be considered the mother. xD And of course not! That will never happen! Friends forever, right? Okay, so I've been crossing my fingers that by the time you read this, you will finally feel better. How are you feeling now? *hugs*  
**

**LuluCalliope: I guess that's the nice thing about fiction. You can pair up whoever you want. And lol, I'm sure Charmy is the one who eats all the sweets in the pantry. I don't see Espio eating them either. xD Thank you for reading!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, that's so nice to hear! Cuteness ftw! ^^ And hehe, yeah, they're family Chaotix now in my book. Vector and Espio are the perfect parents for Charmy in my opinion. You're totally right; nobody can blame Vex for flirting with Esp. I know I would be flirting with him if I was Vector, hehe! Thank you so much for the great review! :D  
**

**Alicia: *hugs* Yes, we definitely will! Everything we do will be fun if we're together!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Very cute! I love flirty Vector and flirty Espio. What a cute couple they will make if they ever get together. xD Haha, yeah, Esp is acting as if chocolate is poison! It's too sweet for me, but I think Esp could use some sweetening up. Oh my god, the exact same thing happens with me. I am always going on about Sonic and I don't think my friends understand what I'm talking about half the time because of it. *holds up a Team Vecpio flag and hands one to you* Hehe! Hm...I became a Vecpio fan after watching the cutscenes for Sonic Heroes on youtube for the first time. I remember thinking how cute of a couple Vector and Esp would make. After that, I got online and searched them as a couple and found a few pics of them and that was enough to make me an official fan! I think I first became a Sonic yaoi fan because I don't really like any of the Sonic females. xD How about you? Thanks for the review! ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXVIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

As soon as the rather disturbing thought enters my head, I try to push it aside. Of course Vector is not flirting with me! I'm just being extremely paranoid as usual and am misinterpreting his snarky sense of humor. Still though, I could have sworn for a moment that the way he had been looking at me had been a bit more than friendly. Suddenly feeling distraught, I stiffen with Vector's arm still around me and edge away, needing my distance. Vector immediately pulls his arm aside, respecting my need for space. I send him a grateful look, still unsure whether or not I'm over-thinking this.

_Of course _I'm just over-thinking this! After all, Vector is a ladies' man. He has Vanilla's interest and is clearly infatuated with her. Most likely, the two of them will be going on another date in a few days. Then again, now that I think about it, I remember that Vector didn't seem all that interested in Miss Vanilla during the movie and dinner date. That's my fault for intentionally stealing her attention away from him though. No wonder he was bored. Feeling a little guilty, I tug on a small patch of grass next to me and tear off a few green blades.

Charmy is telling Vector about - no surprise here - his video games and so I'm allowed to stay out of the conversation and continue mulling over my own thoughts. It would be very strange if Vector was flirting with me. Actually, "strange" is probably not the word I'm looking for. I wrack my brain for a better word, but come up with nothing. Could the large, masculine crocodile actually have some interest in me? The way he presented the glass bowl to me earlier and the way he told me how much I mean to him not as just a member of Team Chaotix but also as a friend might hint to something more.

My insides churn uncomfortably and I stop reaching for another pickle with my hand extended in midair. I place the hand on my lap with my other one and shoot Vector a long, sideways look. He's laughing at something Charmy is saying. I should be sickened at the thought of Vector trying to flirt with me, but strangely enough, I'm not.

I lean against the rugged bark on the trunk of the tree behind me and continue observing Charmy and Vector. I've never really considered my sexuality before up to this point. After Bryce showed me that a relationship was about nothing more than sex, rape, and abuse, I vowed never to get into another relationship and have viewed myself as asexual ever since.

Would it be wrong of me to try flirting back with Vector? I'm certainly not saying that I like him or have any feelings for him whatsoever. I'm against any sort of relationship whether it is homosexual or heterosexual. I just want to find out if Vector is really coming onto me or not.

As if he senses my gaze on him, Vector chooses this minute to look over at me. Our eyes meet and I'm the one to blush and turn away, glad that Vector doesn't have access to my thoughts. If this is all just a misunderstanding, he would probably think I'm nothing more than a sick pervert to be wondering about whether or not he's flirting with me and...

Damn, I really _am _over-thinking this, aren't I? I tell myself that it doesn't matter whether Vector is flirting with me or not. I am staying out of relationships and that's all there is to it. Giving myself a firm nod, I flick my eyes back over in Vector's direction. He's still looking at me. When we lock gazes, Vector sends me a toothy grin.

"Are you two finished eating?" I ask, glancing away from Vector before anything gets any more awkward. I hate the fact that I'm blushing now whenever he looks at me and please someone tell me why my pulse quickens whenever I'm too close to the large reptile.

"Yeah, I'm stuffed!" Vector exclaims. "'Course, the cookies in the bag weren't near as good as yer homemade cookies, Esp."

"Mine aren't very good," I reply modestly as I glance over at the empty wrappers and bags lying scattered across the checkered picnic blanket. Picking one up, I shake it upsi-down. A few crumbs fall out of it and land on the picnic blanket. Sending Vector and Charmy an incredulous look, I exclaim, "Did the two of you really eat all this food?"

Charmy and Vector exchange glances and look at the ground sheepishly. Charmy admits, "Well, we were hungry..."

"Not hungry. We were famished!" Vector nods resolutely.

"Hmph. Well, don't come whining to me when you both end up with stomachaches," I reply sternly, folding my arms across my chest and still wondering how just a little bee and a crocodile can possibly eat so much food in the matter of minutes. Suddenly, I glance down and notice a trail of ants climbing across my picnic blanket! Glaring at them, I wave a hand in their direction and mutter, "I dislike ants on a clean blanket. They always end up in the house."

"Don't yeh worry, Esp! I'll save ya from the ants!" Vector exclaims, looking around wildly and grabbing a rock next to him.

"Vector, this really isn't necessary..." I start to say.

Too late. Vector is already crushing the ants on the blanket with the rock. Charmy giggles and cheers him on while I flinch and look away. Vector finishes squishing all the ants and then turns to me triumphantly, adding, "See? No more ants. Guess ya won't have to worry about them infesting yer house after all!"

"I suppose so. There might have been a less violent way to rid the blanket of them, but thank you anyways," I admit wryly.

"Aw, that's our Espio. He's always lookin' out fer the best of everyone - even ants!" Vector murmurs fondly.

"Well, not exactly," I protest, feeling like the center of attention again. "I just don't support violence unless something or someone is evil. Then it must die."

Charmy yawns, obviously finding the banter between Vector and myself extremely boring. He gets up from where he's sitting on the blanket and starts hovering midair as he complains, "I'm bored. Let's do something. Wanna play volleyball now? There's a net right over there to our left. See it?"

Vector and I turn and face the direction of Charmy's finger. Sure enough, there is a volleyball net within a few yards of us. I perk up at the chance to move around and show off my ninja quick reflexes. Vector, on the other hand, does not share my enthusiasm. He groans and mutters, "Charmy, we just ate!"

"You're not getting out of this one," I tell Vector, reaching down and pulling on his arm. "You have to help me take on Charmy. He's definitely at an advantage since he can fly."

"Fine," Vector grunts, allowing me to tug him to his feet and lead him across the soft grass to the volleyball net. Charmy is already on the other side of the net and has picked up the volleyball that was lying at the base of the net. He tosses it above his head and then catches it again while sending us an impatient look.

I'm not particularly good at playing volleyball. In fact, I haven't played it more than once or twice. However, my natural skills and abilities are enough to give me an advantage when it comes to this particular sport. Chameleons are prideful creatures in general and although I've lost a lot of self respect for myself, I like to show off my skills whenever I have the chance to display them. Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Vector is watching me right now. Certainly not!

"You guys are so slow," Charmy whines when Vector and I finally reach the volleyball net. "Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are," I reply, taking a stand at the right side of the net while Vector stands towards the left of the net. I brace myself for Charmy's first serve and prepare to run and dive all over the place to keep the ball from hitting the ground. Something tells me that Vector is not going to be too helpful when it comes to this game.

"Alright! Here it comes!" Charmy shouts enthusiastically before he sends the ball up and over the net.

Thankfully, the ball is sent in my direction and I have an easy time jumping up into the air and batting the ball right back to Charmy. Although Vector makes quite a scene running around clumsily and trying to throw himself at the ball, the entire volleyball match mainly consists of an ongoing battle between Charmy and myself. Typically, I let Charmy skunk me, but today, I put up more of a fight and do my best to keep the team composed of Vector and myself not too far behind Charmy when it comes to points.

"Espio, you've really improved!" Charmy compliments me randomly as I manage to score on him once again.

Panting, I give him a half-smile. We're already at game point, but I feel as if I've done a rather good job considering the fact that Vector is being more amusing than helpful. Speaking of Vector, I see him eying me rather closely at the moment. I quickly turn away from him and wait for the next ball. It's a very warm day outside and I'm sweating heavily. After this, a nice cold drink of water will be welcome.

Charmy sends the ball flying over the net. I jump up to get it, and at the same time, accidentally lose my white glove. It slides over my hand, probably because of the sweat, and lands somewhere on the ground. Forgetting about the ball, I glance down and search the ground for it. Smack! Something hard slams into my head and I'm sent falling to the ground.

"Ooph," I grunt as I thud against the hard ground. It was stupid of me to forget about the ball and to search for the glove instead. I deserved to get hit on the head.

"Esp! Are yeh alright?" Vector's concerned voice sounds from next to me.

Flinching at the sudden burst of pain that fires up in my ankle when I try to move, I slowly ease myself into a sitting position and brush the dirt off of my sweaty body, replying, "I think so. It was just a short fall. I'll be just fine."

"Ya landed pretty hard," Vector protests, sending me a dubious look. "Here's yer glove. I'll put it on for ya. Give me yer hand."

Too stunned from the fall to insist that I can put my glove on by myself, I hold out my hand palm up and wait for Vector to slip it over my hand. When nothing happens, I glance upwards to find Vector sending me a look of disgust and horror. My heartbeat immediately quickens and I wonder what he's looking at me like this for. I follow his gaze and cringe as I see what he's staring at. The mangled, scarred flesh of my wrist looks worse than usual in the sunlight. I turn my hand to conceal the scarring, but it's too late. The damage has been done.

Reaching forwards and seizing my hand once more so he can get a better look at it, Vector glances from whitish pink scars to my face and asks in a shocked voice, "What the hell happened to yeh, Esp? Don't ya try and tell me yeh were born with 'em. I might not be the brightest croc, but I ain't _that _stupid."

"It's nothing," I attempt to change the subject and pull my hand out of Vector's tight grip. Unfortunately, there is no winning when a large four-hundred pound crocodile has your wrist in a firm grasp.

"Don't say it's nothin' cuz it's clearly somethin'!" Vector frowns, forcing my palm up so he can stare at the marks once again. "How did this happen?"

I try and come up with a lie, but my head is still muddled from my fall. All I can think of is the excuse I told Charmy about accidentally burning myself. Unfortunately, I can already tell that Vector isn't going to believe that. I send him a pleading look and press, "Please just let it go. Nothing happened."

"Clearly somethin' happened!" Vector snaps angrily. "Why won't yeh just tell me what?"

For a moment, I consider telling Vector about what Bryce did to me. I'll never tell him I was raped, but I could tell him I was abused in other ways. ...No, I can't do that. It will make me seem weak, and for some reason, appearing weak in Vector's eyes is something I don't want.

"I'm fine. Now please don't make a scene," I speak in a quiet voice, trying to get Vector to do the same.

Unfortunately, Vector does not take the hint. The volume of his voice only increases as he nods at my wrist and presses, "This is nasty, Esp!"

I feel as if I've just been smacked in the face by another volleyball, except that this time, it hurts worse than before. Nobody has told me that my body is disgusting since Bryce tried to drown me with insults months earlier. I can't believe that Vector of all people practically just told me I'm repulsive!

Turning my head away from him so he can't see the hurt in my eyes, I state in a cold voice, "If you find me disgusting, you don't have to be my friend. I never asked for more than a teammate from you."

"Espio..." Vector says my voice in a much gentler voice. I dare to glance back over at him, distrust in my eyes. Vector sends me a caring look as he strokes the scars on my wrist with light fingertips and replies, "Ya know that's not what I meant. I only care fer yeh, that's all. I wish yeh would tell me what happened. It bothers me that ya don't trust me."

Just then, Charmy flies up and interrupts the tender moment between Vector and myself, exclaiming, "Are you okay, Espio? That was a long fall."

"I'm fine, thank you," I reply, trying to pull my walls back up around myself before I tell Vector something I'll regret later. Sending him an imploring glance, I add, "Vector here was just helping me find my glove."

"Er...right," Vector agrees, tossing me back the glove.

"Oh, okay. I think I've had enough volleyball for one day. Let's go back to the blanket!" Charmy suggests, waving us after him.

I pull my glove on quickly and start after Charmy. Even without glancing to my right, I can sense Vector's eyes on me. When I do finally meet his gaze, he's giving me a hard look. I have a feeling that he's not about to let the subject of what really happened to me drop anytime soon. I sigh and look away from him. Perhaps I will tell Vector what happened...someday.

* * *

_Aw, Espio still doesn't trust Vector. Who thinks he's going to eventually tell Vector what really happened to him? Review please! :)  
_


	29. Crucial Decisions

**Saints-Fan-12: That's good advice for Espio! I agree that it will hurt, but it will make him feel better in the long run. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^^ Well, your predictions are usually correct, so I'd say it's very likely that Espio will tell Vector the truth at some point. :) Thank you so much for reading this!  
**

**Mormar1: Haha, I totally agree with you! It would be awesome if Vector gave Bryce what he deserves. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: I know! It's about time he tell Vector already. Oh yes, of course you're not showing off for Vector, Espio. xD He's definitely not over-thinking it. You know, I think Esp should think about Vector even more. *nods* Yay, I'm glad you weren't feeling as bad when you read this last. How are you feeling now? Did it go okay with your friend at school?  
**

**zgirl16: Don't worry about it! My internet acts funky a lot of the time. xD Is yours working okay now? I'm so glad you liked the last few chapters! Oh, and I completely understand. December is a busy time of year what with the holidays and all that. :)  
**

**LuluCalliope: Hehe, it is a fun word to use! I found it by looking at the online thesaurus. xD Sorry we couldn't talk on skype today. I had to work a lot on history homework. Maybe we can skype tomorrow though? And yup! It sounds like Charmy and Esp are both good at sports. Maybe I should take some lessons from them, lol. Thank you for reading!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yeah, I agree! It's so obvious that Vector cares for Esp. Espio really should have told him what happened to him ages ago. It's taken Espio so long to warm up to Vector, hasn't it? :P Hehe, Espio can try to deny the truth all he likes, but we all know he's falling for the croc! That was my favorite part as well at the end of the last chapter. I hope you like this one!  
**

**Alicia: *huggles* Btw, I'm fine, I was just doing homework earlier and that's why I couldn't get on skype. I tried sketching by the way and my drawing turned out so bad...xD  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I think you answered Espio's question correctly! xD And yeah, I agree. Vector is extremely pushy and never tends to let stuff go. *dances around with the Vecpio flag too* Hehe, Vecpio fans forever! That's awesome about how your brothers turned you into a Sonic yaoi fan. It's funny how they were trying to creep you out at first though. I think Sonadow must be the most popular yaoi pairing. What do you think? Oh god, yes, I agree with you about the girls! I actually sort of like Wave too, but everyone else is horribly annoying! This is going to sound silly, but I became a Sonic fan from playing Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. I kept using Vector and Shadow and I thought they were pretty cool characters. Then I got online and started watching Sonic videos, reading Sonic fics, and looking at Sonic art. My obsession was born that way. ;P How about yours?  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The three of us slowly make our way back to the picnic blanket, neither of us particularly in a hurry on this lazy afternoon. Once we reach the picnic blanket, I carefully sit down against the tree and tuck my legs neatly underneath me. Luckily, my fall wasn't too hard bad and I wasn't injured. The only things I do have are a few bruises and sore muscles. Then again, when are my muscles _not _sore? With Team Chaotix having me lug around heavy jewel detectors and breaking into stores, it'll be a miracle if I ever recover fully.

"I'm beat!" Vector exclaims, plopping down on the ground extremely close to me. He seems to take a long sniff before adding, "Think I'm gonna take a nap."

With that said, Vector leans on the trunk of the tree inches from me, still breathing deeply. I sniff the air, but don't smell anything other than my own sweaty body. Hoping that Vector isn't smelling me, I shift uncomfortably and lean away from him slightly as I pluck up my book and flip it open to a random page, asking Charmy, "What are you going to do now, Charmy? I think I'll read for a bit."

"Uh, I'm not sure," Charmy replies, shrugging his little shoulders. He scans the park for a few seconds before his eyes suddenly light up and he exclaims, "Oh look! There's Cream!"

Glancing up from my book, I notice that the young cream-colored rabbit with large brown eyes has indeed entered the park. Smiling at Charmy's enthusiasm, I return to my book and murmur, "You may go play with her if you want. I'll just be here reading and it doesn't look like Vector is going anywhere anytime soon."

Charmy glances down at the snoring crocodile propped up against the tree by my side and giggles, "Yeah, I think you're right. See you in a while, Espio!"

I watch the little bee fly off to greet his friend. The two of them chat animatedly for a few minutes before running and flying off into the distance. An absentminded smile crosses my lips as the two become little specks. The friendship between Cream and Charmy is so innocent and uncomplicated. If only all friendships could be like that. The only easy relationship I've ever had in my life is the relationship between Charmy and myself. With my mother and grandmother, things were always complicated. Things with Bryce were downright abusive. I had hoped that things between Vector and myself would stay black and white, but it seems as if things are slowly turning gray.

Thinking of Vector causes me to turn and watch the sleeping crocodile snoring loudly from next to me. I watch his hard, scaly chest rise and fall. His tail flicks restlessly from side to side as he sleeps. I wonder if he's dreaming about something. If so, what are his fantasies full of? Vanilla perhaps?

Typically, I can concentrate on reading despite noise surrounding me. Not today though. Vector's snores are enough to keep my head on anything but the text I'm trying to read. I read the same line over three times in a row and still don't know what it says. Sighing, I set the book aside and decide to think things through.

The most pressing matter on my mind is the question of whether or not I should tell Vector about Bryce. It used to be so easy to lie to Vector about my cousin. Excuses would naturally pour out of my mouth to avert the large reptile from the truth. Now, things seems to be changing. I can't lie to Vector like I used to be able to do without a second thought. Even though I know it's for the good of everyone, I can't meet Vector's concerned vermilion eyes and tell him that I haven't been hurt in the past.

I shift agitatedly against the tree, weighing the consequences of telling Vector about Bryce. If I don't tell him, Vector will continue pressing me on the matter. He's a very pushy crocodile and I know that he's not going to let this go until I tell him about Bryce at some point. Also, if I continue to keep this secret from my friend, I'll continue to feel guilty and almost awkward around Vector. I've always had a very strong sense of right and wrong. Clearly, lying is wrong.

On the other hand, what if I do happen to choose to tell Vector about the red-eyed chameleon? I will never tell anyone about being raped because that is far too humiliating to even admit to myself, but I could just give Vector the brief overview of what happened between my cousin and myself. Vector will listen and hopefully understand. I will no longer have to suppress the guilt of lying to him somewhere within me and I'll finally have a heavy weight lifted off of my shoulders. As selfish as it seems, I do want to tell someone about what happened. I don't feel as if I can ever get past the pain all by myself. I need Vector to help me through it. He's helped me quite a bit already. I've been less depressed and have actually had fun in the last few days.

I spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about which decision to make. Finally, I decide on telling Vector the truth. I'm not exactly sure when the matter will come up next, but if Charmy is absent, I will take a chance and tell Vector the truth. As soon as my decision is made, I feel happier. It's as if an unknown spirit is telling me that I'm making the right choice.

Seeing that the sky is starting to darken, I scan the horizon for Charmy and Cream. Instead, I find myself looking at a larger version of Cream wearing a long dress and holding several beautiful flowers in her hands. I accidentally catch Vanilla's eye. She smiles and starts over towards me.

"Hello, Espio," Vanilla greets me politely in her kind, motherly voice. She stops directly in front of the tree Vector and I are leaning against and murmurs, "It was a lovely day today, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was," I agree evenly. "I'd say Vector would say so too considering the fact that he's been sleeping for the last three hours."

Vanilla laughs a delicate laugh and murmurs, "I brought him some flowers, but I suppose I shouldn't wake him since he's sleeping. Perhaps you could give them to him when he wakes?"

Startled, I blink rapidly twice in a row as I glance from the flowers in Vanilla's hand to the sleeping crocodile next to me. I would never have guessed that the quiet, reserved rabbit picked flowers for loud, boisterous Vector! Perhaps their relationship has more potential than I realized.

Before I can reply to Vanilla, Vector suddenly jerks up and looks around sleepily. His gaze slides right past Vanilla and me before he suddenly whips his eyes back to Vanilla. Rapidly trying to compose himself, Vector sits up straight, adjusts the heavy golden chain around his neck, and gives Vanilla a dashing smile as he says, "Fine afternoon, isn't it, ma'am?"

"Yes," Vanilla nods, a smile lighting up her delicate features as Vector sends her one of his nicest smiles. She leans down and blushes slightly as she presents him with the flowers, murmuring, "I picked these for you. Perhaps you can put them in a vase in your home?"

I know that Vector typically would care less about decorating his messy apartment room, but flowers from Miss Vanilla are not a usual thing. Looking flattered, Vector reaches out and takes the bouquet from Vanilla before reaching out and tucking one of the flowers behind her ear, murmuring in a husky voice, "Thank you very much, ma'am. I'll put 'em in a vase on my nightstand and think of yeh every time I look at 'em!"

Vanilla beams and replies, "I'm very glad you like them."

There's a pause during which I can practically see the wheels in Vector's head spinning around in circles. Looking up at Vanilla, he asks, "How would ya like to go to the beach with me on Saturday?"

"I would love that, Vector," Vanilla replies in her calm voice although I can tell from the sparkle in her eyes that she's excited for this date. "The beach is one of my favorite places to go! I suppose I'd better go collect Cream. I will see you at the beach on Saturday! Goodbye, you two."

"Bye, Miss Vanilla!" Vector replies, waving vehemently at Vanilla as she takes a step backwards. "Thanks again fer the flowers!"

As I glance between Vector and Vanilla, I suddenly realize how idiotic it was of me to think that Vector may have been flirting with me earlier. Of course he wasn't. Vector is in love with Vanilla, a beautiful female rabbit. It was silly of me to even consider the possibility that Vector might see something in a worthless, scarred chameleon.

"She sure is somethin', isn't she?" Vector asks me as Vanilla disappears from view.

"Vanilla seems very nice, yes," I reply, not sure whether to be relieved or not about realizing that Vector had not been making any moves on me earlier. He's just a touchy-feely person. Some people are like that by nature. I need to stop overreacting to every little thing.

Luckily, Charmy saves me from having to hear more about Vanilla. He flies up to us slowly, eyes droopy. Not bothering to conceal a yawn, he tells us, "I'm tired."

"I can see that, Charmy," I reply with an amused smile. "Perhaps it's time for us to start packing up."

I force myself to my feet and start meticulously folding up the picnic blanket. Vector stares off into the distance, being extremely unhelpful as he daydreams. Charmy is also too tired to give me a hand and so I clean up the entire area by myself. I don't complain, but once everything is packed, I hold the woven basket out for Vector to carry. Vector takes it without comment and the three of us start back to my home.

By the time we reach the cozy little house, it's dark outside and all three of us are tired. I slowly take out my key from inside of my glove and unlock the door. The three of us spill inside. I take the basket back to Vector and start to the kitchen, explaining, "I'll go put these things away now."

Vector and Charmy drop into chairs surrounding the kitchen table. I roll my eyes at them and enter the kitchen. To my surprise, a frozen pizza box is sitting out on the counter. Frowning, I open up the box and note that the pizza is certainly not frozen at this point Wondering how the pizza got from the freezer to the counter, I return to the kitchen table and ask my two fatigued teammates, "Do either of you know anything about the pizza box sitting out on the counter?"

Vector gives me a blank look before he suddenly looks guilty and admits, "Er...yeah. I did that. I thought we might get home late from the park and need somethin' ta eat."

I'll admit that I'm just a bit hungry, but I'd be surprised if Vector and Charmy are hungry again after their large meal earlier. Raising an eyebrow at them, I ask, "Do you want to eat now?"

"Sure!" Vector nods immediately before turning to the little bee and asking, "What do you think, Charm?"

"There's always room for pizza!" Charmy echoes Vector, no longer looking so tired.

"Alright then," I sigh, shaking my head incredulously. "I'll go get us some pizza."

I return to the kitchen and whip out some plates and napkins as quickly as I can. Even though the pizza is no longer frozen, it appears slightly soggy. I put a few slices on three plates and take turns heating them up in the microwave. Afterwards, I fill three glasses with water since there is no way I'm letting Charmy have soda after all the treats he devoured earlier, no thanks to Vector's encouragement. Pizza, napkins, and glasses in my arms, I return to the table.

"Thanks, Esp," Vector says as he takes his plate of pizza from my outstretched hand and immediately starts gobbling his slices down.

I perch on a chair between Charmy and Vector and eat my pizza slowly. The three of us aren't very talkative tonight due to the fact that it's been a long day and we're all rather tired. Suddenly, completely out of the blue, Vector looks over and asks me, "Do ya still wear makeup, Esp?"

I practically choke on my water and ask in shock, "What?"

Charmy, who's been half-asleep during this whole conversation, suddenly perks up. I have no idea what Vector is talking about, but I'm getting a very bad feeling about this. Vector blinks at me and adds reasonably, "It's nothin' to be ashamed off. I just happened to see ya wearin' makeup in a picture and so-"

"Espio was wearing _makeup_?!" Charmy cuts in, eyes as wide as saucers.

Suddenly, everything falls into place. There's only one picture of me wearing makeup. It's a photograph I keep hidden in my drawer away from prying eyes. Embarrassment and anger ripples through my body. Sending Vector a deadly glare, I state in a dangerous voice, "You went through all my drawers, didn't you?"

"I...uh..." Vector stammers, not at all a good liar.

"Why were you wearing makeup?" Charmy asks, still staring at me as if I'm from another planet.

I glance between the crocodile and the bee and really just can't take this anymore. Trying to keep my cool, I stand up abruptly from the table and state, "I will be right back."

Before anyone can stop me, I slip out of the room and into my bedroom. I close the door firmly behind me and go straight to my drawer. I take the old photograph out of it and retreat to my bed. Leaning up against the pillow, I glance at the picture, old memories flooding through my head. The bedroom disappears and I'm suddenly somewhere very different.

_I'm lying on the bed as usual, but this time I'm asleep when I feel something caress my eyelids. After a long night of brutal fucking, my limbs are as useful as jelly and pains spasm throughout my entire body. However, I manage to open my eyes just a crack to see what Bryce is doing to me. To my surprise, he has a set of fake eyelashes and a container of eyeshadow next to him. It appears as if he's in the process of putting those awful things on me._

_ Annoyed, I immediately try to turn away and inch my beaten body away from the black chameleon. A tight hand grabs my throat and smashes me back down against the bed. I'm forced to stare up at Bryce through a veil of red as he chokes me, muttering, "I treat you pretty damn well, Espio. Can't you just cooperate with me for once?"_

_ I can't breathe. Bryce's face is starting to swim in and out of focus. Strangely enough, I find that I do not fear death. In fact, I welcome it with open arms. If Bryce suffocates me here and now, I will never have to put up with his abuse ever again. I close my eyes and wait for the eternal peace I desire so much._

_ ...It doesn't come. Instead, Bryce releases my throat at the last moment and asks, "Are you going to behave now, slave?"_

_I don't answer, but don't make any more moves to resist my cousin as he finishes decorating me just the way he wants. When he's done, Bryce steps back from the bed and looks at my broken body lying limply on the bed. It's been weeks since he first started abusing me. I can't take much more than me._

_ "Nice," Bryce smirks, grabbing my arm roughly and pulling me off of the bed and onto the floor. "Just the effect I was looking for."_

_As soon as I'm on the floor, my knees give way and I fall to the ground. My cheeks flush at how weak my body is and I try to get back up. Bryce's rough hands shove my shoulders back down and he grabs my head, pulling it towards his crotch as he murmurs maliciously, "No, just stay down there and put yourself to use."_

_ My pulse quickens as I suddenly realize what Bryce wants me to do. Gazing up at him with wide, eyes, I stammer in a croaking voice, "You...you can't really mean this..."_

_Bryce has did unthinkable things to me, but he's never forced me to do anything this degrading before. Unfortunately, I soon find out that he is being serious._

_ "'Course I'm serious. What did you think? That I'm joking with you?" Bryce asks, grabbing the horn on my head, which is surprisingly sensitive, and forcing my head back down as he replies, "Just be grateful that I haven't invited my gang over and let them take turns with you yet. Now be a good little whore, Espio. That's all you are - my pretty little slut. Now suck it."_

_ I have no choice. I'm too weak to fight, too emotionally beat to resist. Taking a shuddering breath, I lean forwards and part my lips..._

Creak! The door to my bedroom opens, sending the vivid memory flying out of my head. I find myself on my very own bed again, staring at the picture in my lap. I know without having to look that it's Vector in the doorway. Heavy footsteps sound from behind me.

Suddenly, a comforting hand is placed on my shoulder and Vector says hesitantly, "Look, Esp, I know yer hidin' something. Yeh probably think I'm just a nosy 'ol croc by now, but that ain't true. I care fer ya and I gotta know what's going on. Please tell me. I'm here ta listen."

* * *

_Poor Esp! Do you think he'll ever be able to get over his past? Review please! :)  
_


	30. Bitter Truths

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, okay, you can leave me in charge of burying him. xD And yup! Vector can help Esp if Esp will only let him. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I'm so happy that you got your computer back! *parties* I bet you're really happy to have it back, huh? I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! Pizza is Vector's favorite food. xD And aw, thanks! You're very sweet for saying that. I hope you have a great weekend! I love the weekend. How about you? :)  
**

**Mormar1: I feel bad for him too! He's had such an awful life. Thanks so much for reviewing!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Vector always says all the wrong things at the wrong times, doesn't he? *shakes head at Vector* Oh well, it's worth it if he can get the truth out of Espio, right? And yes! Espio does seem pretty jealous of Vanilla although he doesn't know why. xD Don't apologize for the note! I love talking to you! And aw, you don't have to thank me. Thank YOU for being such an amazing friend. *huggles*  
**

**zgirl16: Hehe, well, you'll find out in this chapter whether or not Espio decides to tell! And yay, I'm happy you liked the chapter so much! The internet seems to be like that a lot, sadly. Happy Saturday! I hope you have a great weekend!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Yeah, Espio's cousin could fit the definition of sick. =/ Did you have a nice time with your grandparents? I hope so! And yay, it's Saturday. Congrats on uploading the first chapter with your group. :) Thank you for reading!  
**

**Guest: Thank you so much! Drama and angst are the easiest genres for me to write. xD  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yes, Vector definitely needs to stop drooling over Vanilla and pay attention to a certain little chameleon instead! I agree, it's awful feeling like that. I've had a few experiences where I've been left feeling like dirt and it really is awful. =/ I totally agree with you. Vector actually cares about Esp and he will listen and help him with his problems. Thank you so much for the review!  
**

**Alicia: Aw, thanks! I think I did decent on my test today! Yay! ^^  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, I love cliffhangers! I agree, Espio needs to just tell Vector the truth already. He should have told him about it ages ago. *hugs back* Yay for Vecpio! Wow, that's super cool about how you found a Sonic game at your great aunt's house! Is Sonic Adventure 2 your favorite game because it was the first one you played? (I think I remember you telling me that, but I may be wrong because I have a horrible memory xD) This site is great for helping us with our Sonic addictions! I don't think I could live without FF or deviant art anymore. Speaking of which, do you have a deviant art account? And it's okay about the questions! I'm so happy you're still reading this. ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I hesitate when I feel Vector's hand on my shoulder and hear his pleading words in my ear. It seems so odd that I might share my deepest secret with an abrasive, four-hundred-pound crocodile out of everyone in this world, but it appears as if this is exactly what I'm about to do. Taking a deep breath, I look over at Vector and raise my eyes to his. There's nothing but concern for me in Vector's stare. Not a trace of malice, ulterior motives, or pushiness can be seen there. Vector cares. He wants to know what happened to me because it hurts him to see me going through this sort of pain.

"Alright," I sigh, finally giving into Vector after holding back for weeks. I motion to the empty space on the bed next to me and offer, "You may sit down if you like."

I can feel the mattress shift as it lets out a protesting groan at Vector's weight. The bed springs let out several more annoyed squeaks as Vector settles himself down next to me and says, "Now tell me before ya reconsider, Esp! I've been tryin' to get ya to tell me about this fer weeks and all I've been gettin' are hard looks from yeh."

My eyes flick from Vector's face back down to the photograph in my hand. I can't bear to look at Vector while I get this out. Offering the photograph to Vector, I explain, "The black chameleon there isn't my brother. He's my cousin, Bryce. He moved in with my mother, grandmother, and myself when my aunt died last year."

"Uh...sorry 'bout that?" Vector replies questioningly, not knowing enough about Bryce yet to realize that him moving in with my family changed my life.

A hint of a wry smile crosses my lips as Vector tries to say the right thing. I don't comment on his statement and go on to explain, "Bryce is my opposite. He's hard, tough, and knows exactly how to get what he wants. Instead of using his strength to make the world a better place, he joined a gang, started doing drugs, and got drunk pretty much every night."

"Geez, Esp, that must have been really hard tryin' to live with someone like that," Vector murmurs apologetically. "Did he try to suck yeh into his gang?"

"No. He would never have allowed that. You see, I wasn't his equal. He viewed me as someone inferior him," I admit, taking a deep breath as I prepare to let Vector know the worst of my past. All in a rush, I add, "When Bryce came home angry and drunk at night, I was the one he would turn to. Whenever he needed a punching bag, I always seemed to be nearby. When Bryce had too much time on his hands, he would come up with more ways to...abuse me."

"Say..._what_?" Vector exclaims, vermilion eyes flying open wide as he registers what I've just said. Jamming a finger dubiously at the figure of the smirking black chameleon in the photo, Vector goes on, "Yeh mean to tell me that this son of a bitch is the reason why yer black and blue in this photo? He's the goddamn reason you've got all those scars on yer body?"

I flinch. The way Vector says it makes it sound worse than it really is for some reason. Already regretting telling him about this, I wrap my arms around myself almost protectively and reply succinctly, "Yes, but Vector? Listen to me. I'm not weak. I can fight and I will fight for freedom and against every evil thing in this world. Just because my cousin got the better of me when I was younger does not mean that I'm incapable of anything. All that happened is in the past. I'm stronger now. Don't think of me any differently than you did before I told you all this."

Vector gives me a confused look before he asks incredulously, "Wait, ya mean to say that yer worried I'm gonna think less of yeh because yer bastard of a cousin beat you up?"

I hang my head in shame and twist my hands around in my lap, my silence the answer to Vector's question.

"You really dunno me at all, do ya?" Vector asks almost sadly. He places a gently hand on my lower arm and says firmly, "It is not yer fault that yeh got beaten up! Yer cousin had no right to do any of that crap to yeh. Ya know what? I'm gonna go give him a taste of his own medicine!"

Face determined and eyes blazing, Vector gets up from the bed abruptly and starts marching towards the door as if he's going to go out and search every street in town until he finds Bryce. Terror seizes at my heart and I leap nimbly off of the bed before using my ninja quick reflexes to fly in front of Vector. I turn around to face him and block the doorway before seizing his wrist and pleading, "Vector, no! You can't go looking for Bryce. You don't understand...the things he did to me..."

I trail off, shuddering slightly as unwanted memories form graphic images in my head. There's me being pummeled into oblivion in the corner of the old bedroom, there's Bryce slamming my head between his thighs, and there's me chained up and trying my best to keep my cries to myself as Bryce touches me in unthinkable places and photographs me during the whole ordeal for his own sadistic pleasure. If Vector finds Bryce, hell will break loose for me. I don't doubt that my sick cousin isn't looking for me. The spirits of this world have protected me so far. To be quite honest, it's a miracle that I haven't run into him yet. Perhaps my luck is finally turning.

Vector comes to a halt and looks at me in confusion, adding, "Don't ya want me to give the bastard what he deserves?"

"Yes, but you beating Bryce up is not going to help either of us! The only thing that will help is if my cousin is put behind prison bars. That's the only way I'll ever feel safe. Otherwise, things such as you threatening him or beating him up will only make things worse. If Bryce realizes I still live around here, he will come searching for me," I reply, no doubt about this in my mind.

"Whaddya mean by that? How'd yeh get away from him?" Vector asks, still trying to put the pieces of my life story into a complete puzzle.

"I ran away," I say defiantly, trying to pull myself up to my very small height. "If I hadn't, he would have killed me, Vector. I'm not being dramatic. It's the truth. I couldn't have lived there for much longer."

"I believe ya, Esp. I believe yer every word. Yeh don't have to doubt me," Vector replies firmly. He looks like he's trying to think hard about something before he finally asks, "Are ya sure yeh don't want me to find yer cousin? Maybe I could frame him with somethin' that could lead to him bein' locked up. He sounds like a troublemaker doin' drugs and gettin' drunk all the time."

"No, please don't," I reply, my eyes on the floor again. "I...I just want to forget. I don't want to think about him anymore."

"Then don't," Vector supports me immediately. "Don't think of him. He's just a filthy criminal who doesn't deserve to know someone like you."

"Thank you," I say, feeling a bit better to hear Vector's reassuring words.

"Well, it's the truth! Nothin' but the goddamn truth," Vector repeats for emphasis, still looking as if he'd really like to go out and pick a fight with Bryce. Suddenly, his expression changes and he reaches down, tilting my chin up so I'm forced to meet his eyes. In a gentler voice, he goes on, "It musta been hard fer yeh to go through all that and never tell a soul. I feel sick just thinkin' of what yeh must've gone through. The past is the past though and you've got a bright future, Esp. Is there anything I can do fer ya? Anything at all?"

"No, but thank you for listening," I reply, seeing as I stare into Vector's eyes that my status hasn't decreased to him since I told him my secret. "Thank you also for not thinking any less of me."

Vector gives me a long look and mutters, "I think yer bastard cousin must've screwed with yer head because that's crazy thinkin'. Why the hell would I think less of yeh because you've been hurt?"

I shrug my shoulders and shift uncomfortable from foot to foot. Bryce has pounded a lot of ideas both mentally and physically into me during our time together.

"Well, that's stupid thinking! I'll never think any less of yeh. I promise!" Vector tells me forcefully, dropping his finger from underneath my chin as he adds, "I'm gonna guess I'm the first person yeh told about this, huh?"

"Yes," I nod simply, staring past Vector's shoulder and out the window without really seeing anything there. A thought quickly occurs to me and I tighten my grip on Vector's wrist, suddenly imploring him, "It has to stay that way though! Nobody else can know. Not Vanilla, not any of your friends I don't know, and especially not Charmy. He's so young and innocent."

"I get it now. Yer so protective of the kid because of what happened to ya, right?" Vector asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I suppose so," I reply with a shrug before pressing, "Vector, promise you won't tell anyone. It's extremely important."

"Nah, I won't tell anyone," Vector reassures me although he still looks upset. Making a random gesture in the air with his free hand, Vector suggests, "But don't ya think yeh should go somewhere to get help for this? I dunno...like maybe yeh should see a counselor?"

I give Vector an appalled glance. Telling him not even the whole truth about my past was hard enough. I can't even possibly imagine trying to tell a complete stranger about what happened to me. Feeling a shiver run down my spine at the thought, I shake my head fervently and reply, "No."

"But ya feel better now that yeh told me about it, right?" Vector pushes.

"Yes, but that's only because it was _you_. I don't know why and perhaps it's foolish of me, but I really do trust you, Vector. You and Charmy mean so much to me. I think you're the only one who might listen to me, understand, and not judge me," I point out, trying to regain my even voice despite the fact that I'm talking about a very emotional subject.

"Aw, Esp..." Vector trails off, sending me a fond smile. "Yer never gonna have to face any of this crap alone ever again. I'm gonna be here for yeh. Always."

"Vector, I..." I reach up towards his face with one hand without knowing what I'm going to say or knowing where my hand is going. Suddenly, I realize what I'm about to do and hesitate. My hand hesitates in midair and my voice trails off. Luckily, a childish voice interrupts the awkward situation.

"Vector? Espio? Are you two fighting?" Charmy asks apprehensively before the door to the bedroom is pushed open with a low creak. Charmy's little face peeps warily around the doorway, but soon relaxes when he sees Vector and me. "Oh, I guess you two aren't fighting. That's good. Espio, I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"That's a good idea," I reply, a bit surprised. I never thought I'd see a day where Charmy would actually take the initiative of dragging himself off to bed. He's usually all for playing his video games until the early hours of the morning.

Vector and I both give Charmy a hug and wish him goodnight. The little bee gives us a sleepy smile and then flies out of the doorway, not bothering to conceal a yawn on the way out. Yawns really must be contagious because before I know it, Vector and I are both yawning as well. Feeling a little embarrassed, I cover my mouth daintily and quickly drop my awkwardly extended hand back to my side.

"Well, I guess now's probably a good time fer me to be goin' back to my apartment," Vector states, taking a heavy step towards the doorway of the bedroom.

For some reason, I find that I actually don't want Vector to leave. Once Charmy goes to bed, the house always feels so quiet and empty. I follow Vector out of the bedroom door, trying to come up with a reason for him to stay a bit longer. Unfortunately, no good reasons come to my mind. Finally, I settle with saying, "You don't have to leave already unless you want to."

"It's alright. I don't wanna impose or anythin'," Vector says as he tramps to the doorway in three long strides. I find that I don't even pay attention to whether or not he's tracking dirt through the house anymore or not. Giving me a toothy grin, Vector adds, "Besides, I gotta get prepared fer my date with Miss Vanilla!"

"Oh, of course," I reply, not feeling very excited about Vector's date for some reason. As Vector opens the door, I give him a true smile and murmur, "Thank you for going to the park with Charmy and me today. It's very nice for Charmy to have some company. He likes you quite a bit."

"Yeah, I'm sure Charmy does," Vector replies before he raises an eyebrow at me and asks, "And what about _you_, Esp? Do yeh like me?"

"Why, yes. Of course I like you, Vector. You've been a very good friend to me," I reply, trying not to wonder if there's a deeper undertone to Vector's seemingly innocent question.

"Glad ya think so. Anyways, I'm off! Take care of yerself and remember that you will always have a friend in Charmy and me. If yeh ever need anything, just give me a call," Vector says before waving to me and closing the door with a loud bang behind him.

I stare at the closed door and immediately feel lonely. If only Vector could have stayed a bit longer. It's strange because I used to like spending all my time alone. Perhaps that was just a result of the depression though. After all, chameleons are naturally very social creatures.

I go to bed feeling strangely warm and tingly inside. Vector's comforting words seem to echo around in my head as I tuck myself between the sheets and close my eyes. Even though I don't want Vector going after Bryce, it makes me feel better to know that Vector would have been willing to try and get my sadist of a cousin put away. The more time I spend with Vector, the more I like him. There's so much more to him than just his outer appearance of a large, clumsy crocodile. He really does have a heart of gold.

* * *

_Yay, Espio told Vector about his past! Do you think this will help the two of them get closer? Review please! :)  
_


	31. Date Dilemma

**Saints-Fan-12: I think you're right! They're warming up to each other a lot as it is. xD Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I'd say you're definitely right! I'm so happy you liked the last chapter! And aw, you're so sweet! *huggles* I haven't had chicken pop pie before. I'm vegetarian actually. xD Thanks a ton! I'd really like Sonic Riders Zero Gravity...that would be amazing. Have you played that game before?  
**

**Mormar1: Haha, I'm lazy like that a lot too. xD I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Do you think Espio will tell Vector about the rest of his past soon? Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: I know! It's so awesome that Espio finally told! He feels much better now, I'm sure. It always feels better to share secrets with friends I think! And aw, yes, Vex does have a heart of gold! That's a surprise since Vector's bad timing rarely works out, haha. You're making me blush now! *huggles tight* I'm more lucky to have met you and we both know it. *nods* I already miss you and it's been like...two hours since we talked last. xP  
**

**zgirl16: Yes! Do you think Espio will ever tell Vector the entire truth? And aw, thanks a ton. :3 My weekend has been nice so far. How about yours?  
**

**LuluCalliope: Haha, that would be awesome! It could still happen actually. *hints* I'm glad you had a nice time last night! How was today with decorating the Xmas tree? Sorry for not being on skype earlier. I've been really busy today. I wanna hear about the awesome idea though! Please tell me about it. ^^ Thank you for reading!  
**

**andypanda123: I agree, Espio is a very brave guy! Are you a new reader or have you been reading this for a while? :) And hehe, that's a very good idea about Bryce! It may happen. xD Thanks for the review!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! I had a lot of fun writing the last one. ^^ Vector is a very good comforter, isn't he? I think he's just a big sweetie! It would be nice if Vector went off and beat up Bryce, don't you think? And yes! Espio is finally starting to realize he might have some feelings for the croc! Hope you like this chapter. :)  
**

**Alicia: *hugs tight* Mm, studying for finals, I did a little more sketching, and that's been about it. What about you?  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I'd definitely say that Espio feels better now! Sonic Adventure 2 is really awesome. You should definitely ask if you can take it home. *crosses fingers for you* Let me know if you're able to take it or not! I don't have an xbox or a playstation. I just have a gamecube. Do you have one of those? Deviant art accounts are really fun! I'd recommend getting one. Well, I guess you can scan pictures on there, but I mostly just upload my stories and graphic designing stuff on there. It's a great place to make friends and chat with other Sonic fans though! Great question! I. Love. Lemons. xD If they're written well, that is. Some of them are written terribly and should be removed. But in general, I really like them. This story will probably have...two lemons in it, I think. There's a lot of rape and other stuff in it before then though. Yeah, I'm familiar with uke/seme relationships. I always make Sonic couples uke and seme usually unless they're equal, but that's really rare. How about you? Do you like lemons?  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I leave Espio's house and step out onto the streets. The night has already fallen and I'm forced to squint to see where I'm goin'. As I stride along with my music pounding in my ears, I think of what Espio told me earlier. You know, the bit about his cousin, Bryce. I tried not to get too worked up over it in front of Espio, but keep inside, I was fuming. Even now, all I really wanna do is hunt that son of a bitch down and make him pay fer what he did to my buddy. Espio has a tendency to downplay things. I bet Bryce treated him even worse than what Espio told described to me.

A sharp October chill runs down my spine and sends dampness straight through me like a knife. My sharp teeth grit together as I glance around murderously as if I'm willin' a dark chameleon with bright red eyes to appear out of nowhere so I can take out my aggression on him. Unfortunately fer me, no such chameleon appears.

I really should have guessed that Espio had been abused in his past, but I guess I was being too thick-headed to have thought up the possibility on my own earlier. It just seemed so unlikely that anyone could break through the tough little ninja-like creature's wall and actually cause any real damage to him. When I first met Espio, I thought of him as an impenetrable, icy cold chameleon. He kept every single damn emotion locked behind his amber eyes and never let me know what he was really thinkin'.

Now, Espio isn't like that. I've broken through his wall with my irresistible crocodile charm - yup, it was definitely charm that did it - and I finally know the real Espio. He's still a little thing of extraordinary strength and conviction, but he's not so cold and bitter. There's a sadness within him that's been eatin' him up from the inside out. I can see that and I plan to make that sadness disappear completely in time. Just like how I broke through his first barrier, I am plannin' to dissolve Espio's memories of the past and make him realize what a beautiful thing life is.

'Course, if I happen to run into an evil black chameleon in the meantime, I definitely won't be complaining. Espio asked me not to go lookin' fer his cousin, so I won't. However, if I do just so happen to see Bryce somewhere around town, he's as good as dead. I can tell what kind of bastard he is just from the sadistic smirk and wicked gleam in his eye from that photograph Espio has. Bryce is the kind of guy who would've laughed at Espio's pain, worsened his embarrassment, and made him feel like a piece of crap once he was done abusing him.

I've never seen abuse close up. Although my croc parents were never supportive of me or my goals in life, they were never abusive. They never hurt me and I would never have expected them to. They're decent folk for the most part. After comparing my upbringing to Espio's, I'm startin' to feel pretty darn grateful though.

I stomp along on the street, unrelinquished anger at Bryce still built up somewhere inside of me. I just really wanna smack someone or pummel 'em to the ground. It's probably a good thing that I'm the only one tromping down the sidewalk at this time of day. I've taken it upon myself to protect Espio no matter what it takes. It makes me sick to know that someone took advantage of the small, vulnerable chameleon. Tough as he might appear, Esp's a fragile thing. He's not strong and it's obvious that he would lose in a fight against his bigger, more powerful cousin.

Why have I taken on the role of Espio's protector? Well, the reason is clear to me now. I hate the reason with all my being, but I can't deny the truth. That would be stupid. To get to the point, I goddamn love Espio. I'm gonna go to hell for it, but I can't control my emotions.

I dunno why I've fallen in love with Espio. When we first met, I never would have guessed I would form feelings fer him after a while. I guess I love Esp cuz he's everything I'm not. While I'm careless, outgoing, and powerful, Espio is intelligent, secretive, and shy. He doesn't warm up to people easily. I feel proud of myself fer bein' the only one besides Charmy to break through his walls.

I gotta admit that I like Esp more than just for his personality though. I'd be lying if I said I don't find the sexy little chameleon attractive. I can't help but stare at the slight sway of his hips when he walks by my side, I can't stop myself from watching the bob of his tail in the air, and I really just can't tear my eyes away from the way his fuchsia scales gleam in the sunlight. That's where I'm gonna have to draw the line though. I can't allow myself to start imaginin' ever having a relationship with Espio. It ain't gonna happen so I'm not gonna think about it.

I kick the door to the apartment lobby open and stalk inside. There's nobody around. I turn up my music as I enter the elevator to try and distract myself from Espio, but it doesn't do any good. For just a moment, I allow my mind into dangerous zones and start wonderin' if Espio might ever see somethin' in a guy like me.

...Nah, of course he wouldn't. I feel complete when I'm around Espio, but I'm sure he doesn't feel that same way. Although, now that I think about it, there was that moment earlier after Espio confessed about his past to me that was kinda awkward. He just sort of lifted his hand towards me as if he was gonna touch my cheek or somethin', but then Charmy had to interrupt us. Argh.

The elevator comes to a halt at my level and I shove the thought to the back of my mind. Now annoyed with myself for not havin' any self control, I smash the door to my room open and kick it shut as hard as I can before kicking off my shoes and falling face first onto the bed. It's been a long day and I need sleep.

It doesn't take me long to drift off to la la land. Luckily, my sleep is dreamless fer now. Little do I know that I'm gonna start having dreams soon...dreams any decent person really shouldn't be having. But for now, I'm able to sleep peacefully and by the time morning comes, I'm well rested.

Sittin' up in bed, I let out an unrestrained yawn and blink around myself sleepily. It's Friday. I guess Friday's are good. I don't really have anything planned for today. Tomorrow, I've got that date I set up with Miss Vanilla, but today I can just lounge around my room and burn up time.

I decide to be lazy and just stay in bed for a while. I'm hopin' that by going on the date with Miss Vanilla tomorrow, I'll be able to actually fall in love with her. It's not that I don't like her right now; 'course I do! It's just that...well...I like Esp more. As soon as I met him, all my feelings started getting all mixed up. I kept likin' Vanilla less and less and Espio more and more. It's time to put a stop to this and reverse the pattern. Fallin' in love with yer best buddy just ain't right. The sooner I can rid myself of these unwanted feelings, the better.

I allow myself to sit in bed for a few more minutes before my growling stomach forces me to get up. I cross the room with dragging feet and open the fridge. Hm, nothin' good in there. I try the closet and grab five power bars. They don't taste too good, but they should give me some energy for the day.

Plopping down on my chair behind my messy desk, I unwrap a power bar and chomp into it. My eyes fall on the phone. Er...why do I suddenly feel the need to call Espio?

_ Dammit, Vector_, I shout at myself. _Are yeh really gonna allow yerself to act like a fool? Leave Esp alone already!_

Nodding resolutely to myself, I put my hand down and follow my own advice. Espio doesn't want a nosy croc callin' him twenty-four seven. I just saw him only last night. He needs some space. If I start callin' him all the time, he'll start getting creeped out.

I spend most of the day completely bored. With nothin' better to do, I just sit at my desk and stare at the phone, hoping someone will call me and say that they need Team Chaotix's expertise on something. Sadly, no one calls. My phone doesn't ring once during the whole day.

By the time night comes around, I'm feelin' frustrated. The unproductive day hasn't helped my mood out much. All I've done is sit by the phone and wonder what Espio and Charmy are up to. We really should get an office of some sort so we can all work together in the same place. Uh, yeah, there are benefits to that idea other than the fact that I'll get to see Espio more. Benefits like...uh...I'll get back to answerin' that question later.

Glad to get this day over with and start a new one tomorrow, I flop into bed and fall asleep quickly. Tomorrow is my date with Miss Vanilla and I've gotta look my best. Women probably don't find it too attractive when their men have large bags under their eyes from lack of sleep.

Morning comes quickly and I wake to a gloomy day. Not a crack of sun is shinin' down from the sky. The clouds are thick and gray. It sure looks like rain. However, rain or no rain, I'm still goin' on my date with Miss Vanilla. I force myself to get out of the warm, cozy bed and go to the bathroom to take a shower.

After a scorching hot shower, my scales are sparklin' clean and I look real handsome if I do say so myself. Dumping my chain around my neck, I step out of the bathroom to the ringing of my phone. Huh. Wonder who that could be? Is Miss Vanilla cancelling our date because of the weather?

Figuring I should probably hurry and answer the phone before it goes to the voice mail system since I haven't figured out how it works yet, I run clumsily across the floor. A damn soda can somehow ends up under my foot and I'm sent flying to the floor.

"Stupid crap lyin' around everywhere!" I mutter in annoyance as I feel spasms of pain jolt through my body.

Cringing, I force myself to get back onto my feet and stomp over to my desk. I fall into my chair and pick up the phone just in time. Grouchy from my fall, I say into the phone grumpily, "Whaddya want?"

There's a long pause from the other end and I start to think that nobody is there. Cussing under my breath, I make to hang up the phone when a familiar, even-toned voice says, "Good morning, Vector. This is Espio."

"Oh, Espio! I didn't realize it was you," I reply quickly, feelin' a little embarrassed for my not-so-polite greeting.

"Charmy was wondering if you might like to come over and spend the afternoon with us," Espio tells me, not sounding upset at my lack of courtesy. "It's shaping up to be a rainy day outside. We thought we could rent some movies. There's an adventure film Charmy is dying to see."

I feel a painful jerk from somewhere within me. More than anything, I wanna go spend the afternoon with Espio and Charmy. I can't though. I already committed myself to Miss Vanilla and I'm not one to go back on my word. Maybe this is for the best though. After all, spending more time with Espio isn't gonna do me any good.

"Sorry, Esp, but I've got that date with Miss Vanilla today," I explain. "Remember? It's Saturday."

"Oh. Right," Espio replies, sounding a bit disappointed. "I suppose it's just as well since I have to work at the cafe for a few hours anyways. I hope your date with Miss Vanilla goes well."

I bite my tongue wonderin' why Espio always has to act so polite. I open my mouth, about to go back on my word to Miss Vanilla. Screw everything; I just wanna spend time with that little chameleon no matter what it takes.

Espio is already speaking though and I don't have a chance to get any more words out as he says, "I suppose I ought to prepare for work this afternoon. I haven't meditated yet today. Goodbye, Vector."

There's a click and then the phone goes dead. I stare at it in disappointment. I'm tempted to call Espio right back, but cancelling on Miss Vanilla this late would be rude, wouldn't it? Yeah, it would be. I gotta get a grip on myself!

Figuring that I might as well get going since it never hurts to be early for a date, I stuff my feet inside my sneakers and start down the hallway. All the hallways and elevators in the apartment are surprisingly empty. Guess it's because it's such a gloomy day outside. Nobody really wants to go out.

Once I'm outside, I find myself sending the clouds in the sky a wary look. They're gettin' even more gray. It's probably gonna rain soon. Hoping that the rain will hold out, I hurry to the beach and pace around it as I wait fer Miss Vanilla to show up. She doesn't keep me waitin' too long.

Only a few minutes later, the beautiful cream colored rabbit with deep brown eyes appears at the edge of the beach. There's no denying that she's drop dead gorgeous, but she just isn't Espio. Geez, is Espio all I can think about these days?

Remembering my manners, I rush to Miss Vanilla's side and kiss her hand affectionately as I greet her, "Hello, Miss Vanilla! How are ya?"

"Fine, thank you for asking," Miss Vanilla says courteously before she sends the sky a nervous glance and adds, "Unfortunately, it appears as if it's going to rain shortly though. Perhaps we should find a different place for our date?"

As if spurred on by her words, light droplets of rain start to fall from the sky. Frowning, I try to think of somewhere else to bring our date. The first place that pops into my head is the cafe Espio works at. It's not too far away from here.

"D'ya want to go to a cafe? We could get somethin' warm to drink," I suggest to Miss Vanilla.

Miss Vanilla, who has her arms wrapped around herself as if she's afraid of meltin' in the rain, murmurs, "Anywhere inside sounds nice right now."

"Yeah. Uh...I could pick yeh up and carry ya to the cafe if yeh want. It would take a lot less time that way," I offer since Miss Vanilla is clearly hatin' it out here in the downpour.

"That would be very nice. Thank you, dear," Miss Vanilla replies thankfully.

"Alright. Hold on tight, ma'am!" I tell Miss Vanilla as I pick her up bridal style and race us to the cafe.

* * *

_Hm, Vector's bringing his date to Espio's cafe. xD How do you think that will go? Review please! :)  
_


	32. Strange Reactions

**Saints-Fan-12: I'd say that it's going to get worse in this chapter for Espio. xD Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Glare: Sorry, I've just been busy lately. I'll try to update soon.  
**

**Mormar1: I think Espio will tell Vector eventually too. ;) And lol, good prediction! Nothing ever seems to go right for Vector. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Vector's definitely spoiling Vanilla here! You're right about Espio though. He was definitely disappointed when he was on the phone with Vector! Lol, yup! Vector is very crocy! I think his charm is finally starting to get through to Espio. Oh, don't feel bad! *huggles* We'll talk tomorrow! And hehe, I sent you a long note too. xD Long notes ftw! I hope you're having a really good day so far!  
**

**zgirl16: That's true or else Vector might end up finding out on his own if the dream comes true. =/ Aw! I'm so sorry you're sick again! How are you feeling now? I didn't do much this weekend. I just did some writing, worked on my homework, and did some drawing. :)  
**

**LuluCalliope: That would make a cute picture, wouldn't it? Vector and Vanilla, I mean. xP I don't really support the couple, but it is cute. Lol, yes, Espio is mine now and I insist on shoving him in a room with Vector to see what happens. I'm so sorry about your parents! What happened? Thank you for reading!  
**

**andypanda123: Haha, don't worry, I'm evil too for coming up with the plot of this story. xD And yay! I'm so glad you love this story. I'm really happy that you joined fan fiction! What do you think of this site so far? Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: You are so right about Vector! He'll just be staring at Espio the whole time and not paying any attention to Vanilla. How nice, Vector. xP I bet he wishes he was on his date with Esp instead! And aw, I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one too and no problem at all. I like to help when I can! :D  
**

**Alicia: Youtube has been running slow for me lately. It's so annoying! And yeah, two weeks until then!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: You'll find out Espio's reaction to Vector and Vanilla in this chapter! Haha, yeah, Vector's just going to get more and more stuck on Esp as time goes on. xD That sucks so much about the gamecube. I hope you can get another one! I dunno what I'd do without mine. Yay, another lemon fan! *high fives you* I love them too! I think I've had at least one lemon in all of my completed stories. I can't seem to write a fic without them. xD Yeah, Vector's seme, but I was thinking about doing a role reversal thing later on once Espio gains some confidence because I think that can be kind of hot. xD Hopefully, I can leave a good impression on you with Vecpio lemons and you're not scarred for life after reading them. ;P  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The clouds prevent any sun from lighting up the inside of my little house and seem to engulf me in a sort of depression. I tried calling Vector this morning to see if he might be willing to spend the afternoon with Charmy and myself. It completely slipped my mind that Vector has a date with Vanilla today. Although I tend to be a very selfless chameleon, I felt a little twinge of sorrow for myself when Vector turned my offer down because of his date. I shouldn't be so upset about this. There are other things I can do today.

"Aw man!" a loud voice complains from across the room. Charmy has been playing his video game since the moment he woke up this morning. He always considers rainy days an excuse to spend the whole day with his eyes glued on the TV screen. Making a face at his video game controller, Charmy whines, "I was so close to finishing the level!"

"You can always try again," I point out absentmindedly, not really paying much attention to Charmy's gaming tragedies.

Instead of cleaning or doing something productive like I should be doing, I'm just sitting here on one of the wooden chairs next to the kitchen table with a warm cup of tea in my hands. Even though I haven't even been outside in the cold yet, it seems to have seeped inside my body. I feel the chills all over and am tempted to retrieve a blanket from the closet.

The video game music stops, but I'm too absorbed with my own thoughts to notice it. Suddenly, a concerned voice breaks through the silence as Charmy asks, "Espio, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," I reply calmly, glancing up from my cup of tea to see Charmy frowning at me. Sighing wryly, I add, "I'm just feeling a little under the weather, that's all."

"Hm. Well, you just have to get over the weather then!" Charmy points out, his simple logic causing me to smile. He thinks for a moment and then points out excitedly, "Guess what? It's almost Halloween! I love Halloween! It's my favorite time of year. Who doesn't like getting free candy?"

Glancing over at the calendar hanging on the wall, I realize that Charmy is right. The thought of Halloween hadn't even entered my mind yet. I haven't done a single thing for Halloween the last few years. Bryce went to a wild Halloween party last year. He came home so drunk that he ended up collapsing on top of me after he had pinned me to the bed. Well, at least this Halloween ought to be better than last year. There won't be any drunken chameleons slipping into my bedroom after dark.

"So what are you going to be for Halloween?" Charmy asks me, trying to get me to show a little excitement for his favorite holiday.

"I'm not sure, Charmy. I might not go as anything. After all, we can't really afford Halloween costumes this year. The little bit of money I make at the cafe goes to pay the bills and unfortunately, Team Chaotix hasn't made much money yet. Speaking of my job at the cafe, I'm working this afternoon," I point out, standing up and trudging gloomily towards the door. "I should get going so I'm not too late. You can see if you can come up with costume ideas for yourself if you like. I'm sure we can scrap up enough money for a costume for you."

"But I want you to dress up with me! It's no fun by myself," Charmy pouts, sending me puppy dog eyes as he adds, "_Please _dress up with me?"

Ugh, Charmy is giving me that look again. It's that dreaded look that I'm never able to resist no matter what I do. Sighing, I reply, "I'll see what I can come up with. I suppose I can probably create a homemade costume of some sort if it means that much to you."

"Yay! We're both going to go trick-or-treating and get lots and lots of candy!" Charmy cheers, making me wonder if the only reason he asked me to come along with him is so he can get double the candy. Charmy's eyes suddenly light up as another thought pops into his head and he exclaims, "I know! We should invite Vector along too!"

"If you'd like," I reply slowly before adding, "He might be spending Halloween with Vanilla though."

My own voice shocks me. The way I said Vanilla's name was less than respectful. I need to watch my manners. Charmy immediately picks up on my change of voice and asks curiously, "You don't like Cream's mom? I think she's nice. Cream is nicer though. Vanilla can be strict."

"All parents have to be strict, Charmy. It's for your own good," I reply. "Vanilla is fine. I don't think of her much actually. I haven't spoken to her many times. I need to go now before I end up being late for work. Have a good afternoon. Make sure you keep the doors locked and don't leave the house."

"Yeah, yeah," Charmy mumbles, rolling his eyes.

I take my scarf from around the back of my chair and wrap it securely around my neck before facing the door grimly. Preparing myself to battle with the weather, I yank the door open. A large gust of wind slaps me in the face. Head down, I pull the door shut behind me with quite a bit of effort and then lock it shut. Although it hasn't started raining yet, it looks like it's going to rain soon. The clouds are moving along swiftly in the sky and it seems to be getting grayer and grayer outside by the minute.

Wanting to hurry and beat the rain, I slink along the edge of the sidewalk as quickly as I can. Thankfully, the cafe isn't all that far from my home. I reach it five minutes later. I sigh with relief when I enter the familiar little building. There are lots of lights in the cafe and the heater has been turned on, creating a warm, glowing atmosphere within the room. I go to the back of the cafe and notice Hilary, the kind hedgehog owner of the cafe, behind the counter.

"Hello, Espio," Hilary greets me, dark brown eyes focusing in on me as I walk past her. "We miss you around here."

"I'm sorry. I'm working two jobs now," I apologize politely, offering Hilary a stiff smile. She's nice enough, but talking to strangers always puts me on edge.

"That must be stressful," Hilary replies sympathetically. "I wish you luck with both jobs."

I thank Hilary for her kind words and enter the back room of the cafe to wash my hands before going back to the main room. I spot a female bat sitting at a table by herself and go over to take her order. She requests a pastry and a large mug of coffee. I promise to get her order to her as soon as possible and hurry to the back room.

I spend the next hour or so taking orders and serving people pastries and drinks. I'm usually very swift on my feet and I'm quite good at getting people their food and drink as quickly as possible. Suddenly, I hear drumming on the roof above my head as a downpour of rain is unleashed upon everyone unlucky enough to be outside. I shiver at the thought of being stuck in the torrential downpour and am instantly much more grateful to be working inside a nice warm building.

Only moments after it started raining cats and dogs outside, the door to the cafe goes flying open and two drenched figures appear. I start in surprise when I see Vector with none other than the lovely Miss Vanilla in his arms. They're both soaked to the bone and Vanilla's dress is sticking to her very tightly. Vector can't seem to take his eyes off of her as he brings her to a booth at one end of the cafe. I can't seem to take my eyes off either of them. Before I'm noticed, I go to stand behind the counter and look for other people to serve in the cafe. At first, I find myself wondering why Vanilla and Vector are here, but then I remember that they were going to have their date at the beach. Clearly, today is not a good beach day.

Unfortunately for me, no new customers appear and nobody goes to take Vector's and Vanilla's orders. Hilary walks over to me and points out lightly, "I think that crocodile and the rabbit across the room there are waiting for someone to take their order, Espio."

"Right. I'll get to it right now," I reply a little less than happily. I don't want to have to "serve" Vector. It makes me appear less than his equal. I approach the booth and am about to open my mouth, but Vector sees me and is already talking.

"Hey there, Esp! I was wonderin' if we'd see yeh here!" Vector exclaims, giving me a toothy smile.

"Yes, well, I do work here, Vector," I reply in an even voice before being forced to play my role as the waiter. Smiling stiffly, I ask, "What would you like from the menu? And what about you, miss?"

"Er...good question. Lemme see. Just get me five large bagels. I'm starvin'!" Vector announces, rubbing his stomach.

"I'd like a tall coffee please," Miss Vanilla orders politely, her hand going over and resting on top of Vector's as she adds to me, "Thank you, dear."

I try not to stare at their clasped hands and instead go to the back room to get their order prepared. I choose five of the largest bagels for Vector because he's always starving and carefully pour a tall coffee for Vanilla. After carefully setting the order on a tray, I start back to Vector's and Vanilla's table. Now they're both looking at each other like starstruck lovers. I'm unsure why this bothers me, but it does. My stomach twists uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach and I feel like I'm staring at something I shouldn't be seeing.

Taking a shaky breath, I approach the table and feign my polite waiter attitude as I set the bagels and coffee on the table. Vector immediately grabs a bagel and crams the whole thing into his mouth. Crumbs fly everywhere as he exclaims, "Fast service here and great food too! I give this little place of yers a big thumbs up, Esp!"

"I don't own this place, but I'm glad you like it," I reply. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Vector starts to shake his head and then looks over at Vanilla. She's suddenly frowning at something under the table. Vector follows her gaze and frowns too. Giving me a sheepish look, he asks, "I hate to ask ya to do this, but could yeh get that piece of wadded up chewin' gum away from the lady's foot?"

Fuming, I make no response and drop under the table to pick up the piece of gum stuck to the floor. Some things I do not mind too much, but this is getting excessive. Like it or not, Vector has been sending me strange vibes lately. He treated me as a good friend - alright, perhaps better than that - and now he's suddenly shoved me under the table and is staring at Vanilla through heart-shaped glasses. I'm _not _jealous. I just don't like the way I've been reduced to a slave who picks up crumbs from underneath the table.

Wrinkling my nose, I pluck up the piece of gum and hold it at a distance before emerging from under the table once again. Only because it's required of me, I ask in an irritated voice, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Nope! Thanks fer that, Esp," Vector says, spraying more bagel crumbs at me as he shoves another one into his big mouth.

"Hm," I reply disdainfully before turning and retreating to my place behind the counter. Once there, I notice Hilary sending me an odd glance. I blush, wondering if she noticed anything different about the way I was treating Vector and Vanilla from ordinary guests. I hope not.

The afternoon continues on and I serve several more people. I try to keep my eyes off of the lovey dovey couple in the corner of the room, but I can't. Every few seconds, I find myself inconspicuously shooting glances in their direction. Vector has devoured his bagels by now and has gone back to staring at Vanilla...or should I say Vanilla's cleavage? That same sick feeling in my stomach worsens when I see the way Vector is looking at her. I know he just wants to get under her skirt, but the attention he is giving her is making me irritated.

As I pass by the couple later on my way to serving another hedgehog, I notice that Vanilla has scooted over on her bench and is now sitting directly next to Vector. There's not even a millimeter of space between them. Feeling like I'm interrupting something intimate, I shuffle by them quickly and ignore the fact that Vector is trying to catch my eye. I start to serve the hedgehog, but he gives me an evil look.

"I didn't order coffee! I ordered a _cappuccino_!" the hedgehog huffs at me, looking irked.

Oops. I'm so distracted by Vector and Vanilla that I'm starting to mess up orders. Sending the hedgehog an apologetic look, I say, "I'm very sorry. I'll get your cappuccino right now. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience."

Blaming myself for being so careless, I quickly turn and start off to the back room to retrieve the hedgehog's correct order. He seems as if he's in a very grouchy mood and I'd best make sure to get his correct order to him as quickly as possible. Working as fast as I can, I pour a steaming hot cappuccino into a mug and then hurry back out to the hedgehog. He's giving me the evil eye and I have a feeling that nothing I do at this point will be satisfactory to him.

As much as I should be concentrating solely on the hedgehog, something in the corner of the room catches my eye again. This time, it's Vanilla. The way she's looking at Vector is different from before. I pause inches away from the hedgehog and narrow my eyes at her.

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Vanilla leans forwards and presses her lips softly to Vector's. It's just a kiss, but suddenly my world is spinning around and around. Completely forgetting what I'm doing, I accidentally let the mug slip from my hands. _ Smash!_

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_Uh oh, Espio just broke the mug! Who thinks he's going to get into trouble in the next chapter? Review please! :)  
_


	33. Repressed Emotions

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you about jealousy and lol about the cappuccino landing on the hedgehog! Let me know what you think of this chapter! :3  
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**Guest: Really? xD I thought the kiss might be a good thing to add to the story. You know, more drama this way. xD Thanks for the review!  
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**Mormar1: Yes! It's so hard to see your true love kissing someone else. Hope you like this chapter! :)  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Espio needs to be more careful! I probably would have dropped something if I was in his situation though. xD The Halloween chapters were so much fun to write! I hope you end up liking them. Yes, Vector's charm is working too well! I mean, he even has Vanilla interested in him now! D: Thank you for still liking the story!  
**

**zgirl16: Yeah, poor Esp! His situation can't get much worse, can it? =/ I'm glad you're feeling better, but that sounds really scary if you might have to go to the hospital. How are you doing now? I'm trying to wish you better from across the internet over here!  
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**LuluCalliope: Lol, I could see Espio doing that! He'll probably want to go and keep an eye on Charmy though. You never told me about the argument...is everything okay now? I hope so! Thank you for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, you're back! I missed you! How are you doing? Were you able to get all your work done? And aw, thanks! The game is amazing and it has Jet in it! *is super obsessed Jet right now* xD Camping? That sounds fun! I was actually thinking about adding a camping chapter in this fic. ^^  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: You don't like Vanilla either? Awesome! It seems like everyone I know is a Vectilla fan and it drives me crazy because I really don't like her. ;P And yay, you think this story is getting better and better? That's great because there's a lot more of this story left. :) Thanks so much for the awesome review! ^^  
**

**Alicia: Yeah...there's always so much work to do! D:  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, yup, poor Espio! It's always tough to see the one you love with someone else. I'm glad you're excited for it! Unfortunately, it's going to be in the very last chapters of this fic, but I suppose you probably understand why. xD Ooo, that's so awesome! I wish you luck with turning your friend into a Sonic fan. Rouge is Ruby to her? Hehe, that's funny, especially since Rouge is a jewel hunter. I'm sure I've asked you this before, but I already forgot, so what's your OTP? Thanks for reading! :3  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I really dunno how or why it happened. I guess maybe I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. One minute, Miss Vanilla and I were sittin' next to each other happy as can be and the next, she's leaned over to me and is pressin' her lips against mine! I haven't ever kissed a woman before. I've thought about kissing one before, but I never knew what to expect from it. At first, I'm so shocked that all I can do is stare at Miss Vanilla with wide eyes. Miss Vanilla's eyes are closed and so she doesn't catch my bewildered expression.

I try to come up with a word that describes the kiss, but nothin' comes to mind. I don't feel like they always say yeh should feel during yer first kiss. There's no magic spark between Miss Vanilla and myself. I can feel the light pressure of her lips on my mouth, but it doesn't feel any different to me than a kiss on the cheek or the brush of the hand. Where's the magical feelin' I've been waiting for? Why is there no inner flame igniting within me? I don't feel anything except for disappointment.

Hm, I think I might know what the problem is! Maybe this isn't feelin' quite right because I'm not kissing Miss Vanilla back. Yeah! That's gotta be it. Careful not to take things too far too fast, I slowly apply just a bit of pressure back on Miss Vanilla's lips. Still nothing happens. There's no magic, dammit! I've been waiting fer this moment for ages and it's nothing like I imagined it to be.

I'm not sure whether I'm disappointed in Miss Vanilla, the situation, or in myself. It doesn't take me too long to figure out what the main problem is. After all, I am a detective. The only problem here is _me_. There's nothing wrong with Miss Vanilla. She's a gorgeous rabbit who practically ever guy is dyin' to get his hands on. There's nothing wrong with the situation either. It's very normal for couples to start kissing in cafes. In fact, that's why I brought Miss Vanilla here in the first place. I thought it would set a romantic atmosphere.

...Er, alright, so maybe that's not why I brought Miss Vanilla here. Maybe I just came here because I wanted to see Espio. After turning down his offer earlier, I've felt nothing but bad. All during this little cafe experience with Miss Vanilla, I've just sat here and watched Espio. Miss Vanilla and I have held a few conversations, but they all seem empty and uninteresting to me. I'm mad at myself because I know this whole damn predicament is because of me. My unnatural attraction towards Esp is why I'm gettin' nothing out of this kiss.

Smash! A loud clatter comes from across the room. It sounds a lot like breaking dishes. Grateful for an excuse to break away from the kiss, I pull back and glance towards the source of the noise. A large puddle of spilled liquid and a shattered mug are lying in pieces at Espio's feet. He musta dropped them while he was serving someone.

Poor little Esp looks completely mortified. His cheeks blush bright pink as he bends down and tries to collect the pieces of shattered ceramic from the mug on the floor. Without even thinkin' about what I'm doing, I find myself on my feet. They pull me forwards towards Espio. I need to help my friend clean up the mess and save him from any further embarrassment.

"Clumsy idiot!" the grouchy looking hedgehog sitting at the table Espio is kneeling next to suddenly growls. "First, you can't get my order right and then you spill it! How come you haven't been fired yet?"

At the hedgehog's loud voice, everyone in the cafe turns to look at Espio. He tries to keep his calm although I notice that his hands are shaking as he tries to collect the shattered ceramic bits as quickly as he can. Attempting to keep a level voice, Espio replies, "I am very sorry. I must be distracted today. I will bring you your order free of charge."

"Forget it!" the hedgehog bellows as he smacks his fist down on the table and then stands up abruptly. "I'm going somewhere else where they hire decent waiters!"

A snarl forms in the back of my throat. Nobody talks to my buddies like this and gets away with it! Stamping over to the hedgehog, I block his way to the door and grunt, "Who the hell do ya think yeh are talkin' to Espio like that? Apologize to him right now!"

"And just who do _you _think you are?" the crabby hedgehog retorts, clearly not intimidated by my size or my sharp teeth. He sneers at me in distaste and then curls his lip at Espio, adding, "Oh, I get it. You're chameleon boy's protector, aren't you? He can't do anything right as he's just demonstrated and needs you to tag along with him."

"Yer gonna pay fer this!" I snap, raising my fist to punch the hedgehog. This bastard isn't gonna get away with insulting Esp!

I would have punched that son of a bitch until he turned black and blue, but a soft touch to my wrist gets me to stop. Turning, I see Espio still kneeling on the floor. He has a pleading look in his eyes as he whispers, "Let it go, Vector. You're causing a scene. I'll end up getting fired for it."

Only one person could have stopped me from punchin' the hedgehog and that one person just so happens to be Espio. Using all the strength in my body, I clench my teeth and lower my fist. The hedgehog smirks in my face and saunters past me. My hands ball into fists again as I turn and watch him leave. Somehow or the other, I manage to refrain from following him out the door.

As soon as the cranky hedgehog is gone, I kneel on the floor and try to pick up pieces of ceramic with my big, clumsy hands. Glancing at the little chameleon across the floor from me, I ask, "Are yeh alright? Ya know none of that crap that came out of that hedgehog's mouth is true, right?"

"I'm fine," Espio replies curtly, his cheeks still slightly pink. He motions me away with him with a quick wave of his right hand, adding, "You don't have to help me. Just go back to Vanilla."

"But I wanna help ya!" I protest as Espio tries to pick up the pieces of the bowl quicker. In his haste, he accidentally drags his hand along one sharp edge of the bowl. Blood spurts out of the little cut that forms on his hand. Espio inhales quickly, but otherwise makes no sound of pain.

"You're not helping, Vector. You're making things worse. Just go," Espio hisses at me.

I open my mouth to protest, but then I meet Espio's eyes. They're blazing brightly in the light and I notice a venom in his pupils that I never noticed before. Espio is looking at me with unsuppressed reproach for me written all over his face. It's as if he blames me for this whole situation!

"Vector, dear? Is everything alright?" Miss Vanilla calls from across the room.

I send Espio one more long look, but he won't meet my eyes again. Supposing that I really should just leave him alone, I sigh and force myself to my feet. Striding across the floor, I sit back down next to Miss Vanilla and try to give her a reassuring look as I say, "Everything's fine. No worries."

"Good," Miss Vanilla smiles, taking my hand in hers.

Once again, I feel absolutely nothing from her touch. I'm so close to her that I could easily see down the front of her dress if I want to, but guess what? I don't want to. Instead, I'm focusin' on the slender figure who's collected all the broken pieces of the mug and is now hurrying to the back room of the cafe. Once Espio is out of view, I feel all wrong inside.

Turning back to Miss Vanilla a bit apologetically, I ask, "D'ya mind if I go check on Espio a second? I wanna make sure he's alright. I think he cut his hand on the broken pieces of the mug."

"Oh dear!" Miss Vanilla murmurs, looking truly concerned for Espio. "Do go and check on him!"

Not needing any more encouragement, I get to my feet and hurry to the back room of the cafe. I'm not really sure if I'm allowed back here or not, but nobody stops me. I push the heavy door open and find Espio dumping the pieces of broken mug into the trash bin. He's wrapped a napkin around his hand to stop the blood from flowin' from his cut.

"Hey there, Esp," I greet him, hoping he's not gonna look at me like he did earlier. He seemed..._vicious _almost. "Are yeh sure yer hand is alright?"

I must have caught Espio off guard because he jumps a good foot into the air as he whirls around to face me. He clutches at the place where his heart should be with one hand as his chest rises and falls rapidly. Frowning at me, he states, "You're not supposed to be back here, Vector. You could get me into trouble for this."

"I ain't causing any trouble!" I protest, reaching out to touch Espio's shoulder. He nimbly sidesteps me and doesn't meet my eyes. Feelin' kind of hurt, I raise an eyebrow at the chameleon and ask, "What's wrong? Are yeh mad at me for something?"

"No, but I think you should get back to Vanilla. It's rude to leave a guest by herself," Espio says icily, clearly mad about something even though he's not tellin' me what it is.

"Miss Vanilla can take care of herself. Besides, she doesn't have a big gash on her hand! Just tell me what's wrong, Esp. What did I do to ya to make yeh mad?" I ask, still clueless about whatever has caused Espio's wall to go back up, blocking me out once more.

"You did nothing," Espio says, stepping across the room from me to clean some dishes. I stare at him in frustration, hating it when I have to pressure him into telling me his secrets. It's so much easier when he just tells me about them from the beginning. Unfortunately, that's just not Espio's way.

Determined to get this out of him if it's the last thing I do, I tromp across the room in two long strides and grab Espio's wrists. I pull him around to fact me and lean down so that we're eye-to-eye with only an inch or two between us. Knowin' that I have Espio trapped, I state, "Now then, tell me what's goin' on."

I feel the wall starting to crumble. It breaks down the center, but doesn't fall down completely. Hesitating, Espio glances nervously up at me before he turns away and shakes his head, murmuring, "It's nothing. I wouldn't expect you to understand. Just let go of me before you hurt me worse. Please."

At those words, I really have no choice but to let go of Espio. He picks up a dirty napkin from the counter and flings it across the room. It lands right in the trash bin. I keep staring at Espio, getting a gut feeling that there's some deeper meaning underlying his words although I can't quite figure out what it means.

"Espio, if yeh would just tell me what's-" I try one more time, but am interrupted.

"Do you want me to lose this job?" Espio asks coldly, his eyes guarded and his wall back up and repaired once again. Helpless, I shake my head. Espio gives me one last frigid look before turning away from me, adding, "Then you'll leave before you cause any more trouble."

Sighing, I realize I've got no choice but to scram. I can't force the words I wanna hear out of Espio's throat. It annoys me that he can't just tell me about the thing that's clearly bothering him. It makes me feel like I'm a bad friend who he doesn't completely trust. The mysterious chameleon drives me crazy in more ways than one.

Now in a bad mood myself, I return to Miss Vanilla's table and sit down next to her once again. She immediately turns to me and asks, "Is Espio alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine," I reply, trying to pretend to be in a good mood. Espio might be fine physically, but he's definitely got some emotional issue going on.

I know I should try to engage Miss Vanilla in a conversation, but I'm too preoccupied with Espio to think about her. We sit in a content silence for a while. Not too much later, the door to the back room of the cafe opens once again and Espio slips out. He keeps his eyes on the ground as he throws his scarf around his neck. I watch him closely, willing him to look over in my direction. Surprisingly enough, he does. Just as he passes me, Esp looks up and meets my gaze. I feel as if I've been slapped in the face when we lock eyes. Espio actually looks angry. He's never given me this look before! I stare at him in bewilderment as he sticks his nose in the air and stalks out of the cafe with his curly tail bobbing behind him.

Since Miss Vanilla hasn't made any move to leave the cafe just yet, I'm forced to stay seated and can't run after Espio like I'm tempted to do. This whole situation is driving me insane. What the hell is going on with Espio? Why's he so mad at me? He acts like I should know why, but I've got no clue!

Finally, Miss Vanilla yawns and murmurs, "Thank you so much for the wonderful afternoon, Vector. I think I really should get going though. I need to check on Cream."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," I reply, immediately getting to my feet. Giving Miss Vanilla a parting smile, I say, "Thanks for comin' here with me, ma'am."

"Thank you for inviting me, Vector," Miss Vanilla replies. I'm grateful when she doesn't try to kiss me again and instead goes to the door of the cafe, waving as she calls, "Goodbye!"

I wait a few seconds after Miss Vanilla leaves before exiting the cafe myself because I don't wanna get caught in a situation that forces me to offer to walk her home. Yeah, I can be a selfish git at times, but the last thing I feel like doing is playing the role of an escort right now.

I arrive at my apartment room not too much later. Frowning, I flop down miserably onto the bed and try to come up with the reason for Espio being so mad at me. My mind stays frustratingly blank. Dammit, I'm a detective! I'm supposed to be_ good_ at figurin' out these kinds of things! However, try as I might, I can't come up with a single damn reason for Espio's sudden bitterness towards me. I'm forced to go to bed with a heavy heart and the hope that maybe he'll be more willing to talk to me tomorrow.

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_Hm...does anyone think that Espio will admit his true feelings for Vector anytime soon? Review please! :)  
_


	34. Eliminating Excuses

**Saints-Fan-12: That's true! Do you think he'll eventually tell Vector how he feels about him or do you think Vector will have to do all the talking if he wants a relationship with Esp? Good luck on your next chapter, btw!  
**

**andypandy123: Poor Espio's situation doesn't seem to be getting much better! I hope Vector tells Espio how he feels about him soon too. ;) Do you think they'll try to keep the way they feel about each other a secret from Charmy if they ever get around to admitting their feelings to each other? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Mormar1: Don't worry, Espio isn't hurt too badly. :3 Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Lol, yup, that hedgehog was not happy! Too bad Vector didn't beat him up. ;P Things are a little awkward between Vex and Esp in this chapter. Vector should totally kiss Esp though. Then he would feel the spark! And aw, you're so sweet. I always feel like my stories are really boring though, you know? =/ OMG, so I asked Team Chaotix how they feel about fanfics on Tumblr and they totally bashed me for it. xD  
**

**zgirl16: Let's hope Esp admits his feelings soon. And yay! I'm so happy my wishing worked! It's great to hear that you're feeling better. Aw, you're such a good friend! ^^ Yes, I do listen to music while I write! I'm listening to the Sonic Riders soundtrack at the moment. I've been really obsessed with it lately. What kind of music do you like listening to?  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Yay, you caught up! I wasn't sure if you were still reading this or not. I'm sorry you've been tired lately. I've been a bit like that myself. I'm really glad you're still liking the story! The hand holding bit was your favorite part? xD Don't worry, there will be lots more hand holding to come! Thanks for reading this. ^^  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Good job getting your work done fast! I've never been to a concert before, but that sounds like fun. I love roller coasters though! :3 You've never been on one before? I hope you can give one a try someday! Yes, let's cross our fingers that Espio will tell Vector how he feels soon! And yay for vegetarianism! hehe Thanks for the review!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I think you're right! Espio is clearly very jealous of Vector and Vanilla. ;P I totally agree with you about Vanilla. She seems too perfect and just not right for Vector! He needs Espio! It's really hard to write Vector and Espio being mad at each other. I just want them to kiss and make up already. Thanks so much for the great review! You're the best!  
**

**Alicia: *hugs* Thanks! Um, not really. Just wasting time online and doing some writing. How about you?  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I love some drama in fics, don't you? :) Haha, well, I could definitely see Vector punching the hedgehog and getting into a huge fight with him. xD How about you? Oh, don't worry about it! You should see me after a long day. My brain does not process anything at all. xP Anyways, OTP stands for one true pairing. It refers to your absolute favorite Sonic pairing or the couple you support the most. Do you have an OTP? :)  
**

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**Chapter XXXIV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I consider givin' Espio a call the very next day, but end up deciding against it. After all, I don't wanna force myself on him if he doesn't want to talk to me. So although I'm dying to figure out what's wrong with my Chaotix buddy, I refrain from pickin' up the phone and giving Espio a call. The day seems to drag on and on. All I do is sit by the phone and hope for someone to give me a call requiring the expertise of Team Chaotix. Then I'll have to go and pay Espio a visit to discuss our mission. Hell, I won't even have to call him. I'll just go right on over to his house!

Unfortunately, my phone stays stubbornly quiet. By the end of the day, I haven't gotten a single damn call. Annoyed, I pick up one of my porn magazines that Espio would definitely disapprove of and flick it open absentmindedly. Even the obscene, colorful pictures covering the pages of the magazine don't do anything for me. I'm not even payin' attention to them since my head is over in a small house with a hyperactive little bee and an alluring, amber-eyed chameleon within it.

Darkness eventually envelopes the apartment building and sunlight stops streaming in through my window. I look around myself and toss my magazine to the side. The only thing that's changed around here lately has to do with the fact that my desk is now littered with several more power bar wrappers and sports drink bottles. Y'know, Espio might be right. Maybe I _should _clean up around here sometime.

...Nah. Not tonight anyways. It's late and I've worked really hard doin' nothing today. Nodding to convince myself of this logic, I turn my music to something a little quieter and then fall into bed listening to my tunes. Tomorrow, I'm giving Espio a phone call whether he likes it or not.

I don't sleep too well and wake up feeling restless. Without bothering to check the time and not noticing the stars that are still twinkling outside of my window, I tramp across the room, plop down on my stool, and pick up the phone. It's second nature for my fingers to slam Espio's number into the phone. After dialing the familiar seven digits, I cram the phone against my ear and wait.

Ring, ring, ring! I wait impatiently for Esp to answer the phone and tap my foot irritably against the floor. The phone continues its incessant ringing and then goes to the voice mail system! I pull the phone away from my ear as if it's just burned me and stare at it incredulously. There's no way Espio is out at this time of day. He only goes out when he absolutely has to and I know that nobody in their right mind would be grocery shopping this time of day! The little brat must be ignoring me!

Gritting my teeth together, I pound my finger against the numbers on the phone and redial Espio's phone number. I'm gonna let him know that Vector the croc is not gonna be ignored! Once again, the phone rings several times before it goes to the voice mail system. Determined to continue dialing Espio's number until he picks up, I redial the number and wait. Finally, at the very last ring of the third call, I hear the phone pick up!

"Hello?" a sleepy voice asks hesitantly into the phone.

"Esp!" I shout probably a little too loudly in my excitement to finally be talkin' to my chameleon friend. "I was wonderin' if yeh were ever gonna pick up the damn phone!"

"Yes, well, it does happen to be five am, Vector," Espio replies in a stiff voice that suddenly alerts me that I've probably just woken him up. Going on, Espio adds, "Most people are actually _sleeping _at five am. What do you want? I assume you're calling me at this hour because of something important?"

Geez, is it really five am? I push my clutter off of my desk and onto the floor so I can find my alarm clock. Oops. Esp is actually right! It really is five am! No wonder he didn't answer the phone right away. He was probably sleepin' like most people are doing at this hour.

"Sorry 'bout that," I apologize sheepishly. "I didn't realize that it was so early."

"It's fine," Espio says in a clipped voice, clearly wanting to get straight to business. "What do you need?"

"Er, well, I didn't exactly need anything," I admit, feeling stupid for waking Espio up without a decent reason. Deciding to stick with the truth, I add, "I just wanted to know if ya wanted to hang out today. You could bring Charmy over here for a while or I could drop by yer place."

"I'm sorry, but today won't work out. Goodbye," Espio replies coldly, clearly in a hurry to hang up the phone and stop talking to me.

"Wait!" I exclaim, tryin' to get Espio to chat with me for just a few more minutes. I can't honestly believe that today just "isn't going to work out" according to Esp. Espio is never busy unless he has work to go to and I know he doesn't have work this morning. Pressing him for the truth, I ask, "Why won't today work? I wanna talk to ya!"

"I...I have to clean the house," Espio replies lamely, his excuse sounding dull to both of our ears.

Sensing the clear lie - Espio can never lie to me without me realizin' it - I suggest, "Well, how about I come over and help ya with the house?"

"No!" Espio replies vehemently. "You aren't exactly the essence of cleanliness. Now go back to sleep like everyone else or call Vanilla if you need someone to talk to. Goodbye, Vector."

I open my mouth, but Espio has already hung up his phone and if I continue talking, I'll be yammering on to closed ears. Dammit. I slam my phone down irritably and stare blankly at the ceiling. Why is Espio so mad at me? I wrack my brain tryin' to come up with the answer to the pressing question, but nothing comes to my mind. I can't think of one thing I've done that could have caused him to start acting like this towards me all over again. It's like we're back to square one!

Since I don't have anything better to do, I decide to go grocery shopping during the afternoon. I sort through my cash and realize that I only have a little bit of dough left. Team Chaotix better get another mission before the end of the month or else I won't be able to pay the rent!

Tryin' to keep my budget in mind, I head off to the store and only buy cheap things like more power bars, sports drinks, some potato chips, and trail mix. Espio would look at all this food with a wrinkled nose. I know just how much he hates junk food. Wait, why am I thinkin' of Espio right now and why do I even care what he thinks of me? Frowning, I stalk to the front of the grocery store to pay for my food. After that, I stomp home still feeling grouchy. Until Espio talks to me, I'm gonna be on edge.

The next day, I try givin' Espio a call again. Nobody answers the phone. This time, I get a strong feeling that he really is ignoring me. Irritated, I call him ten more times but to no avail. I feel extremely depressed, which is really uncharacteristic for my normal happy-go-lucky nature.

I listen to my tunes, but that doesn't help. I try drooling over my magazines, but find I can't drool anymore. I just end up draggin' my chair over to the window and starin' out of it all day, hoping that someone will give me a call. No calls come. I'm left in peace and quiet to wonder what Espio is doing on this cold, lonely October day.

The next day, I wake up and vow to myself to do whatever it takes to speak to Espio today. I am gonna get through to him! I'll never give up until I do. I resolutely plop down on my chair and speed dial Espio's number. Yup, I've called him so many times that I accidentally figured out how the speed dial works. Pretty cool, huh?

The ringing of the phone begins and I start to get that bad gut feeling that Espio isn't going to pick up. However, before I have a chance to figure out what I'm gonna do if that happens, the phone picks up and an enthusiastic voice says, "Hey there! This is Charmy speaking!"

"Oh, hey Charm," I reply, glad that someone picked up the phone even though it's the wrong person. "Can I talk to Espio?"

"Um, I don't know if that's such a good idea or not," Charmy replies warily. "He's been acting really out of sorts lately."

"Out of sorts?" I echo Charmy, wondering what the little bee could mean by this. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"He's just acting weird. He's been writing in his journal and meditating a lot lately. I tried to get him to go to the park or the beach with me, but he said I could go by myself if I really wanted to go," Charmy admits in a quiet voice, alerting me to the fact that Espio must be close by. "I think he misses you, Vector."

"Huh? Nah, I don't think so," I reply, deciding not to tell Charmy how I've been spamming Espio with phone calls and how he's been ignoring all of them. "Look, can ya please just let me talk with Esp? It's kinda important."

"Okay, I guess, but don't say I didn't warn you!" Charmy tells me. I pull the phone away from my ear just in time as Charmy hollers, "ESPIO! PHONE!"

"There's really no need to scream, Charmy. I'm in the same room as you," I hear Espio's faint voice as he crosses the room to take the phone from Charmy. A few minutes later, I hear him speak in a normal tone of voice, "Yes?"

"Er, hey Espio," I say, feelin' a little awkward after smothering him with phone calls the last few days. "Look, yer probably really annoyed at me for all the calls, but I really gotta speak to yeh! It can't wait! Whatever I did, I'm real sorry about it. Can I just come over fer a bit so we can talk things through?"

"I never said you_ did _anything, Vector," Espio says, voice cool and distant again.

Not sure what Espio is getting at, I ask blankly, "Someone else did somethin' then?"

"...No. I didn't say that either," Espio replies in a less than convincing voice.

"Argh! Yer driving me insane, Esp!" I snap, my temper finally breaking. "Look, I'm comin' over whether yeh like it or not!"

Without giving Espio a chance to reply, I slam my phone down and stand up resolutely. Espio is not gonna avoid me for forever! I'm gonna do what I should have done from the beginning and just go on over to his house. On my way to the door, I throw my gold chain over my head and smash my feet into my sneakers before I slam the apartment room door open and let if fall shut behind me. I stomp down the hallway not carin' if I wake everyone in the apartment building up.

I go straight to Espio's house without any delay. It's turning out to be a real nice day so far. The sun is shining, there's not a cloud to be seen in the sky, and it's warm for a day for mid October. I might have enjoyed my walk to Espio's house if I hadn't been so annoyed at the current circumstances.

By the time I finally reach Espio's home, I've decided not to bother knocking. Grabbing the door handle, I force it open and tromp inside. Loud video game music greets my ears and I can see Charmy's antennae stick up from in front of the couch. Espio is sittin' at the kitchen table, clutching a little cup of tea in his hands. He doesn't look so good. He appears a little thinner as if he's skipped a few meals recently and his scales don't shine in the light like they usually do.

When Charmy hears me open the door, he throws his video game controller aside and hurls himself at me. I lean against the door to keep myself from toppling over as Charmy throws his arms around my neck and gives me one of his huge smiles as he yells, "VECTOR!"

"Hey kid," I reply, tolerating the affection for a few seconds before I try and unwrap Charmy's suffocating arms from around my neck. "D'ya always get this excited when someone enters yer house?"

"Nope," Charmy shakes his head vigorously, "Only when you come over! I've missed you!"

"It's only been a few days since you saw Vector last," Espio points out dryly from where he's still sitting on his chair with his cup of tea in his hands.

"Yeah, but it seems as if it's been _forever,_" Charmy emphasizes. He waits until Espio turns his head away from our direction before he leans in close to me and whispers in my ear, "Can you see if you can do something about Espio? He's still acing so weird. I can't figure out what's wrong with him."

"I'll give it a try," I nod as Charmy finally lets go of me and goes back to hovering above the couch, half-watching me and half-watching his video game. In a firm voice, I turn to Espio and say sternly, "You. Me. The bedroom. Now. We need ta talk and yeh know it."

"B-but Vector..." Espio stammers in surprise.

Not giving him a choice about this, I barrel over to where Espio is sitting and forcibly take the cup of tea out of his hand. I set it down on the table with a thunk before I take Espio's forearm in a gentle, but firm grip, and tug him across the room and into the bedroom. Kickin' the door shut behind us, I give the flustered chameleon a hard look and demand, "Now start talkin'! I have a right to know what's goin' on. Don't ya give me that look! We both know sumthin' is up and yer gonna tell me what it is."

* * *

_It seems like Espio has been avoiding Vector! What do you think his reasons for avoiding our favorite croc are? Oh, and I finally got a Tumblr. ;P Does anyone else have one because I'd love to follow you! If you wanna follow me, I'm iheartsonjet. ^^ Review please! :)  
_


	35. Stubborn Silences

**Saints-Fan-12: I worded that sentence that way on purpose actually. Hm, binge eating? I'd say he's not been eating at all since he's gotten skinnier. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**andypandy123: Lol, you mean because Bryce used to force Espio into the bedroom? :P I think we all have an evil side, so it's okay. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Mormar1: I'd say Espio has definitely fallen for Vector and is avoiding him out of jealousy. Thank you for the review!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Yes, it's always straight to the point with Vector. No extra fluff, although with Esp, he might just have to learn some fluff! Yay, I'm glad you still love this. :) It should start getting more exciting soon. And yes! Tumblr is amazing with all the Jet pictures on there. :P Gotta love Tumblr! I can't wait to talk to you later today!  
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**Guest: It should be unless Espio decides to keep his mouth shut. ;P Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Cosmictruffle: I'm glad you think it's getting exciting. ^^ Haha, yeah, I'd say Vector sort of got rejected that time. I do try to add a lot of buildup to my stories. Sometimes I think I overdo it, but it adds more drama to the story, right? Yay, I'll follow you on Tumblr. Thanks for the review! :)  
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**Chibi-Guest: I hope so too! When you get to go on a roller coaster, let me know if you liked it or not, okay? Yeah, I think you're right about Espio being jealous of Vector and Vanilla. ;) Hehe, we have lots of peanut butter at our house. Want some? *offers you some peanut butter* It's all yours if you want it. Hm, I mostly like Sonic music and Marilyn Manson. Er, yeah, those are kind of opposite types of music, but I love them both! Do you have a favorite type of music?  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: You are totally right - that's exactly why Espio has been avoiding Vector. Too bad Vector can't see that. Lol, for some reason, skipping meals makes me feel a lot better. Yes, being ignored is the absolute worst! I've had that a few times. =/ Thanks for continuing to be such an awesome reviewer and friend! :D  
**

**Alicia: That's always fun. xD  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Sorry! Cliffhangers are just too much fun to write. Yeah, Vector tends to get sort of pushy when he's worried. The bedroom bit was fun to write. I meant to make everyone think "what the hell?" until they read the rest of the sentence. ;P Vector's not going there with Espio...yet. No, you're not stupid! I have about fifty blonde moments everyday. xD Sonadow is super cute, I agree! Is that the first yaoi pairing you got into? Um...good question actually. I sort of just discovered Sonic Riders and I've been obsessed with Sonjet ever since. Such an awesome and cute pairing. ;P I'm going to write a fic based on that pairing next. So I dunno, I'd say my OTP is a tie between Vecpio and Sonjet. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio can be very stubborn when he wants to be. Instead of openin' up to me like he really should do, Espio just stands there in the corner of the bedroom with his arms crossed over his chest and a solid expression on his face. I sigh melodramatically. Esp is gonna end up telling me his problem sooner or later, so wouldn't it be best to get it out there in the open sooner rather than later? I stay silent, not wanting to press Esp too hard. Sometimes he does better when I just give him silence.

However, after a few long minutes of Espio still not saying anything, I prod, "C'mon, Esp! We're best buds, remember? This can't be worse than anything you've told me before!"

Espio shifts uncomfortably in front of me and stares at the floor as if he's a child who's been caught doing something wrong. Finally, he glances up in my direction and says firmly, "I can't tell you, Vector. It's nothing though. I...I suppose I've been overreacting to everything lately. I will try not to do that any longer."

Argh! That's really not the answer I wanted ta hear! I don't want Espio to bury his problems deeper inside of him. That's not gonna help either of us out. The problem will just fester underneath his skin until Esp ends up all miserable and depressed again. I won't forget about his problem and it's gonna bother me until I uncover his damn secret!

Trying again, I press the little chameleon, "Why won't yeh just tell me? Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll understand. If I had a problem, I'd just tell yeh what it was."

"I said I'm fine," Espio says resolutely, his amber eyes hardening. "You know I hate it when you try and force things out of me."

"Yeah, but sometimes yeh need a little persuasion," I point out, searching my head for a good example to offer him regardin' the arts of persuasion. One recent example pops into my head and I ask, "Remember how long it took ya to tell me about yer cousin? Well, even you admitted to me that yeh felt better after ya told me about him."

"That was a very different situation," Espio replies, face unmoving as he pulls himself up to his full height. Sounding almost testy, he adds, "I'm not going to give in to you every time."

I grit my teeth together. It's during these times when Espio acts so stubborn that I find myself gettin' really fed up with him. We meet each other's eyes and glare at each other for a long moment, trying to see who can glare the longest. Unfortunately, we're interrupted by the loud ringing of the telephone from the other room. Espio immediately dives under my arm and tries to throw himself towards the door so he can get the phone. I move faster and cover the door handle with my tail as I come to block it from Espio's path.

"Charmy, get the phone!" I yell through the door before smirking down at an annoyed Espio, adding, "Yer not goin' anywhere until yeh tell me yer problem."

"I've already told you that I don't have a problem. Certainly not one I need to share with _you_! At the moment, the only problem I have is that you happening to be blocking my bedroom door and restricting me from answering my own telephone," Espio replies smoothly, leaning against the bedpost and looking at me disdainfully.

"I'll move as soon as yeh tell me what's goin' on," I try to bribe Esp as I hear Charmy pick up the phone and start yammering away in his high-pitched voice.

"I've already told you how I feel about it," Espio says icily before he peers at me from under half-closed lids and murmurs in a different sort of tone, "Tell me, Vector, what are you going to _do _about it?"

I open my mouth to come up with some good retort to Esp's question, but his suddenly cocky attitude has thrown me off. There's a certain smugness to Espio's demeanor as he glances over at me still from under his mostly closed lids. He knows he's got the upper hand in this situation again. How is it that he always wins in these stupid fights of ours? Chewing on my tongue, I find that all I really want to do is shove the little chameleon up against the wall and...

And _what_? Rattle his shoulders and see if I can shake the problem outta him? Nah. That's not at all what I would be doin' because even if the chameleon drives me crazy sometimes, I couldn't ever hurt him on purpose. I hate it when he decides to act coy with me like this though. He's still standin' across the room from me, hands on his hips, tail flicking in the air, and a sassy look on his face. I only see this side of Esp when he gets angry. Guess pressuring him has really ticked him off.

"VECTOR!" a loud voice practically deafens me from outside of the door. Flinching, I stumble backwards from the door and rub my poor ears. The door comes bursting open and Charmy hovers in the doorway as he says urgently, "The phone is for you, Vector! It's Miss Vanilla. She says she really wants to talk to you."

Miss Vanilla? Why's she callin' me here? I'm so shocked by the news that I just stand where I am for a few seconds. Espio takes advantage of the situation and stalks past me to the living room with his tail bobbing and his nose in the air. I get the suddenly impulse to reach out and grab him. I dunno why I want to do that and maybe it's better if I don't try and figure out why...

"Hello? Earth to Vector!" Charmy suddenly yells in my face, causing my ears to start ringing again. Giving me a puzzled look, he adds, "Why are you staring at Espio like that?"

Espio stops at Charmy's words and turns his head ever so slightly so I can see just the side of his face. His lip curls ever so slightly before he goes back to stalking across the room. Shaking myself back to my senses, I mutter, "Uh, nevermind that, Charmy. I wasn't starin' at Esp. I was just thinkin'."

I step past the little bee and make my way to the kitchen. Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd really think that Esp is flirting with me. Those little smirks, tails flicks, and challenging stares aren't exactly the typical Espio behavior. I've gotta bring myself back to reality though. Esp doesn't flirt. It looks like I'm gettin' so stuck on him that I'm seein' things that aren't really there.

I reach the kitchen and pick up the phone before I can allow myself to become any more distracted by the chameleon who's somehow managed to get himself glued to the front of my brain. Clearing my throat and remembering that I'm supposed to be speaking to the woman I love, I ask, "Miss Vanilla, ma'am?"

"Hello, Vector!" Miss Vanilla exclaims in her warm voice, soundin' pretty happy to speak to me. "I tried your other phone, but you weren't home, so I thought you might be here. I was wondering if you might be able to help me out with something? It's not typical detective work, but I'll certainly pay you for it."

"'Course I can help!" I respond immediately before adding almost sadly, "Yeh don't _have _to pay."

"Don't be silly, dear. Of course I can pay," Miss Vanilla reassures me before going on, "Cream and I are at the beach right now. Cream accidentally dropped one of her beach toys in the water and neither of us can seem to find it. It's her favorite toy and I'd really like to get it back for her. Perhaps you and your team can come over to the beach and help us look for it? It's surprisingly warm outside for October."

"We'll be over right away, ma'am!" I reply vigorously. "Don't yeh worry. We'll find Cream's toy if it's the last thing we do!"

"I knew I could count on you," Miss Vanilla says gratefully. "I will see you shortly then."

The two of us both hang up our phones and I waste no time in making my way to the living room. I should be excited about seein' Miss Vanilla again, but I find that I'm mostly concerned about the money this time. So far, Team Chaotix has only been on one mission and we haven't made a lotta money since then. In fact, we've made no money since then. If searching for a kid's toy is gonna help me pay the bills, then I'm all for it!

I immediately stride into the living room and then come to a halt. Espio is lying on his side on the couch propped up on his shoulder with his long slender body extended so I can see all his beautiful scales glittering in the light streaming in from the window. Esp isn't even looking at me, but I can't help but stare at him.

"Geez, what's wrong with you today, Vector?" Charmy asks me suddenly, looking annoyed as I come to a halt. "You're so...so..."

"Spaced out?" Espio asks evenly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I mean," Charmy nods, causing me to blush.

Espio quickly changes to a sitting position and asks in a careless voice, "What did Vanilla want? Are you two going on another date?"

"Uh...no," I say, returning myself to reality. I look at Charmy instead of Espio so I don't zone out again and continue on, "Cream lost one of her toys at the beach and Miss Vanilla said she'd pay us well to find it for her. It can't be too hard to find, especially after the whole Chaos Emerald situation."

"Wait. You mean we're detectives that are going to search for beach toys?" Espio frowns, not approving of this mission. "I didn't sign up for this kind of work."

"Well, if it pays the bills, I don't have a problem with it. Yeh don't have to come along if yeh think this kinda work is 'beneath you'," I add, already standing close to the door.

"Hmph," Espio says, getting up gracefully from the couch. He slinks past me to the door, brushing himself very lightly against my side. I feel a lump form in my throat as the coil of his tail lingers against my arm before Espio pushes open the door and steps outside.

Caught stunned in the middle of the doorway, I feel someone shove on my back a moment later as Charmy says, "Okay, Vector, let's move it!"

I clumsily tromp out of the door and start down the sidewalk to the beach with the arrogant chameleon on one side of me and a hyperactive little bee on my other side. None of us speak as we walk to the beach. Guess we're all trapped within our own minds. I know I am.

As we make our way to the beach, I can't seem to keep my eyes focused straight ahead of me. I keep glancin' over at Esp. Either he's the most inconspicuous flirt ever or he is teasin' me on purpose. Espio doesn't tease though, does he? Nah. He probably doesn't even realize that the way he sways his hips and stares at me under lidded eyes can be interpreted as seductive. Esp's about as innocent as Charmy when it comes to romance. I bet he's never been in a relationship.

Finally, we reach the beach and pad into the sad. Miss Vanilla sure was right; it's a gorgeous day outside. Yeah, it's a little chilly, but the sun is out to keep is warm. I glance around the beach, wonderin' how we're going to find Miss Vanilla amongst all these people. Charmy, however, has already abandoned our group and is making a straight line to the water.

"I'm sure he's found Cream. Let's go," Espio says evenly before dodging sunbathers and little kids as he follows Charmy's lead.

I tromp after Esp, trying not to lean forwards and breathe in his strong scent or watch the way his tail flicks back and forth in front of my nose. I'm here ta work, not to stare at Esp! A few seconds later, Charmy comes to a standstill. Espio and I follow him and come to a halt right in front of Miss Vanilla and Cream

"Hi Charmy!" Cream exclaims in an extremely high-pitched voice. "Would you like to build a sandcastle with me?"

Charmy hesitates and glances between Cream and Espio, unsure whether or not he should go and play with his buddy when he's supposed to be workin' for Team Chaotix. Espio gives him a smile and nods, giving him permission to play with Cream. Charmy nods at her excitedly and the two are off to build a sandcastle.

Miss Vanilla approaches us and smiles her typical smile. She's not wearin' a swimsuit unfortunately and is in her long dress as usual. "I'm sorry to ask you two to come all the way out here, but this certain toy is very important to Cream. It's her favorite. That's why I thought I'd give you a call."

"It's no problem, ma'am! We'll find Creamy's toy alright! Yeh can count on us!" I reassure Miss Vanilla as I start to turn to begin the search.

A surprisingly strong hand suddenly fastens around my wrist and pulls me back around. Giving me a condescending glance, Espio points out logically, "Vector, we're never going to find the toy unless we know what it looks like. There are probably close to a hundred children's toys on the beach right now."

I glance around at all the hedgehog, cat, and rabbit kids playing in the sand and realize that Espio is right. Dammit. Why does Espio_ always _have to be right? Ignoring him, I turn to Miss Vanilla instead and ask, "Would ya mind givin' us a description of the toy?"

"Of course not," Miss Vanilla replies pleasantly. "The toy is a plastic blue dolphin about six inches long or so. Cream's grandmother bought it for her a few years ago before she passed on. It's very important to Cream."

"I'm really sorry about yer mother," I apologize to Miss Vanilla sympathetically.

"It's quite alright, dear," Miss Vanilla replies, gently placing a hand on top of mine and sending me an affectionate look. Suddenly, she frowns and adds, "Last time I saw the toy, Cream was playing with it by the edge of the water. You may want to begin your search in that direction perhaps?"

Espio and I exchange looks. It seems like we're gonna be startin' our search underwater! I'm a pretty darn good swimmer if I do say so myself. I am a croc after all! I dunno about Espio though. Is he any good at swimming? Guess I'll be findin' out shortly!

* * *

_Team Chaotix finally has another mission! Do you think Cream's toy will be easy or hard to find? Review please! :)  
_


	36. Fateful Accidents

**Saints-Fan-12: I want to see that picture! xD And yes...let's just keep our fingers crossed that it hasn't floated out to sea yet! Hope you like this chapter. ^^  
**

**Mormar1: I'd say they're going to have some difficulties finding the toy. xD Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: I think Espio could just be sitting around and doing nothing and Vector would somehow come up with a reason that makes Espio look like he's acting flirty. xP Here's more! I think you'll like this chapter. ^^  
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**LuluCalliope: It's alright, don't worry about it! And I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I don't really want to be paired. Lol, yup, Vector is a good swimmer and Esp is usually a good swimmer too depending on the circumstances as you'll see in this chapter. Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: I was actually considering doing that, but you know me, I like to draw things out and drive my readers crazy. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Chibi-Guest: I definitely agree with you. I've lost tons of things in the water as well. Chinese and Japanese songs are great. I like them too. :3 And yay! *sends you more peanut butter since you liked it the last time* Aw, I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I hope you're doing better now!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! Hehe, Espio really does have Vector wrapped around his finger, doesn't he? And lol, that is so true. Everything ends up being extremely complicated for Espio and Vector. Don't worry; that makes complete sense and now I'm smiling! :D Thank you so much for reading this!  
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**Alicia: Yay, I'm glad you're liking it! A friend of mine got me interested in it and when I found Jet pictures on there, I was like "This is heaven!" xD  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Underwater assignments are never a good thing for guys like Vector and Espio. It's trouble waiting to happen! ;P Yeah, Vector gets fed up really fast. He has a short temper in Sonic X. xD Yay, I'm glad you like Sonjet too! Will I be able to convince you to read my Sonjet story? xP I agree that there needs to be more Sonjet stories! There aren't many at all. I skimmed over Feel the Air a bit. xP Oh my gosh, I am the exact same way! I only like yaoi pairings for Sonic now, poor guy, lol! How many different yaoi pairings do you like for Sonic? Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter XXXVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I tromp through the sand to the edge of the water. Espio follows me at a distance, a slightly wary look on his face, which isn't exactly unusual for Esp. The two of us come to stand at the edge of the water. I'm ready to dive right on in, but Espio's expression stops me. He looks...nervous? I dunno, it's pretty hard to tell what he's thinkin' sometimes. Still though, something about the way he's staring at the water keeps me from diving in. I figure he has somethin' to say. Turns out I'm right. A good detective should always trust his intuition!

Espio suddenly grabs my wrist and turns to look up at me as he states with a frown, "Vector, we should come up with some sort of plan before we literally dive right into this. I don't know how deep these waters are. If we stick to the shore, we should be fine, but what about the distant waters? There could be predators out there or who knows what else."

I should sympathize with Esp, but my pride gets the better of me mainly because Espio kept trying to show me up earlier. Deciding to mock him, I place a hand on my hip and smirk down at the little chameleon, asking, "Wait, do yeh actually mean to tell me that little Espio is scared of deep water?"

"Certainly not!" Espio replies immediately, his cheeks flushing red from anger. "All I'm saying is that we should come up with a plan before we just go searching for the toy. I think it would be safer that way. Remember when we searched for the Chaos Emerald all over the beach and couldn't find it?"

"Yeh, but we eventually found it," I argue, not wantin' to lose two arguments to Espio in one day. "We'll eventually find the toy. I mean, how hard can it be? It obviously didn't just disappear. It's gotta be around here somewhere. What are yeh tryin' to say anyways? Ya wanna buy a toy detector?"

"No, that's not at_ all _what I'm saying," Espio replies, folding his arms and giving me an annoyed look. "I'm just trying to help us come up with a plan."

"Don't we already have a plan? You search the waters to the right and I'll search the waters to the left. It ain't that hard," I reply, feeling as if Espio is being a bit of a drama queen right now. He's always so damn serious and makes a big deal outta everything. Deciding to make fun of him a little more, I add, "Look, if ya can't swim well, just stay here and let me do the work."

"Hmph!" Espio huffs condescendingly. "For your information, I can swim just fine, thank you. In fact, I'm certain I'm an even better swimmer than _you_."

Espio? A better swimmer than me? Only in his dreams! I open my mouth to speak, but Espio has already leaped into the air and is diving gracefully into the water. Er, okay, so maybe he's a better swimmer than I thought he would be. I watch him slice through the water easily and am forced to admit that he probably is a better swimmer than me. Argh. Why does the chameleon show me up in everything? He bests me when it comes to women, intelligence, and skills! How fair is this? Not too fair at all if ya ask me!

I let out some aggression by performing a cannonball into the water. Waves splash everywhere, but nobody seems to notice. I figure I'd better follow my own advice and get to work lookin' for the toy. What did Miss Vanilla say it looked like again? Oh yeah, it was a blue plastic dolphin. That won't be too hard to find.

Taking a deep breath, I turn and plunge headfirst towards the bottom of the water to begin the search for the toy. It's a very long, boring process. There's not much interesting to look at on the bottom of the water. All I can see are a lot of rocks, dirt, gravel, and sea plants. Okay, so maybe Espio is right. This is gonna be harder than I thought. Oh well. I've already given Miss Vanilla my word that I'd find Cream's toy and I'm determined to keep my promise! Vector the croc always keeps his word no matter what!

Two hours pass and guess what? There's still been no sign of the toy. By now, I'm startin' to get a little irritable. I'm starving and the water is cold. 'Course, Espio hasn't complained yet, so I won't either. We're both forced to venture into deeper waters. I don't mind that much. The only difference I can notice is that the water is a little darker down here. I'm too strong to notice that the waves are rippling around this area and would hbe tugging me this way and that if I were any smaller.

I search the area for a little bit and still can't find the dolphin. Geez, Team Chaotix always seems to have the worst luck when it comes to findin' things! Needing a short break, I poke my head up above the water and float on my back for a short break. I feel like I deserve that and more for all the searchin' I've been doing. Trying to find an excuse to keep myself from going back to my search, I look around for Esp to see how he's doing. Crap, he's not around. Guess he must still be under the water.

As soon as I think this, a familiar chameleon head pops out of the water a good forty feet or so away from me. Espio looks just as ticked off over the whole situation as I do. His lips are pressed in a straight line and I can tell from the look in his eyes that he's not too happy right now. Before I can call over to Esp and ask how his search is goin', a strong current rips by me.

"Whoa!" I exclaim as I'm jerked to my left. Luckily, I'm strong enough to kick and paddle my arms furiously to escape the current that tries to drag me down. I'll show that current who's boss!

"Help m-me, Vector!" a voice calls fearfully from a little distance away.

Having been too occupied with the current to have been paying any attention to my surroundings, I jerk my head up and look around. To my left is poor little Espio struggling against the current tryin' to push him out to the sea. He paddles frantically, but doesn't seem to be making any progress against the powerful current. It rips and tears at him, trying to drag him down, down, down...

I stare at him in shock, too petrified to move right away. Wide-eyed fear fills Espio's eyes as he notices that I'm not makin' a move to save him. He looks so helpless struggling against the current. Accidentally taking in a mouthful of water, Espio sputters as he pleads, "P-please, Vector?"

Jerking myself out of my momentary paralysis, I start fighting my way towards the current, yelling, "I'm comin' for yeh, Esp! Hang on!"

Espio tries to battle the strong spiral of water, but it ends up bein' too strong for him. After a few more gulps of water, Espio starts choking, the coughs wracking through his slender figure. I wince and try to swim faster, but the current is hard for even me to handle. I curse at myself inwardly. This is all my fault. I was the one who insisted that we search the deeper waters for the stupid toy. I should have listened to Espio. After all, he did try and warn me that there might be dangers in these deeper waters. Instead of heeding his advice, I jeered at him.

As I near the center of the current, it becomes too much for Espio. His head disappears underneath the surface of the water and doesn't reappear. My heart kinda stops beating for a moment as I realize just how serious this situation is. I read about how a little hedgehog who strayed too far from the shore of the beach drowned in a current only two years ago. Espio may be a fighter, but his body is fragile. Dammit, Espio could actually _die _because of me and my selfishness...

Determined not to let this happen, I mutter, "C'mon, Esp, you can make it! Now where the hell are yeh?"

I scan the nearby waters, but there's no sign of fuchsia scales anywhere. I plunge myself into the middle of the current and look around desperately for Esp under the water. Ah ha! There he is sinkin' down to the dark depths of the waters. Paddling furiously, I fight the current and reach Espio in a matter of seconds. I wrap my arms around the delicate purple figure and force my way to the surface of the water. I take a fearful look at Espio. His eyes are closed and he's flopping around limply in my arms. I've gotta get him to the shore fast!

Not about to waste any more precious time, I put all my strength into reachin' the shore as quickly as possible. All the while, I pray to any spirits that might be listening to make Espio be okay. I'll never be able to live with myself if anything happens to the chameleon.

Finally, I reach the shore and stagger out of the water. Apparently, everyone in our little group knows what happened. Miss Vanilla is staring at Espio with a frightened look in her deep brown eyes, Cream looks petrified, and Charmy immediately flies over to me, asking, "Is Espio okay?"

"I dunno yet. Give me some room," I command, waving Charmy out of my way. Kneeling on the dry sand, I lay Espio's body down carefully and look him over. His eyes are still closed and his limbs still flop around as if they're not supporting by anything. Espio's usually vibrant scales are turning dull. Oh god, what if I _did _kill him?

"Check for his pulse, Vector!" Charmy urges, hovering next to my head in alarm.

Realizing that Charmy has a good idea, I reach down and pull off the glove covering Espio's right hand. I flip it over and gently feel for his pulse. Cream inhales sharply, probably shocked by the scars streaking across Espio's wrist. I'm not concerned about those right now though. I just gotta make sure my buddy is okay! I concentrate hard, but can't feel a pulse.

"Does anyone know CPR?" Miss Vanilla asks hesitantly. "I don't think we have time to get him to a hospital."

"Er, I guess I could give it a try," I admit, willin' to do anything to save Espio. Leaning over the motionless figure of my friend, I take a deep breath and realize that going mouth-to-mouth with Espio is practically like kissin' him. No, I'm not some sick freak who wants ta kiss the dead body of my friend. The thought just makes me nervous, that's all.

"What's CPR?" Charmy asks, the only member of our group who doesn't seem to feel the need for silence. Being extremely careful, I squeeze my eyes shut and close the distance between Espio and myself for the first time. My mouth meets Espio's before I gently ease his cold lips apart with my tongue, breathing much needed oxygen into him. Charmy's eyes get as big as saucers and he exclaims, "Vector, what are you doing?! Why are you kissing Espio?"

"Hush, dear," Miss Vanilla quiets Charmy, putting a gentle arm around him and pulling him over to her side. "We'll explain in a moment."

Using as much caution as I can, I continue to breathe air into Espio's lungs. My hand searches for his wrist while our lips remain locked. Argh, still nothing! Deciding to take a risk and try out something I read about once in a book, I move my large hands to Espio's chest and push down on him ever so slightly. It's critical that I don't break any of his ribs in this process. Knowin' that this could be the difference between life or death, I continue applying pressure to Espio's chest and keep on trying to breathe life back into his small figure.

Finally, just when I'm startin' to give up hope, I feel a very slight beating underneath my palm. Urged on by this sign of progress, I stop pushing on Espio's chest, but continue with the mouth-to-mouth way of givin' him oxygen. A few more moments pass before I suddenly feel life spring into the small body beneath mine. Espio's lips go from ice cold to slightly warm. I keep my mouth pressed against his as I watch him carefully for signs of more progress. A second later, Espio's eyelids flutter open and he gazes around blearily. I should move back. There's no need for me to continue the CPR now.

...But I don't. I keep my mouth against Espio's and find that that I'm kissing him. At least, that's what I think I'm doing since I'm applying just the slightest bit of pressure to his soft lips and I'm starin' into his amber eyes as if he's my little angel come back to life.

Espio's eyes stop roaming around and he's able to focus once more. Our eyes meet and in that moment, I feel somethin' strong pass between us. Espio could easily pull away from me, but he doesn't. Instead, he simply lays before me with an expression of gratitude and something more than that on his face. If we were alone, I would've kept on kissing him, would've brought him close to my chest and told him that I'll never let anything happen to him ever again.

We aren't alone though and I feel things starting to get awkward since I have three people staring at Esp and myself. I pull back and give Espio room to sit up. Espio gingerly adjusts his body and attempts to sit up. All the while, he keeps his eyes on me. He could be lookin' at anyone or anything else, but nope. He keeps his unwavering gaze right on my face. Suddenly, he chokes and coughs up water. I wince, but I'm mostly just grateful that he's still alive.

In a hoarse voice, Espio whispers, "I feel sick. What h-happened?"

"Er, well, it's kinda a long story, but don't ya worry! Yer safe now," I tell Espio fervently. I mean exactly what I say. Esp is safe and I'm never gonna let anything happen to him ever again!

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_Yay, their first kiss! Finally! xD Do you think things are going to change between Espio and Vector now? Review please! :)  
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	37. Changed Convictions

**Saints-Fan-12: Don't fall! ;P And I definitely agree with you. Things are changing more quickly now! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**Mormar1: I think Vector is already in love. Now we just have to get Espio to feel the same way! Thanks for the review. :)  
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**Guest: Definitely memorable! I guess you can't forget an experience like that, huh? Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: *squeals with you* Yay for fangirling! We should enter the story and push Vector back to Esp, shouldn't we? He gets kind of...distracted in this chapter. I hope you like this one despite the Vector distractedness. ;P  
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**LuluCalliope: I guess Vector knows CPR or else Esp would probably be dead, lol. xD I thought it was a cute way for them to "accidentally" kiss. xP Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much! I couldn't figure out how to accidentally make them kiss, but then the CPR thing popped into my mind and so I decided to go with it. :P Here's an update so you don't die of curiosity. xD  
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**zgirl16: Yay, you're back! I missed you! How have you been? Yay for their first kiss! *parties* Music is amazing, I love it. Oh my god, I love that song SO much! I kind of based this story off of Coma White to some extent. That and Sweet Dreams. ^^ Do you ever base your stories off of songs?  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yes, things should get better between Espio and Vector now! :) The beach is a lot of fun, isn't it? I wish I lived in California too. That would be awesome. Aw, you don't need to feel like a wimp! *hugs* I can handle games and things like that alright, but sometimes they depress me, so I prefer to do things that make me happy. xD  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Woo, your review really made my day! Ramble all you like to me! I love to hear what you think of the chapter. I did try to make it suspenseful. Drama and suspense are my favorite things to write, I think. ^^ Hehe, I agree that they'll have to confront each other after the CPR session! Ooo, good question! In this story, we're still going to be in October by Xmas, I think, so I probably won't do anything Xmas-related for this fic. I was considering writing a Vecpio Christmas one shot not related to this story though. It would just be kind of smutty and cute. xD What do you think of that idea? Thanks for reading!  
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**Alicia: Um...wherever has better Jet pictures, I guess, LOL. What about you? ;P  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I love making Vector save the day. He just seems like that kind of guy to me. He'll (hopefully) always be around to lend Esp a hand. Wow, really? Thanks! I already have my plot for the Sonjet story written down. I just need to finish this one first. I agree with you completely. Sonic is definitely not a ladies' man, especially since he seems to spend his life saving the world and running away from Amy. xD My thoughts are the exact same as yours about Tails and Sonic. They have such a cute friendship relationship and I never see it as any more than that. I don't ship anyone with Tails since he's so young actually. What about you? Hm, I ship Sonjet the most when it comes to Sonic pairings. I also like Sonourge and Sonadow though. Do you like Sonourge? I know you like Sonadow. Thanks for being such a great reviewer!  
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**Chapter XXXVII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I look up at all the concerned faces peering down at me, and despite the fact that I almost drowned moments earlier, I feel much happier than I've felt in a long time. Every single pair of eyes fixed on me are full of compassion and sympathy. It's as if these kind people actually care about me. I glance around myself quickly before my eyes fall on Vector. My uneven heartbeats suddenly become even more irregular as I lock gazes with the large crocodile. He's looking at me earnestly and is kneeling on the sand not all that far from me.

When I regained my conscience from my near drowning experience, I woke to find Vector's lips on mine. Normally, this would have frightened me. I would have kicked him in the groin or reacted violently. However, the feeling that came over me when I woke was one I'd never experienced before. There's something about Vector that makes me feel safe and cared for. He doesn't treat me like Bryce. He'll never treat me like dirt, shove me around, or force me to do anything degrading.

Am I saying that I actually liked the mouth-to-mouth moment with the clumsy crocodile? No, certainly not! That's not even close to what I'm saying. I'm only pointing out that I didn't mind it too much. Unfortunately, even my own reasoning sounds weak and untruthful to my own ears. What was that excited spark that went off inside of me when I woke up to find Vector over top of me?

I start to shiver and wrap my arms around myself, deciding to put all these disconcerting thoughts aside for later. I could have lost my life today and yet here I am thinking about petty issues that don't matter. ...Except, well, they _do _matter. They matter quite a bit.

"Geez, Esp, yer shiverin' like you've got a chill! I'm gonna go find yeh a blanket," Vector tells me, staggering to his feet and tromping off in the sand as fast as he can.

I follow Vector with my eyes, staring at him in a new light. I'm not sure what to think of him right now, but that might be because I'm too full of water to process anything properly. As I sit and try to think, a little bee comes to hover at my shoulder. Charmy's earnest voice sounds in my ear, "Are you okay, Espio? We all thought you drowned!"

Still shivering violently and not feeling like myself, I turn to look at Charmy and offer him a half-smile as I chatter, "I'm alright. Just a bit c-cold. That's a-all."

Charmy suddenly flings his arms around my neck protectively and gives me a tight hug. I feel like I'm suffocating all over again, but tolerate it because it's nice to be reassured that Charmy cares whether or not I live or die. While Charmy attempts to smother me, Cream smiles over at me and waves. I don't know Cream very well, but she seems like a very nice young girl who is a good influence on Charmy. He's never picked up any bad habits from her, which is a very good thing considering the fact that Charmy picks up new habits faster than you can say one-two-three.

I notice Vanilla looking down at me with a motherly smile. Her deep brown eyes are kind and she also looks relieved to see that I'm alright. I feel a little twinge of guilt from somewhere inside of me. I really ought to be happy for her and Vector. They make a very nice couple even if they are an odd match. At least Vector has found someone he's happy with. It's selfish and wrong of me to want my friend to myself. I give Vanilla a genuine smile and feel a bit better.

"Here ya go, Esp!" Vector's loud voice suddenly exclaims from right next to my ear, making me flinch slightly. He throws a thick blue and pink striped beach towel over my shoulders and wraps it around me carefully. His hand lingers on my arm for a moment as he adds, "Is there anything else I can do for yeh?"

"No, but thank you for the blanket, Vector," I reply politely, giving up my disdainful attitude from earlier towards Vector. It may have been his fault that I ended up caught in the current because he insisted we search the deeper waters for Cream's toy, but if it weren't for the crocodile, I most likely wouldn't be here right now.

"Anything fer my best bud!" Vector tells me before standing up and scratching his head. He glances between Vanilla and myself before saying, "Well, I guess I'd better go look for that toy some more."

Vanilla and I both open our mouths and start speaking at once. I quickly protest, "No, that's not a good idea. You're much stronger than me, but the current may be even more powerful the father you get from the shore."

Vanilla stops when she hears me talking and adds once I've finished, "Espio is right, dear. You two don't need to risk your lives over a toy."

"Toy?" Charmy echoes, the word immediately capturing his attention. He flies away from me and goes over to hover between Vector and Vanilla as he asks, "So you two have been looking for a toy this whole time? What does it look like?"

I roll my eyes, noticing that Charmy was too distracted over building a sandcastle with Cream earlier to pay any attention to what Miss Vanilla told us about the toy.

"It's a plastic blue dolphin that Cream used to have," Vanilla explains before quickly cautioning the bee, "There's no need to look for it any longer though. I think we've had quite enough trouble for one day as it is. Besides, it's also starting to get late. I think we ought to be heading home."

"But I saw a blue dolphin toy earlier!" Charmy points out. "I didn't know it was Cream's though. Let me go see if I can find it again."

As Charmy buzzes off towards a patch of sand beneath a palm tree not all that far away, I sigh and rest my forehead in the palm of my hand, muttering, "All that searching for nothing."

"Yeah, I guess it was a waste of time after all," Vector admits, not sounding too happy about the whole situation either.

"I'm very sorry, you two," Vanilla apologizes, sending rueful glances in both of our directions. "I never would have called you up if I knew this situation would cause so much trouble. I really owe you an apology, Espio. I shouldn't have suggested you two looking for the toy in the water of all places."

"There's no need to apologize. I'm sure Vector and I would have ended up searching the water sooner or later anyways," I tell Vanilla politely.

"Don't feel bad, ma'am," Vector chimes in, making his way through the sand to stand by Vanilla. He places a hand over hers and gives her a gentle smile. For some strange reason, I feel a little sad inside, but can't figure out why. Vanilla smiles at Vector very romantically. Perhaps opposites do attract when it comes to love.

I sit awkwardly on the sand while Vector and Vanilla exchange amorous looks for a few moments. The sadness within me seems to increase and I realize there's a large void where part of my heart used to be. I've closed myself off to love and anything related to it. After Bryce, I was certain I didn't want to love or ever be loved. Now though, when I'm looking at this happy couple in front of me, I wonder if it's possible for me to get over my past and take a chance. It could turn out to be something wonderful, but it could also ruin me. Oh well, it's not as if I have someone in mind that I might want to start a relationship with anyways. Oh no, of course not. There's certainly no one in particular on my mind right now...

Charmy flies triumphantly back into the clearing a moment later with a big grin on his face. He drops onto the ground besides Cream and proudly holds out a plastic blue dolphin to her, saying, "Here you go, Cream. I found your toy."

"Oh, Charmy, thank you so much!" Cream exclaims excitedly in her high-pitched voice as she leans forwards and throws her arms around Charmy.

There's no awkwardness whatsoever between the two young children as Charmy hugs his friend back and says, "You're welcome, Cream."

"Well, it looks as if this afternoon's ventures weren't pointless after all," Vanilla says, looking much happier now that her daughter has her toy back. Looking around at our group, Vanilla offers, "How would you all like to drop by my home for dinner? Cream and I live only a few minutes away from here. I already have dinner prepared and I have some lovely pastries for dessert. I would love for you to come over and try them out. I haven't been able to get anyone's opinion on them yet."

I don't particularly want to go to dinner, but Vector's eyes are already gleaming and he's nodding his head up and down fervently as he replies, "We'd love to, ma'am! Thanks fer invitin' us!"

"It's not a problem. In fact, you'll be doing me a favor by coming over so you can taste my pastries," Vanilla tells the crocodile before she turns to me in concern and asks, "What can we do to make things easier for you, Espio? Can you walk alright or should someone help you?"

I must admit that Vanilla is very nice. She's treating me as if I were her own injured child. Giving her an almost sentimental smile, I reply, "I'm fine, but thank you."

Mind on food, Vector has already started striding towards the entrance of the beach, calling over his shoulder, "Let's get goin' then! I'm starving!"

As the others follow Vector, I gingerly bring myself to my feet and find that my legs aren't too wobbly. Although I feel a bit water-logged from choking down so much water earlier, I'm mostly fine now. Sensing that I might need help, Charmy flies down to my level and holds one of my hands, saying, "Don't fall!"

Cream nods her agreement as she takes my other hand in her very small one and adds, "Charmy is right. You don't want to fall after almost drowning!"

I repress a chuckle as I follow Vector and Vanilla while being surrounded by Charmy and Cream. For a moment, it seems as if we're all part of a dysfunctional family. Squeezing their hands, I murmur to both the children, "Don't worry, I don't plan on falling anytime soon."

It doesn't take too long to reach Vanilla's house, which is a very good thing considering the fact that it's gotten late. The sky is darkening and the twinkle of distant stars are faintly visible up in the sky. It's getting close to winter and the days are starting to become shorter. When we reach Vanilla's house, I'm surprised to find that it looks exactly what I always thought it would look like. The house is small and cozy with yellow paint on the outside of it. The yard could use a bit of decorating though...

"Go right on inside. There's no need to be shy," Vanilla urges Vector as he hesitates at the doorway.

Not needing any more convincing, Vector bursts through the door and forgets to take off his dirty sneakers as usual as he starts tramping around Miss Vanilla's tidy living room. The carpet is cream and the walls are a light pink color. There's an almost antique-like atmosphere in the room. The couch is of a floral design and little teapots and angelic figurines are placed on intricately carved tables in the room. Vanilla's house is much nicer than mine. This is perhaps one of the nicest houses I've ever been inside.

"Wow, this is a nice place you've got here!" Vector exclaims approvingly as he stares around himself. His mind quickly goes back to food though and he asks, "Where do yeh eat yer meals?"

"In the kitchen to your right," Vanilla replies with a smile, not seeming to mind the dirt that Vector is tracking through her nice, clean home. "Thank you for the compliment. The house actually belonged to my mother. Most of the objects you see in this room are things I've inherited from my grandmother."

Vector is too busy trying to find the kitchen to reply, so I add politely, "They all look perfect for being three generations old."

Vanilla sends me a grateful look as we all crowd into the kitchen. The kitchen table is very small and is only set for four people. Vanilla wrings her hands anxiously and murmurs, "Oh dear, it appears as if I'm lacking enough chairs. Let me go see if I can find one in another room. I'm sure we must have one somewhere."

"You don't need to worry about it," I quickly cut in, not wanting Vanilla to fuss over an extra chair. "I'll just sit in the parlor. I'm not feeling very hungry right now."

"Oh, but are you sure, Espio?" Vanilla asks. "I really don't mind finding another chair..."

"It's alright. I'm too full of water to eat," I tell Vanilla before stepping out of the kitchen and entering the lilac-scented parlor once more. Behind me, I hear Vector asking about the food again. Vector certainly has a one-tracked mind when he thinks of something he wants.

Smiling to myself, I cross the room and perch on the couch. A few minutes later, I'm leaned against the cushions in exhaustion with my tail wrapped around me. My eyelids are heavy and my body is weary from the turmoil earlier. From the other room, I can hear the clanking of dishes and loud exclamations of delight from Vector as he tries Vanilla's cooking. Vanilla's light laughter sounds a moment later followed by the enthusiastic chatter of Cream and Charmy. You may think that I might feel resentful sitting in the parlor all by myself, but I don't mind it. I need a bit of time to meditate.

Snuggling further into the cushions, I close my eyes and think over the events of today and the last few days. I haven't been acting the nicest to Vector lately. Truth be told, I was quite upset at him after the way he treated me at the cafe. It seemed a bit wrong that I should have to pick up wads of chewing gum at his feet while he was having such a pleasant time with Vanilla. However, now as I look back on the situation, I see that I am to blame for all of this. It was not Vector's fault in the least bit. I was merely jealous that he appears to have had such an easy life while mine has been everything_ but _easy. My jealousy seems to have ebbed away now though and I find that I can feel happy for Vector despite the fact that just a bit of sadness remains inside me.

Why am I still sad? I believe it's because I long for what Vector has. I've watched the relationship between Vanilla and Vector flourish and am starting to think that relationships can be a good thing after all. They're certainly not always abusive and based on immoral sexual behavior.

I come to a resolute decision and decide to do something nice for Vector and to apologize for the way I've treated him next time we're alone. He did save my life and lately I've not treated him very well. My decision makes me feel a bit happier and I smile to myself as I notice some irony. It seems as if Vector and I are always upsetting each other and then making up, don't you think?

* * *

_Espio is still in denial of his feeling for Vector. xD Any predictions on what he'll do to make things up to Vector? Review please! :)  
_


	38. Inner Frustration

**Saints-Fan-12: Wow, I'd say that you're going to be right with that guess. Good job! Let me know what you think of this chapter. ^^  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, good prediction. :3 Espio cooking for Vector would be nice. And yes, I'd say there's a good chance that Espio finally discovers his feelings towards Vector in the next few chapters. Thanks for the review!  
**

**BowserRoy: Hey there! Welcome to this site and thanks so much for such a nice review. :) I'm glad you like the surprises in this story and that you're really liking it so far. :3 There's a lot more of it left, so I hope you keep reading! Also, if you have a story idea and type it out, I definitely think you should post it. I used to get flamed a lot, but I just kept on writing and now I really enjoy it. Btw, Bowser is awesome. xD  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I actually could tell it was you. ;P But yeah, I'm sure they wouldn't mind us giving them a shove in the right direction! *nods* And oh yes, Espio is so jealous of Vector and Vanilla. xD I loved your new chapter, btw. It was amazing!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Lol, well, he probably doesn't want to admit to himself that he likes another guy, you know? And it's probably hard for him considering his past and all. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: I'm sure Vector would like that surprise! xD ...Now you're giving me all sorts of dirty ideas for this story. ;P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Gamerprincess13: Wow, I feel really honored that you've been able to get into this story if you're not usually a fan of yaoi fics. :3 There really are not enough Vecpio fics on here if you ask me. Hehe, cliffhangers are always fun to write. They keep the reader guessing. Thanks for the awesome review! It really made my day.  
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**Chibi-Guest: It is kind of hard to guess what Esp might do for Vector! You'll find out soon. :3 Aw, I'm sure you're just fine. *saves you from drowning and gives you a hug* Feel better now? xD  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Espio definitely does have a bad case of denial! He's having a really hard time admitting to himself that he likes Vector. xD I agree that Vector should have paid a little more attention to him though! Vector likes food too much, haha. I'll definitely do the Christmas one-shot if I have time to do it. Thanks for being so supportive of the idea! Hope you like this chapter. ^^  
**

**Alicia: Tumblr is pretty addicting after you get into it!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yeah, poor Esp is still in denial! He's having a rough day dealing with his jealousy and his near drowning experience. =/ Hehe, I'd say he liked the kiss too. xD Yup, Tails is eight. I agree that him and Cream are just too young to be shipped. One Tails pairing I absolutely hate is WavexTails. I mean, she's what, ten years older than him? *shudders* I actually ship Chaream when they're older though, like in their teens maybe. What do you think of Chaream? I actually haven't read any Sonourge fics, but I do like the couple. I don't know tons about Scourge, but I think he's a pretty cool character. Yup, I actually have the plots of two Sonjet fics planned out! These are the things I come up with while I'm dying of boredom in class. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXVIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Dinner at Miss Vanilla's house is much better than having dinner all alone in my apartment room. I always end up eating power bars, snack mix, or some other sort of junk food. Miss Vanilla serves me and the rest of the gang creamy potato soup, freshly baked bread, and cheese and crackers for our first course. For dessert, we're brought all sorts of different kinds of pastries that I've never seen before. My eyes bug out and I start grabbin' lots of pastries until my plate is full of them. It's a good thing Espio is in the other room or else he'd be givin' me a disapproving look no doubt.

Speaking of Esp, I start to feel bad that I've left him all alone in the parlor while the rest of us feast in Miss Vanilla's cozy little kitchen. The poor guy had the scare of his life earlier and now nobody is keeping him company. I kinda forgot about him when Miss Vanilla mentioned food. Even though I'm stuffing delicious cream puffs into my mouth, I can't enjoy them anymore. I'm feelin' too guilty about Esp. As soon as I'm done with the pastries on my plate, I should go see how he's doing.

"Wow, your cooking is really good!" Charmy tells Miss Vanilla as he flies out of his chair and heads towards the door that leads to the parlor, adding, "I'm going to go see how Espio's doing."

Damn. It figures that the kid would have to go check on Espio before me. Now it's gonna seem like he cares more about Espio than I do. I'm pretty damn certain that's not true. If Espio knew how I feel about him...well...things could get bloody. Esp is the type who would completely flip out at my secret and never speak to me again.

Sighing sadly, I find that I'm not paying any attention to the pastries I'm gobbling down anymore. It's a shame since they're really good. Guess my mind is just other places right now. A sort of awkward silence has filled the room now that Charmy has left. Before, Charmy and Cream had basically been the ones to lead the dinner conversation. Try as I might, I have a really hard time comin' up with things to say to Miss Vanilla. I look at her and my mind just goes blank. The harder I try to like her, the less interest I have in her. Argh. My attempts are useless!

The awkward silence continues to grow since Miss Vanilla and Cream are both done eating and are just sitting politely at the table while I try to devour the rest of my pastries as quickly as possible so I can go and check on Espio in a minute. At this point, it would be impolite not to eat all of the pastries on my plate.

"These are really tasty, ma'am," I tell Miss Vanilla just to break the long silence. From the other room, I hear Charmy and Espio talking. I try to listen to their conversation, but Miss Vanilla chooses right then to start talking. Go figure.

"I'm so glad you like them, Vector," Miss Vanilla tells me with a smile that used to make my heart start beatin' a million miles a minute. Now, it has hardly any effect on me. Seeing that I've finally stuffed the last pastry done my throat, she asks, "May I take your plate, dear?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," I say as Miss Vanilla reaches across the table and picks up my plate with delicate fingers. As she starts to clear off the table, I stand up and state, "I'm gonna go see how Espio's doin'. He's been through a lot today and I think he might like some company."

Without waiting to hear what Miss Vanilla or Cream have to say about the matter, I stand up and stride towards the parlor. A yawn escapes my mouth as I go. It's been a long day and now I'm feelin' pretty content with a full stomach and a happy heart. Esp is safe and everything is gonna be better from here on out.

When I step into the living room, I find Espio snuggled up against the cushions on the couch with his tail curled around him. He has his eyes half-closed and looks even more exhausted than I am. Charmy is sittin' next to him and is babbling on and on about his video games most likely. I smile fondly at Espio as I enter the room. Ever since he almost drowned, he's lost that cocky, slightly seductive attitude he was holding up around me earlier. I'm not complainin'. That was driving me batty.

Tromping over to the couch, I give Charmy a light shove to get him out of my way before I plop down next to Espio. Waving Charmy towards the kitchen, I say, "Cream's lookin' for ya. Why don't yeh go see what she wants? I'll keep Esp company."

"Oh, okay!" Charmy replies, immediately zipping out of the room without second guessing me. Hm, I'm becoming a darn good liar if I do say so myself!

"Cream didn't _really _need Charmy, did she?" Espio asks knowingly from my right. Drat. I guess I'm not such a good liar after all. Hoping that this isn't gonna make Espio mad, I shake my head ever so slightly. Instead of getting mad, Espio sends me a sleepy smile and says, "You wanted to talk to me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I thought yeh might like some company. Sorry 'bout leaving ya alone out here during dinner," I apologize, still feeling guilty at placing food as a higher priority than Espio earlier. Espio merely waves my words away with a gloved hand to show that he isn't mind. Geez, he really is tired! I hesitate for a moment and start to speak just as Espio opens his mouth. We both start to speak and then fall silent at the same time. Blushing slightly, I say, "Er, go ahead."

"No, you go. I can wait," Espio replies, daintily covering his mouth to obscure a yawn.

"Um, alright," I reply, not quite sure how to word what I want to say. "I'm real sorry about earlier and everything that happened. I shoulda listened to yeh when you told me that going out to search for the toy in deeper waters was stupid. I didn't though. Guess I wanted to be smarter than ya for once. How can I make this up to yeh?"

"You don't have to," Espio tells me in a very content voice. His eyelids are even more shut than they were earlier and he looks as if he's going to drift off at any minute.

Frowning at his lack of concern over the entire situation, I shake my head urgently and press, "Esp, I don't think yeh quite get it. You could have been killed! It would have been all my fault!"

"But Vector," Espio replies serenely, "I wasn't killed. I'm just fine and I'm quite content at the moment."

"That's great, but Espio, yeh could have died!" I emphasis the word to try and get this thought to sink into Espio's head. He blinks at me and continues giving me that same satisfied look. I reach out to put a hand on his, but then realize that might be kinda awkward and force myself to refrain. Instead, I take a deep breath and say all in a rush, "I was real scared of losin' yeh today. I dunno what I'd do if I lost ya. Life without yeh wouldn't be life at all."

"You're just saying that," Espio smiles knowingly at me while he leans back into the cushions even further.

"No, I'm not just sayin' it, Esp!" I reply fervently, not sure why he's doubting me so much. "I really do mean it! I mean every word of it!"

Espio just smiles over at me and makes no comment. I can't tell if he doesn't believe me or if he's just too tired to say anything right now. Realizing that any more words on my part will be wasted until Espio is a little more awake, I decide to shut my trap and just look at him. The chameleon's eyes slowly close and his chest starts to rise and fall rhythmically. He looks so beautiful when he sleeps like this. I wanna wrap him up in my arms and hold him tight and...

Argh! These are the exact thoughts I should not be thinkin' about Espio right now! I'm tryin' so hard to turn my affection towards Espio to Miss Vanilla, but it just ain't working. The mysterious little chameleon continues to work his magic on me whether he's acting coy and cocky or quiet and sweet.

Looking for something to distract myself with, I notice a bit of sand stuck to the base of the horn on Espio's forehead. Hm, it must have gotten stuck there earlier before we left the beach. Tryin' to be helpful, I reach out and say, "There's some sand here on yer horn, Esp. Mind if I get it for ya?"

When Espio doesn't reply, I decide to take that as a yes. I lean over him and am almost completely taken over by that strong, mystic scent of Espio. I dunno what he smells like exactly, but he smells even better than all of Miss Vanilla's tastiest desserts. Inhaling deeply, I reach out and brush the sand off of Espio's horn. Figuring that he's sleepin', I decide to take advantage of the situation and stroke his horn from base to tip in a gentle caress.

Espio's amber eyes whip open and a shiver runs through his body as a purely erotic moan leaves his lips, "_Ohhhh, Vector..._"

I immediately withdraw my hand and flush slightly, feelin' as if I accidentally touched Espio in an intimate region. Chewing my lip while the chameleon's cheeks turn pink, I mutter, "Sorry. Uh, sensitive spot?"

"Y-yes," Espio whimpers, a spark of a new emotion in his eyes as he stares at me.

I almost ask him if I can stroke his horn again, but I figure that would just be diggin' my own grave. Still though, I can't help but notice that the new look in Espio's eyes looks remarkably like desire. Feelin' a little awkward as if I've just done something I shouldn't have done, I turn away from Espio and stare at my feet shamefully.

A moment later, I feel a warm little body tuck up against my side. Starting in surprise, I jerk my head to the right and notice Espio curled up against me. I really appreciate havin' him there although I'm gonna guess that the only reason he's so close to me is because I accidentally triggered some lusty emotion from somewhere inside of him when I touched his horn. Regardless, I'm glad to have Esp close and wrap an arm around his slight figure.

A few minutes later, the door to the parlor clicks open and Cream, Miss Vanilla, and Charmy enter the room. Charmy is starting to look sleepy and Cream can't seem to keep her eyes open. Miss Vanilla smiles tenderly when she sees Espio by my side and murmurs, "Why isn't he just a dear? How sweet! It would be a shame to move him. Would you like to stay the night?"

The question is clearly aimed at me, but I'm so shocked that it takes me a few minutes to come up with an answer to Miss Vanilla's question. A night here could mean a hell of a lot of different things. Who knows what Miss Vanilla's real intentions are? A while ago, I would have leaped for joy at a chance like this, but now I find that I'm not so sure I want it. Sleepin' with Miss Vanilla would mean betraying Espio in a sense. Yeah, yeah, I know we ain't together or anything, but it wouldn't feel right to be with Miss Vanilla when my true affections lie with Espio.

"Er...I kinda have to get home and do a few things," I say awkwardly.

"That's quite alright," Miss Vanilla nods with a smile, no disappointment on her face.

"Aw, but I wanted to have a sleepover with Cream!" Charmy pouts from our left. "Can't I stay and hang out here tonight, Vector?"

I think for a moment and remember that Espio seems to let Charmy have sleepovers with Cream a lot of the time. Not seeing why not to let Charmy have a sleepover tonight, I shrug my shoulder and say, "It doesn't make a difference to me. Just make sure yeh call Espio in the mornin' and let him know where ya are, alright?"

"Sure! C'mon, Cream!" Charmy replies excitedly before waving his friend out of the room after him.

Now that it's just Miss Vanilla and myself left, I quickly stand up and then carefully take Espio into my arms so as not to wake him. He makes a faint noise, but doesn't wake. Glad to use him as a reason not to have to kiss Miss Vanilla goodbye, I say, "Thanks for the nice dinner, ma'am. I'll see ya around."

"Of course. Oh, here's this," Miss Vanilla says, handing me a check and waving me out the door as I look at the large number with big eyes. "No protesting. You deserve every bit of it. Goodnight, Vector."

Miss Vanilla shuts the door before I have the chance to say anything. I stare at the check in my hand in amazement before starting off towards Espio's home. Either Miss Vanilla knows how poor I am or she really likes our detective work. I'm gonna guess it's because of the first reason.

It doesn't take too long to reach Esp's little home. The chameleon stays asleep during the walk to his house. I glance down at him every few minutes just to make sure he's doin' alright. Finally, we reach the house and I quietly open the door. Looks like Esp forgot to lock it for once. I bring him straight to the bedroom and pull back the covers on his bed before gently laying his delicate body down on the sheets. Espio makes no reaction and just lays there peacefully. I tenderly tuck him in and pull the covers up to his chin.

Hesitating, I find that I can't leave quite yet. Unable to resist, I lean down and place a quick smooch on Espio's forehead (not on his horn though, I learned my lesson from that earlier). I take a step backwards and then start quietly towards the door as I whisper, "Sleep well, Esp. I love ya."

* * *

_Aw, Vector loves Esp. xD Who thinks Espio wasn't really sleeping and heard what Vector told him? Review please! :)  
_


	39. Cooking Chaos

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree, taking Espio home was really sweet of Vector! Espio could definitely be his potential soul mate. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Hehe, me too, but it turns out that Espio was sleeping. *sighs* Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Guest: You actually feel bad for Vanilla? :P I'll admit that I have never liked Vanilla, not even in my own writing, so I don't feel all that bad for her at all. xD Do you think she realizes that Vector isn't all that into her? Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Vector is such a sweetie and we all know that he's in love with Esp at this point. ^^ Let's just hope he gets around to actually telling Esp that sooner than later. Oh yeah, Vector knows Espio's weak spot now! Do you think Vector will take advantage of it later? *snickers* Any touch of the horn = horny Espio. xD It was totally amazing and what was also amazing is the Jet picture you drew for me! I love it so much! Thank you again! ^^  
**

**LuluCalliope: Yeah, there are a few reasons. I guess the main one is that I'm struggling with eating problems enough as it is and reading about it in a fic isn't exactly going to make me feel any better about it, you know?  
**

**Cosmictruffle: I love hearing that though! ^^ Let's hope their relationship gets going sometime here. xD I keep dragging it out, lol. Thanks for reading! :3  
**

**zgirl16: I'm glad you liked it! That's awesome that you also base your stories off of songs. :3 I can tell you like Linkin Park a lot! So do I. ^^ Do you have a favorite song by them? Aw, you're one of my best buddies on here!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I'm so glad you feel better now! :) Hehe, I would be spinning my chair around too. Unfortunately, Esp didn't hear Vector. =/ Ooo, you're taking a test? How did it go? I have exams this week and I'm really nervous!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Vector definitely felt guilty about the situation. After all, he could have killed poor Esp! Their cuddling on the couch was fun to write. I'm not sure how I came up with the sensitive horn bit, but that was fun to write as well. xD I will definitely try to do the one-shot as soon as exams are over. I'm thinking about posting it on Christmas Day! What do you think of that? Thanks for your awesome review!  
**

**Alicia: Crappy to put it lightly...today's been a mess and I'm just going to go to bed after this and try to forget all about it. x_x  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Wow, that was one of your favorite chapters? I'm so flattered! I had a lot of fun writing that one, especially the part with Espio's horn. I guess Vector knows where to take advantage of Esp now, doesn't he? xD And ooo, that thought sends shivers down my spine! I just love Espio's voice. I actually don't like Tailream at all. Chaream is cute, but I don't know...I just don't like Tails all that much, I guess. You know, I never thought of it that way before. Scourge is the opposite of Sonic and so is Jet. xD Do you have a favorite Scourge pairing? Sorry if I've asked this before. My memory is horrible. If I write a Scourge fic someday, I'd either pair him with Sonic, Fiona, Manic, or maybe Jet. I plan stories really fast! I have another Vecpio one planned out too, but I'm doing the Sonjet story first. Thanks so much for reading! :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The days after my near drowning experience pass by in a blur. Vector and I haven't gotten ourselves tangled up in any more fights and all is going well for Team Chaotix besides for the fact that we haven't gotten any more calls quite yet. I hope we get some soon. Although my part time cafe job provides me with just enough money to pay the bills, I'm concerned about Vector. Working as the leader of Team Chaotix is his full time job. If we don't get another job in the next week or so, I'm not sure what he's going to do.

I'm sitting on one of the wooden chairs surrounding the table and am sipping a cup of tea on this chilly October afternoon. It seems as if winter has finally swept in and all the warm temperatures have fled for the season. Colorful leaves are falling from the trees surrounding the house and are making a mess on the sidewalks. I've turned the heater up a few degrees so Charmy and I don't freeze.

"Espio, I'm bored," Charmy whines from the living room while I sit at the table and let my mind wander.

Glancing over at the little bee, I find that he's lying on his stomach on the couch with a bored expression on his face. Trying to come up with something for him to do that doesn't relate to the television, I suggest, "Would you like to go over to Cream's house? I could walk you over there if you like. A little fresh air is good for us."

"Well, I would go over to Cream's house, but her mom brought her shopping. Cream said it was going to take the entire afternoon. She invited me to go with her, but I said no. Shopping is for girls!" Charmy makes a face before going back to staring blankly at the wall. "What should I do now?"

"Let me think for a moment," I murmur, trying to come up with some sort of way to entertain Charmy. Unlike me, the hyper bee can't seem to just enjoy the peace and quiet. He always has to be doing things or going places. A random idea pops into my head and I suggest on a whim, "Would you like to have Vector over for dinner?"

"Yeah!" Charmy exclaims, his face suddenly lighting up. "That would be fun!"

"Alright then. Why don't you give him a call?" I suggest before realizing that I have been meaning to do something special for Vector. This is the perfect opportunity to do just that. I can cook a nice dinner for the three of us and then make something I think Vector will like for dessert. Standing up with determination written all over my face, I tell Charmy, "I'm going to be cooking for the rest of the afternoon. If you need me, I will be in the kitchen. You may help if you like."

"Um, okay," Charmy says, not sure if helping me cook will be fun or not. He gives me a grin and then dashes off to the phone, adding, "I'm going to go give Vector a call first though."

I shake my head affectionately in Charmy's direction before going to the kitchen myself. Once there, I search the pantry and the refrigerator for something I can cook for dinner. Hm. As usual, I don't have much to work with. I do, however, have lots of vegetables and some rice. I could cook them up and make a nice sauce for them. It would be a healthy, but gourmet dinner. Deciding to give it a try and hope that Vector likes it, I put on my apron to keep myself from getting messy and start pulling things out of the fridge and placing them on the counter.

Behind me, I hear Charmy talking to Vector on the phone, "Hey Vector! Espio wants to know if you can come over for dinner tonight. Yup. No, he didn't say that..."

I half-listen to Charmy as I pull out clean bowls from the cabinet and turn the oven on. It's always strange to listen in to a phone conversation since you're only hearing one side of the conversation. I clean off all the vegetables and then start chopping them up.

"Yeah! Uh huh. Okay! You should totally do that," Charmy is saying into the phone, making me wonder if Vector is up to something. Before I can ask, Charmy ends the conversation, "Bye, Vector!"

Not watching where he's going after hanging up the phone, Charmy accidentally flies right into me. I lose my balance easily and accidentally knock all my cut up carrots onto the ground. Damn. Now I'm going to have to wash them all over again. This isn't exactly Charmy's fault though, so I keep my cool and remind him gently, "Charmy, please remember to watch where you're going."

"Sorry," Charmy apologizes, watching me retrieve my carrots from all over the floor. "Do you want some help?"

I consider his offer for a moment and realize that it might be nice to have a little help chopping up the vegetables. Nodding, I hand him a small knife and a tomato, saying, "That would be helpful. Now Charmy, remember to be very careful with this knife. The tip is very sharp."

"I know," Charmy rolls his eyes at me as he starts chopping the tomato carelessly.

Frowning, I watch him for a minute before returning to my carrots. After washing them thoroughly after the little spill on the floor, I ask Charmy, "What was Vector telling you about on the phone?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, nothing," Charmy says in a voice that makes me even more suspicious that Vector is up to something. Before I can press the subject, Charmy suddenly whines, "Ow!"

I immediately drop my knife and rush over to him to see what's wrong. Sure enough, Charmy did not heed my advice and accidentally cut his finger. The cut is not deep, thankfully, but it's bad enough for me to decide to keep Charmy out of the kitchen. Pointing him to the bathroom, I say, "Why don't you go wash your hand and put a band aid over the cut?"

"Okay. It hurts," Charmy complains as he flies out of the kitchen.

"It will stop hurting soon," I reassure him as he disappears from view. As much as I like having Charmy around, it's turning out better to have the kitchen all to myself while I'm trying to cook. With Charmy gone, I work quickly and manage to chop up all the vegetables. I throw the rice into a pot to cook and then decide to work on dessert.

What would Vector like for dessert? I frown and tap my chin thoughtfully. I'm not much of a sweet tooth myself. Sugary foods don't even taste good to me. I mostly like vegetables, fruits, and some dairy products. Right now, it doesn't matter what I like though. I'm cooking for Vector and I need to come up with something he will like. Unfortunately, nothing comes to my mind and so I decide to work on making the sauce for the vegetables instead.

The sauce is complicated and takes a good hour to make. I'm crossing the kitchen with the bowl of sauce in my arms when Charmy suddenly comes whizzing into the kitchen and collides with me. The bowl of sauce goes flying up into the air and spills all over the floor. I manage to save a little of the sauce and am thankful that the bowl didn't decide to break, but I'm no longer in a very good mood. Charmy knows he's trouble because he immediately backs up and gives me a sheepish look.

Biting my tongue, I keep myself from saying anything I'll later regret and don't even bother chastising Charmy for the sauce incident. Instead, I ask him in an even tone, "What do you think I should make for dessert? I can't think of anything Vector might like."

"Make cupcakes with lots and lots of icing!" Charmy says immediately. "Those are awesome!"

I consider the idea for a minute and don't see any reason why not to make cupcakes. They're a bit time consuming, but I have to stay in the kitchen to keep an eye on the rice anyways. I wave Charmy out of the kitchen to keep him out of trouble and then pull down a recipe book from the far corner of the pantry. I don't usually cook for several reasons. Cooking is time consuming, a lot of work, and it's not exactly something I enjoy. However, on special occasions such as this one, it's nice to have one recipe book.

After scanning through the cookbook, I find a recipe for rainbow cupcakes. Hm, those sound like something Vector and Charmy might like. I put the recipe book on the counter and get to work making the rainbow cupcakes. The cupcakes don't take too long to make and they're in the oven and baking only forty-five minutes later. It's the icing that ends up being a lot of trouble. Powdered sugar is very messy and gets everywhere. It takes me the entire time the cupcakes are baking to complete the frosting.

Trying to keep an eye on the rice, ice the cupcakes, and cook the vegetables, I call Charmy into the kitchen. I finally have a job for him.

"Did you need me, Espio?" Charmy pokes his head around the corner.

"Yes," I reply, transferring the rice from the pot to a circular container. "There's a bowl with some icing in it to your right. I've already iced the cupcakes, but I'm not sure if they are any good or not. Will you give the icing a try and let me know what you think?"

Charmy's eyes light up and he nods eagerly, replying, "Sure thing, Espio!"

I transfer the rice to the bowl and wait for Charmy's answer. Charmy doesn't reply. Turning around to see what he's up to, I find Charmy with his head in the bowl as he does his best to lick all the remaining bits of icing out of it. A moment later his face appears, completely covered with bits of icing. I try not to chuckle as Charmy exclaims, "This is the best stuff ever! You're actually a really good cook, Espio! I don't know why you don't cook more often."

"Thank you, Charmy," I reply, touched at his words. "Perhaps you ought to go wash your face before Vector gets here."

"Right," Charmy nods, zipping out of the room to go wash his face.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rings. Oh dear, is it really time for Vector to be here already? I haven't quite gotten everything prepared yet! I immediately start moving around the kitchen as quickly as I can to get out clean plates and utensils for dinner. Yelling through the kitchen, I call to Charmy, "Can you get the door? I'm assuming that's Vector."

"I'm on it!" Charmy exclaims. A moment later, the door creaks open and I hear Charmy yelling, "Vector!"

"Hey, kid," I hear Vector's gruff voice and feel a shiver of anticipation run down my spine. I can't wait to see what he thinks of my cupcakes and the dinner. There's a moment of silence before I hear Vector ask quizzically, "Er, where's Espio? He's here, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's still working on dinner or something. Guess what? He make cupcakes for you!" Charmy says, causing me to cringe. So much for my surprise. Oh well.

"For me, eh?" Vector asks, sounding surprisingly touched. "That's awful nice of him. Guess we should sit down at the table and wait for dinner, huh?"

"Yup!" Charmy agrees as the two of them go to sit at the table. In a much louder voice, Charmy yells, "HEY ESPIO, VECTOR IS HERE!"

I end up snickering as Vector exclaims, "Geez, Charm, are yeh tryin' to deafen me?!"

"Sorry, Vector. I'm just really excited, that's all. Wait until you try Espio's cupcakes! The icing is amazing," Charmy bubbles excitedly.

I smile to myself and continue hurrying around the kitchen without breaking things. Finally, the rice is in one bowl and the vegetables covered with my sauce are in another bowl. Balancing the two bowls, the dishes, utensils, glass, and napkins in my arms, I carefully step out of the kitchen and over to the table. I find myself blushing as I face Vector and Charmy. I haven't had a chance to wash since I've been slaving about the kitchen all afternoon. My forehead is a bit sweaty from all my running around and there's still some powdered sugar on my hands.

"Espio, you're wearing that girly apron again!" Charmy complains as I start setting food on the table.

"It's not a 'girly' apron, Charmy. It's just a plain old apron. Aprons aren't feminine or masculine," I explain as I set all the dishes out on the table. For Charmy's sake, I remove the apron and toss it aside. Vector is giving me a rather intense look, so I add, "I was just wearing it to try and keep myself clean, not that it did all that much good though."

"Ugh! Aprons are _totally _for girls, aren't they, Vector?" Charmy asks, poking Vector since they're sitting relatively close to each other.

"Er, I'm sorry ta tell yeh this Esp, but I'm with Charmy on this one," Vector admits, smirking his toothy grin at me.

"Don't gang up on me," I start blushing furiously as I take a chair next to Vector and bat my hand at him playfully. "Now eat up! I cooked all this especially for you and I want to know if it's any good or not. I'm still debating over whether or not I should have just ordered a pizza instead."

"Wow, yeh did this all fer me?" Vector asks, brown eyes widening in surprise. Finding that my blush won't go away, I nod slightly. "D'aw, that's so damn sweet of ya, Esp!"

Before I know it, Vector has scooted his chair over closer to mine and has his arm around my shoulders. Dragging me over a little closer to him, he leans over and plants a sloppy smooch right on my right cheek. It's more friendly than affectionate, but it causes me to turn poppy red and look up at him in astonishment.

"Ew! You guys are so gross!" Charmy exclaims, grabbing a carrot off of his plate and throwing it at us.

I give Charmy a look that tells him not to start a food fight as Vector merely chuckles and says, "But Esp and I are best buds and best buds do that sorta thing with each other, right, Esp?"

"Um...I suppose so?" I reply a bit questioningly.

My answer is good enough for Vector. He nods resolutely and then grabs the bowl of rice and the bowl of vegetables. While he fills his plate with food, I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. Do best friends really go kissing one another on the cheek? I suppose it _is_ possible, but another part of me is wondering if Vector is flirting with me again.

* * *

_Vector can't seem to keep his hands off of Esp, can he? xD Do you have any predictions on how the rest of the dinner will go? Review please! :)  
_


	40. Ominous Inclinations

**Saints-Fan-12: The kiss was my favorite part to write in the last chapter. Let's hope the rest of dinner goes well! Thanks so much for reading. :)  
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**Mormar1: That would be a really cute ending to the night! Let me know what you think of this chapter! :3  
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**Fangirl Time: Aw, what a nice compliment! I'm so happy that you like this story so much. There will definitely be more kissing in the story. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, Charmy and Vector need to stop ganging up on poor Esp! It's not nice! xD Aprons are definitely feminine, but Espio looks good in one. *hands you one of Esp's rainbow cupcakes* Hehe, I hope so too, Vector should totally take advantage of the horny spot. xD Thanks for the review!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Thanks for the offer, but I really don't want to be in any fics right now. Sorry. If you have any more questions regarding that, would you mind just emailing them to me instead of talking to me on here about them? Thanks.  
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**Cosmictruffle: Me too! Who doesn't want Vector's smooches? xD Vector gets a little more cozy with Esp in this chapter. Hope you like it!  
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**Vulpette: Yay, you caught up! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. ^^ I really tried hard to make their relationship develop at a realistic pace. I'm not a huge fan of fics that rush relationships. I usually end up ditching those after a few chapters. And omg, I have a hilarious image of Esp as one of those '50s housewives in my head now. xD Thank you so much again for reading this whole story. It means a lot to me!  
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**Chibi-Guest: That's great that your test went well. I'm so sorry that you're not feeling great though. Hopefully, you're not getting sick. Sleep well and get better soon!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I agree, Espio is really going out of his way to do nice things for Vector. Hehe, should I send Espio over to your house to cook for you? I love how Vector flirts with Espio too. He'll definitely be doing some more flirting in this chapter. Alright, I'll definitely see if I can get the one-shot posted on Christmas Day then! Thanks a ton for the encouragement!  
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**Alicia: I'd prefer not to tell everyone on here as it's rather personal. I don't like telling everyone that sort of thing and prefer to keep reviews related to the story, you know? Would it be okay if you just email me instead unless it's about something related to the fic? Thanks. I just don't like sharing stuff about my life on here.  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I'm with you on that one! Guy friends definitely don't go around kissing each other. xD I agree, it was super sweet of Espio to do all that for Vector. Oh my god, I hate auto correct sometimes, especially when I'm trying to write chapters in Vector's POV! It's forever changing my spelling and driving me crazy, so I always have to add words like "whaddya", "thinkin'", "yeh", etc. to my dictionary. I guess I've got a Vector dictionary going at this point, lol! Sonrouge is a great pairing. Maybe I'll write a fic about them someday. Yup, Jet is the opposite of Sonic in coloring. Pretty cool, huh? I swear Sega made them for each other. Yay, question time! :D I definitely think Jet will be dominant because he has the fiery, overbearing personality type. Sonic will be more protective since Jet is the kind of guy who probably forgets to care about important things since he gets wound up so often. I can see Sonic "taking care of him", if you will, in certain situations. Thanks for reading! ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wait a bit impatiently for Vector to try his vegetables and rice. I'll admit that vegetables and rice probably aren't his thing, but I did work hard to make them taste good and I hope he likes them. Not bothering to fill my own plate, I play with my napkin instead and watch Vector carefully. He's still busy piling his plate up with lots of rice and colorful vegetables. I tap my food impatiently under the table. Charmy seems in no hurry to start eating and starts up a conversation about - you guessed it - a video game he wants for Christmas.

"Say, isn't it a little early to be thinkin' about Christmas, kid?" Vector asks, raising an eyebrow as he finally picks up a fork and shovels a large bite of vegetables and rice into his mouth. I hold my breath and wait for Vector's reaction. A very long, tense moment passes before Vector's eyes light up and he talks through a mouthful of food, "Wow, Esp, yer quite the cook! I'm not a big fan of veggies, but these are great! What did yeh do to make them so tasty?"

I visibly relax and lean against the back of my chair, replying, "Not much. I just chopped up the vegetables, cooked the rice, and then prepared the sauce. I found the recipe in an old cookbook I took from my mother before I moved out. It's all rather simple if you know what you're doing."

"Simple? Uh, yeah right," Charmy replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he grabs the bowl of vegetables and puts a few spoonfuls of them onto his plate. "You were in the kitchen ever since lunch! It took you _hours _to make all this food. Of course, me running into you and spilling the sauce probably made it take longer though..."

As Charmy trails off and lapses into an embarrassed silence, Vector perks up and sends me a sharp look. Trying to gobble down food and talk at the same time, Vector asks in his loud voice, "Yeh did all this just fer me, did ya, Esp?"

"I...I suppose so," I reply, finding myself blushing again even though I don't know what there is to be embarrassed about. Straightening up in my chair, I add, "I never did pay you back for rescuing me from drowning at the beach a few weeks ago. Making dinner for you is the very least I can do."

"Well, considerin' the fact that it was my fault yeh almost drowned, I wouldn't say ya owe me anything at all," Vector points out. He swallows his food and then sends me a smirk, eyes sparkling as he adds, "I think yeh made me dinner for a different reason. Ya aren't startin' to develop some feelings for me, are yeh? Not like I'd blame ya or anything. I am a good lookin' croc."

"Huh?" Charmy asks blankly, looking from me to Vector in confusion. "I don't get it. What do you mean, Vector?"

I'm too busy staring at Vector with my mouth open to answer Charmy. I can't believe he just asked me if I have feelings towards him! If anything, Vector has been the one trying to flirt with me! Suddenly much more defensive than I should have been, I snap, "Of course not! Just because I make dinner for someone doesn't mean I like them like that! What about _you_, Vector? Do you have feelings for me?"

I emphasis the last sentence of my inquiry, not even sure why I flipped the question on him. However, for some reason, I find that I want to get to the bottom of this and find out if Vector really is flirting with me or not. I have a feeling he just behaves like this around everyone, but I'm not quite certain.

Vector chuckles at my defensiveness and sends me a wink, smirking, "Wouldn't yeh like to know?"

I flush furiously and look down at the floor, knowing that Vector is just teasing me. He doesn't mean any of this flirtation. It's just mindless teasing to him. I feel foolish for even considering the fact that Vector might possibly have some interest in me. After all, he has a beautiful girlfriend in Miss Vanilla. Why would he give her up for me?

"I still don't get it!" Charmy whines loudly, sending me a stormy look from across the table. "What are you guys talking about?"

"It was an...adult conversation," I reply, glaring at Vector. "You'll understand it when you're older. For now, just eat up. I won't let you have any cupcakes until you eat the vegetables on your plate."

"Aw man," Charmy groans, giving his vegetables a murderous look. However, the temptation of the cupcakes must be quite strong because he reluctantly sticks a bite of vegetables into his mouth and starts haphazardly crunching on them. I send him an affectionate smile. He's too young to care about whether or not what he's eating is healthy.

As I watch Charmy, I feel a light poke in my side and turn to see Vector looking over at me. He's lost his teasing look and adds in a quieter voice, "I didn't mean to get yeh all flustered or anythin'. Don't ya wanna eat anything? You haven't touched the food all night!"

"I'm really not all that hungry," I admit truthfully. My stomach has tightened up for some unknown reason and the food no longer looks appetizing.

"Aw, c'mon, Esp!" Vector urges me, suddenly leaning over and placing a gentle hand over my stomach. He leaves his hand there a moment before literally caressing the area, going on, "Yer awful thin, ya know. It's my job ta make sure my best buddy isn't starvin' himself."

I look up at Vector with unguarded eyes, trying to find out the meaning of his actions behind his careless words. Vector already has his hands back on his utensils and is shoveling more food into his mouth, no longer looking at me. I still haven't forgotten the feel of his hand stroking my belly though. The caress sent a warm, tingling feeling through me. I don't know if Vector is flirting with me or not, but I'm starting to feel a bit hurt. I'm not just a toy or a plaything to be carelessly teased and messed with. I have feelings and when Vector touches me like that, he stirs up uncertain emotions within me that I didn't know still existed inside my body. I thought I had forgotten the feeling of longing to be touched by another being, but apparently not. When Vector touches me, it feels right. I trust him with my body. I know he'd never hurt me. However, the way he's touching me is a little too intimate for me to bear. He's crossing the limits of simple friendship and is making me unsure of what he's trying to accomplish.

Not feeling very well, I get up from my chair and point out, "I think now is a very good time for cupcakes. I'll go get them."

"Yay! Cupcakes!" Charmy cheers, immediately dropping his fork even though there's still vegetables on his plate.

Deciding not to nag him about them, I sigh and enter the kitchen, glad to have a few moments away from Vector. As much as I don't want to admit it, the crocodile is making me...well...human again. I locked myself off from all emotions other than numbness after I got away from Bryce. I figured that keeping myself cold and distant from the world would be the best for me. However, Vector has broken down my wall and is slowly coaxing out innate emotions that have been suppressed inside me for so long. When Vector touches me, I...I actually_ like it_. I long for him to hold me and tell me that he's not just playing some stupid game with me, but that he actually does hold strong feelings for me.

Shaking my head, I try to get myself to stop thinking these silly thoughts. I've told myself a thousand times before that I'm not going to get into another relationship, especially not with Vector of all people! He has Miss Vanilla and I'm not ready for a relationship. Although I want the reassurance and emotional care of a partner in a relationship, that's all I can take. I cannot ever be physically intimate with anyone ever again. Touching and soft caressing is one thing, but even a kiss makes me shudder.

Picking up the plate of cupcakes, I return to the kitchen table and set the plate between Charmy and Vector. Their eyes immediately light up and they reach for a cupcake at the same time. I smile and try to clear my mind of troublesome thoughts as I return to my chair. My two dinner guests start gobbling up cupcakes before you can say one-two-three.

"Esp, you are officially the bestest cook I've ever met!" Vector tells me between bites of cupcake.

"I'm not that good. I just followed a recipe," I reply modestly.

"Geez, stop bein' like that! Take some credit once in a while," Vector says before plopping a cupcake on my plate. He gives me a firm look and says, "You haven't eaten a damn thing all night! Yer gonna eat this cupcake and yer gonna like it!"

"They're really good, Espio!" Charmy chimes in, nodding his head up and down, his cheeks full of cupcake.

Figuring that I'd be fighting a useless battle if I try arguing, I sigh and reply, "Very well."

I eat one cupcake while Charmy and Vector eat several more. I don't particularly care for sweet foods and the cupcake doesn't go down too well. My stomach protests and I start feeling a bit sick. Finally, Vector and Charmy decide that they are full and it's time to clean up.

Immediately getting to my feet, I say, "I suppose these dishes aren't going to move themselves to the kitchen on their own. I'm going to clean up. Would you like to stay longer or are you leaving now, Vector?"

Vector stands up and replies, "I'll stay a bit longer. Wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"

"I don't think we have any movies rented at the moment, do we, Charmy?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at the little bee.

"No, but we could always see if we can find something on TV," Charmy points out. "They run free movies on TV sometimes."

"Hm," I reply, a little suspicious of these free movies. What is the content of them like? Is it appropriate for Charmy? Not wanting to be the one to ruin the night, I decide, "I suppose we can take a look at the movies on the television. You may go sit on the couch if you'd like, Charmy. I'm going to clean up for a few minutes."

"I'll help ya," Vector offers.

I give him a surprised look, but don't protest as he picks up a pile of dishes and follows me into the kitchen. With both of us working together, it doesn't take long to move the dishes from the table to the kitchen. As I start loading the dishwasher, I accidentally meet Vector's eyes. This would be the perfect time to talk to him about the mixed messages I've been getting from him. I can finally figure out Vector's true feelings towards me right now if I want to.

...But _do _I want to? Even if the crocodile does happen to have feelings for me, what good do they do either of us? No good at all. I can't get into a relationship with Vector. I just can't! How would I tell him my feelings towards him? How can I begin to explain that I can love him emotionally, but never more than that? He'd never understand and he'd wonder why and press for details. Then I'd have to tell him about being raped and about how scared I am of intimacy. No, I can't ask Vector the question that I ask myself whenever I look at him. Some things are just better left unsaid.

Vector and I finish the dishes in silence and then go to the living room. I'm actually surprised by just how quiet Vector is being. He's usually very boisterous and talkative. However, it's almost as if he's trying to read into my feelings tonight. I wonder if the same questions going through my head are going through his head.

The two of us enter the living room and join Charmy on the couch. Vector plops down smack in the middle of it with Charmy on his right and me on his left. He causally wraps an arm around each of our shoulders before he turns the TV on and says, "Let's find somethin' to watch, boys!"

Vector starts flipping through TV channels and I pay attention to them closely, not wanting to introduce Charmy to any bad concepts by allowing him to watch a movie I know nothing about. Unfortunately, there aren't many options on the TV. Finally, Vector pauses on what appears to be a horror movie and sends me a questioning look.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I admit although I've had bad feelings about all the movies we've come across tonight.

"Don't be a party pooper, Espio!" Charmy complains. "Can't we please watch this?"

I can't seem to resist the look in Charmy's pleading eyes as usual. Sighing, I relent, "Alright, but if it starts getting inappropriate, we're turning it off."

I settle down on the couch uncomfortably and prepare to watch the movie. Little do I know that I should have trusted my instincts on this one.

* * *

_Uh oh...who thinks that the movie is going to end up being trouble? Review please! :)  
_


	41. Painful Brutality

**Saints-Fan-12: Omg, you are right on with that prediction! The movie will be a lot like that - graphic and intense! I think someone should cover Espio's eyes too. *hint hint* Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: That would be really cute! I think something a bit more dramatic will happen though. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Guest: You'll figure out who gets scared in this chapter! Any predictions on who it will be? Thanks for the review!  
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**zgirl16: Total trouble is right! Wow, thanks so much! I'm honored to be your best friend on here. :3 I love "What I've Done". It's a great song! Is Linkin Park your favorite band then?  
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**LuluCalliope: I'd say it's an intense horror film. xD Probably not Espio's cup of tea, right? Thanks for reading! ^^  
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**Cosmictruffle: I'm glad you though Vector's attitude was in character. He likes to tease poor Esp. Well, I'd definitely say that the movie is going to scare one of the two. Thanks for reading! :3  
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**Vulpette: You're right; Vector is being a bit of a meanie! No wonder Esp is so confused right now. Good prediction about Bryce. I'd say that we haven't seen the end of him yet. Hehe, so true! What's the point of a boring movie where everyone just gets bored and falls asleep? xD Thanks so much for the great review. :)  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Wow, thank you so much for such a great compliment. I love seeing new reviewers - it really makes my day! Have you been reading this for long? I'll continue to try and update everyday if I can. Thanks for enjoying the story.  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I know, I wish Espio could see that too! Do you really think Vector will never hurt him though? Definitely not intentionally, of course, but possibly by accident? I used to be really into horror movies, but I don't watch them nowadays because too much violence tends to make me depressed. xD I think Espio will agree with us on the horror films! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and wow, really? You think it will be the best Vecpio one-shot? D'awwww, I'm blushing now! Thanks for all the support. You're an amazing friend! :D Yay for long reviews! I just love long reviews.  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Haha, well, it was a funny comment! xD I would definitely say that Espio is in love with Vector at this point although he seems to be a little confused on what love really is. He likes it when Vector touches him, but he's not sure what to make of it. xD I'm with you there - they should kiss already! Oh god, my social life = my internet life! I'm glad you think that my ideas for Jet and Sonic seem accurate. In the SonJet fics that you've read, was Jet dominant and Sonic protective or was it vice versa? Just curious! And woo, yay for songs! Here's the update. ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I watch the movie from out of the corner of my eye, not liking it from the get go. My problem with it is that the plot seems to be based on two adult male hedgehogs trying to hunt down a small female rabbit. I can't tell how old the rabbit is, but the whole movie plot is already bothering me. I'd point this out to Vector and Charmy, but I know Charmy would just tell me that he's old enough to watch movies like this and Vector would agree with him. For these reasons, I keep my mouth shut and do my best not to pay attention to the movie. I'm all for fighting against crime, not watching movies about it. Perhaps it's just me, but doesn't it seem wrong to make movies based on evil things such as stalkers trying to hunt down an innocent girl?

Despite my annoyance over the movie situation, I find myself growing tired. I've had a long day after slaving about the kitchen all afternoon. My mind is starting to get worn down as well after analyzing Vector and his peculiar behavior towards me earlier. All I really want to do is curl up and sleep.

Even though I try to stay awake, my body betrays me and I end up slumping against Vector with my eyes half-closed. The sound coming from the movie is just a distant thrum to my ears. I'm almost completely asleep when I realize what I'm doing and try to jerk awake. Blinking, I notice that Vector is also looking extremely sleepy with his eyes glazed and unseeing.

Straightening up, I try and conceal my embarrassment at falling asleep on Vector's arm as I murmur, "I'm sorry. I'm just so tired."

"Huh?" Vector mumbles, jerking himself up at my words. Disoriented, he glances around himself in confusion before his eyes come to rest on me. Vector sends me a sleepy crocodile smile and yawns before resting his head on the back of the couch, adding, "S'alright, Esp. Make yerself comfortable."

I'm about to suggest we stop the movie and go to our beds, but then I notice that Charmy is still wide awake and staring at the movie with big eyes. Not wanting to ruin his night, I sigh to myself and decide to let Charmy finish the movie. Peering over at the TV suspiciously, I notice that the two hedgehogs now have knives in their hands as they persist on stalking the rabbit. I force myself to watch the movie for a few minutes just to make sure nothing too terrible is happening in it before I close my eyes once more.

This time, I fall asleep almost right away. The living room fades and I find myself dreaming. I'm lying on a soft mattress and am covered with nice warm blankets. I can tell without opening my eyes that this isn't my own bed. This bed is far too nice to be my own. Suddenly, I'm aware of the fact that I'm not alone in this bed. Firm, reassuring arms are wrapped around me. For some reason, I'm not afraid though. On the contrary, I've tucked myself up against a large scaly chest. Daring to open my eyes, I find myself lying next to Vector, both of us lying under the covers of the bed in sweet, innocent slumber. Vector just holds me. He doesn't feel the need to do anything more than this simple act. I feel so safe with him here...so happy...

Distant screams and pleading noises crack through my pleasant dream and send me back to reality. I'm not lying in a soft bed with Vector. No, I'm sitting on the couch with Charmy and Vector and am attempting to watch a movie even though I keep falling asleep. Blinking rapidly, I try to focus and suddenly find myself staring at the TV screen in horror.

The two malicious hedgehogs have finally caught the little rabbit. They're in the middle of a forest without any signs of humanity around them. One of the hedgehogs holds the girl down, his hands on her wrists as she lies helplessly on her back. His other hand is covering her mouth, muffling her screams. The second hedgehog is straddling the rabbit, his eyes glinting wickedly as his hands rip the fabric of her thin dress and tear it open. Before I can process what's happening, the girl's eyes have gone wide and her muffled shrieks grow louder as the hedgehog moves inside her.

My head swims dizzily as I try to clear it. I need to find the remote. Where is it? I feel around the couch and finally find the familiar object. Flicking the television off, I take several shaky breaths and look over at Charmy, hoping he fell asleep during the movie. Unfortunately, his eyes are as wide as saucers and he's still staring at the movie screen, obviously wondering what he just saw. Vector is looking around in confusion. He was snoring when I first woke up, but awoke when I started feeling around for the remote.

"Charmy, now might be a good time for you to go to sleep," I try to say as evenly as I can although my words sound distant and strange to my own ears.

Charmy doesn't protest for once. Instead, he gets up immediately and retreats to his bedroom, still wide-eyed. I really ought to explain to him what happened in the movie and what a horrible thing it is, but my stomach is lurching and I suddenly feel very sick.

"I need a minute," I whisper to Vector before getting to my feet and dashing off to the bathroom.

The world tilts unsteadily around me as I slam the door to the bathroom shut behind me and collapse on the floor. My stomach lurches again and I realize I'm going to get sick. Crawling over to the toilet, I lean over it before emptying my stomach. Trying to ignore the foul taste in my mouth, I huddle in the corner of the bathroom as everything suddenly dissolves and I'm plunged into a distinct memory...

_ I'm sleeping soundlessly on my bed with a thin cover wrapped tightly around me on a cold winter night. Bryce insisted on going out earlier. He didn't tell me where he was going, and to be quite honest, I don't care where he is going as long as he stays out all night. When the clock strikes midnight, I figure I might have the bedroom to myself for a rare night. I take the liberty of sleeping alone in my bed with both the pillows under my head and Bryce's blanket covering my body. _

_ Abruptly, I feel hands on my throat and am jerked out of my serenity. Bright red, demon-like eyes stare into mine and hot breath smelling of alcohol greets my nose. As I open my mouth to take a breath of air, a large wad of cloth is stuffed into my mouth, cutting off my air supply. Bryce is in a rabid mood and I'm going to be the victim of his ferocity. _

_ "So you thought you'd take advantage of my absence and start stealing my things, did you?" Bryce leers at me as he yanks his pillow out from underneath my head and throws it across the room._

_ I try to explain that I only took the pillow because I thought he would be gone for the night, but the gag keeps me from speaking and my words sound only like a faint murmur. Bryce's red eyes glare at me and I struggle to turn my head away from his heavy breathing as he leans over me. As I try to move, I become aware of the fact that my wrists have already been tied together over my head. I'm trapped._

_ "You worthless little whore! I won't have you stealing my things!" Bryce hisses in a deadly low voice as he lands a blow against my cheek. _

_ My eyes sting, but I force the tears back. I'm used to this type of thing, used to the random and spontaneous smacks that Bryce places all over my body._

_ "You know, I was going to give it to you nice and sweet. I was gonna be good to you. I didn't know you were turning into a little thief though. Can't have that now, can we? Guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. Just remember that this is all your fault, Espio. Remember that," Bryce tells me in an ominous voice._

_ Firm hands grab my shoulders and flip me over so I'm lying on my stomach. The remaining pillow is yanked out from underneath my head and my face is slammed into the mattress. I can feel Bryce's sweaty, heavy body over mine as he keeps holding me down. I struggle to lift my head to get a breath, but a dark blanket is thrown over my head. It's made of wool and is very heavy. I feel as if I'm suffocating as Bryce continues to hold me down against my will. There's no way to breathe and all I see is darkness. _

_ "Even if you are stupid, at least you have a nice ass," Bryce jeers at me from what seems like a world away from where I'm hidden under the scratchy wool blanket. _

_ I fight to get the blanket off of my head, but a steel grip on my neck keeps me from moving. Greedy hands grab at my hips and pull them up. Only the lower half of my body is visible from under the blanket. That's the only half of me Bryce seems to care about. I keep my tail down, trying to protect myself from his imminent penetration even though I know it will do no good in the long run._

_ Bryce hisses loudly and my tail is yanked roughly out of the way as Bryce growls, "Don't play smart with me tonight, you little fucker. It'll just be worse for you in the end."_

_ Bryce's words sound garbled and run into one another so I can't tell what he's saying. I gasp for air, but my head is still pressed against the mattress. The air between me and the blanket covering me is stuffy and hot. Even if I could breathe, this air would do me no good and..._

_ My eyes suddenly roll back and my fingertips grasp at the sheets as Bryce shoves his entire length into my small body without bother to stretch me or give me some sort of warning. Pain pounds through my insides and reverberates through my head. Tears pool onto the sheets while I bite at the gag as I try to force Bryce out of me. A distant obscure noise that sounds a lot like laughter echoes throughout the bedroom. Bryce pulls out of me but only for a moment before he slams himself back into me even more brutally than before. My insides scream at the sudden invasion and the lack of air. I'm hammered against the mattress as if Bryce is trying to mold the indentation of my body upon it. _

_ There's no more air. I can't breathe. As Bryce tears through my body, blackness sinks in on me. I welcome it gratefully, needing to get away from the hell my life has turned into. A moment later, I'm completely unconscious, nothing more than a limp figure as Bryce continues to have his way with me. After he finally takes what he wants, the larger black chameleon yanks out of me and leaves me lying on the mattress wet from my tears and from other nauseating substances. My wrists are still tied and the wool blanket is left over my head. Bryce doesn't even send me a second glance as he stumbles across the floor in his drunken state and flops onto his own bed._

"Esp? Espio, look at me!" a voice tries to coax me out of the distant memory. "ESPIO!"

Realizing that my eyes are clenched shut and that I'm sitting in the corner of the bathroom with my arms wrapped protectively around me, I try to return my breathing to normal. Bryce is gone. He's not part of my life anymore. I don't have to think about him. However, the memories are so clear and vivid in my mind and I can't seem to escape them.

Breathing in short gasps, I open my eyes and find Vector crouched across from me on the bathroom floor. His vermilion eyes show nothing but concern as he reaches out a hand to me and murmurs, "God, Esp, yeh gave me quite a scare. I came in here and yer convulsing like yer havin' some sort of spasm or somethin'. Yer sick, aren't ya?"

I search for my voice and find it somewhere within me. Shaking my head ever so slightly, I reply, "No, Vector, I'm not sick."

"Then what's wrong?" Vector asks as he settles next to me on the bathroom floor and takes one of my hands. He holds it tightly and says, "Somethin' is obviously wrong."

Even through the chaos of my mind, I find it very surprising that Vector is willing to sit crouched on the bathroom floor with me and listen to my problems. A fetid stench from when I threw up earlier drifts through the air, but Vector doesn't seem to mind. He's focused on me.

"If you must know, it was that movie," I say in a fairly even voice, finding that it's easier for me to regain my self control with Vector by my side rather than when I'm alone.

"Er, yeah. I saw that little bit before yeh turned it off. That rape stuff is kinda intense," Vector nods.

"I_ntense_?!" I ask, suddenly jerking my head up and staring at Vector through blazing eyes. "Vector, it's more than intense! Rape isn't something to make a movie over! It's sadistic, cruel, and evil. I don't know who had the nerve to make a movie with something like rape in it, but whoever it was is a sick, twisted person."

Silence falls between Vector and myself. I suddenly realize I'm shaking from the passion in my voice over the topic at hand. Vector is staring at me differently as if he's just figured out something for the very first time.

"What?" I ask him in a sharp voice, wondering why he's giving me such a strange stare. "Don't you agree with me? Our purpose as detectives is to fight crime and evil, isn't it?"

More silence follows my comment, making me start to feel uncomfortable. Finally, Vector gives me a hesitant look and asks a bit reluctantly, "Esp, were ya...uh...raped?"

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_So who thinks Espio is going to lie to Vector as usual? ;P Sorry if that was a crap chapter, I am soooo tired right now. Review please! :)  
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	42. Provocative Perceptions

**Saints-Fan-12: I'm with you there! I bet everyone here will be willing to help kill Bryce! Let me know what you think of this chapter. :)  
**

**Mormar1: Yes, poor Esp! D: You'll see what he tells Vector in this chapter. Thanks for the review!  
**

**BowserRoy: Good prediction! Espio definitely seems determined to keep his dirty little secret to himself. Yay for Bowser fans! *waves around a Bowser flag with you* He's my favorite character by far from the Mario games. Yup! An OC is an original character. I thought about doing a story about Bowser and Peach once. In fact, I wrote a Mario story a while back. If you're inspired to write, I say go for it! Hm, you sound a lot like me! I also hate sweets, am a bit of an invisible person, and have to lie constantly to keep certain things from my parents. xP Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Guest: I agree with you there! Vector tends to be pretty straightforwards though, doesn't he? I'm glad you're loving the drama! Here's an update!  
**

**zgirl16: Yeah, Espio really needs to stop lying! *crosses fingers* And aw, thanks, I didn't think it was so good. That's cool that Linkin Park is your favorite band. How long have you been a fan of them for? I probably like Marilyn Manson best, lol.  
**

**ShadowChaotix: I totally agree with you; Espio really should just tell Vector or else Vex will keep making wrong guesses about Esp's past. I'm glad you liked the last two chapters! I bet Espio does want to tell Vector how much he loves him, but he's too shy for that. xD Thanks for catching up!  
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**LuluCalliope: You discovered rape through movies? xD I guess movies can be bad influences these days. Well, we think Vector knows that Espio was raped now, but you know Vector, he can be really stupid sometimes. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Intense is definitely one way to put it. xD Thanks for pointing out that mistake! I just fixed it. ^^ Thanks for reading!  
**

**Vulpette: I tried to take the last chapter in a direction nobody predicted it would go in. Lol, I agree, they'll probably just avoid the channel since it's about impossible for them to just stop watching TV as it seems to be one of the only sources of entertainment in Espio's house. You're right; they both like each other, but Vector thinks Esp will reject him if he says something and Espio is too shy to open his mouth. Omg, that's so funny about the Sims house minus the fires. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. Keeping everyone IC can be a little difficult, so it's great to hear I'm not completely failing at it. xD  
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**Ersiffa Narman: I feel bad for Esp too! The little guy has had it really bad. =/ Sorry about the suspense, but you might have to deal with a little more of it after this chapter. xD That's awesome that you've been reading this story for a while. I'm glad you're reviewing now. Reviews mean a lot to me. Do you still have the flu? I hope not. *hands you some popcorn* Here's something to keep you occupied while you wait for the next update. ^^  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, I tried to make the last chapter a bit different than what everyone seemed to be predicting it would be like. xD Yeah, poor Charmy! With Vector's porn and Espio accidentally introducing him to rape movies, where is he going to be in a few years? ;P That's a good prediction about Espio trying to deny the truth again. He seems to always do that with Vector. That is so true, btw. We all make mistakes and something tells me that Vector is a guy who tends to make a lot of mistakes. xD What do you think? Woo, I'm glad you didn't think it was a crappy chapter! That makes me feel a lot better to hear that you liked it. You're an awesome motivator and an amazing friend! Thanks for everything. :D  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I'm so glad you're back! I missed you! I'm sorry your sick though. Do you know what you're sick with or is it a cold? I agree with you, Espio really needs to stop lying to Vector. I hope you're feeling better soon!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Sorry about the cliffie! I had to end the chapter there because I was getting tired. xD I think we've all been waiting for Vector to find out the truth, but the question here is if Vector is going to actually figure it out or not. Bryce deserves to die, but he's still got a role to play in the story, so we can't kill him quite yet. Wow, this was one of your favorite chapters? Yay! ^^ Oh, is that SonJet fic the camping one? The one where Jet cries all the time and stuff? I tried to read that, but it got so OOC that I was dying at the end of it and skipped a lot of chapters. What was the fic in which nobody was dominant or protective? I think there should always be a dominant in a relationship, but maybe that's just me. I love question time! Hm, that's actually a tough question that I haven't thought much about yet. I'd say it's going to be mostly drama and also tragedy. I think it's going to have a tragic ending, but I'm not positive on that just yet. xP Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I look down at Espio in concern as the unanswered question hangs in the air between us. Espio's face has gone white and he's shaking ever so slightly. The poor little guy is sick and I'm positive that it's the movie's fault. The way Espio reacted to it wasn't exactly normal. Yeah, rape scenes can be kinda disturbin' and all, but I've never known someone to get sick over them. Espio practically ran from the room after sending Charmy to bed. I followed him and heard splattering in the bathroom a few minutes later. After giving Esp a few moments to compose himself, I barged on into the bathroom to make sure he was alright. I found him sort of convulsing in the corner. Now, Esp has calmed down, but his face is very pale and he still looks pretty disturbed.

A thick, awkward silence falls between us. I start to wonder if Espio heard my question or not. There's another long pause before Espio finally looks up at me and asks in a ghost of a whisper, "W-what did you just ask me, Vector?"

I blink in surprise, noticin' something that looks a lot like suppressed pain in Espio's amber eyes. I have the urge to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight, but figure that he wouldn't like that so much. Chewing on my lip, I ask the question again, "Were yeh raped, Esp...?"

More silence. Espio stares at the ground. I sigh, unsure how to coax the answer out of him without bein' too pushy. Usually I can use my irresistible crocodile charm on him, but I don't think that's gonna work in this case. I bite my tongue, which is kinda hard for me to do, and wait.

"No," Espio finally whispers, unable to meet my eyes as he stares at the ground and keeps his arms wrapped tightly around his slender body.

"Are ya sure?" I ask dubiously. My question is stupid, yeah, but I don't feel like Espio is givin' me the whole truth.

"Yes," Espio replies more firmly this time, daring to look up and meet my gaze although it's only a second before he looks away again and stares at the wall. Frowning, he stammers out, "It was my cousin. She was raped. That's why I feel so strongly about the matter. It's one of the strongest forms of evil there is."

"Hm," I reply, still not buying the whole cousin story. If it is true, Espio still isn't tellin' me everything. He can't look me in the eye when he's hiding something from me. Right now, he's purposefully avoiding my gaze and is still staring at the wall. Deciding to put some pressure on him now, I prod, "I didn't know yeh had a girl cousin."

"I do," Espio replies immediately. This time, he turns and faces me, amber eyes meeting my vermilion ones. Alright, so he ain't lyin' to me this time. Going on, Espio explains, "Chameleons tend to have very large families. Mine in particular is quite big. My mother liked to do things with the entire family. We were always having get togethers and social time with our relatives. I think the reason my mother invited my cousin, Bryce, to live with us was because of the fact that she was so supportive of our entire family, including the cousins and distant relatives."

"Huh. I didn't see my relatives much," I reply shortly, feelin' like Espio just gave me a long summary of his family history just to change the subject. Raising an eyebrow at him, I urge, "Well, y'know ya can always talk to me about anything, right, Esp? I'll always be here to listen to yeh."

"Thank you, Vector," Espio replies a little more calmly.

I stare at Espio a little more closely. His color is still a bit off and pasty, but he looks better than he did a few minutes ago. His body isn't trembling anymore and he seems to be feeling a little better. Realizing how late it is, I put a hand on the floor in preparation to get to my feet as I ask, "Yer sure yer okay then? I should probably get goin'."

Truth be told, I'd love to spend the night with Esp, but I know better than to push the chameleon right now. He got quite rattled up earlier and it's probably best fer me to just leave him alone. Espio nods at my question and replies, "Yes, I'm fine now. It was my stomach bothering me earlier."

"Yeah, I heard ya throwing up," I reply thoughtlessly as I get to my feet. Espio blushes bright red and avoids my gaze as he gets up as well. It still stinks like vomit in the bathroom, but I've been able to ignore it for Espio's sake. He obviously needed a friend to talk to and I wasn't about to let him suffer without one.

The two of us file out into the living room and then go to the door. It's dark in the house with the TV turned off and none of the lights on. An eerie silence fills the room since Charmy is in bed sleepin'. I come to a halt by the door and hesitate. Something just doesn't seem right. Espio is hidin' something from me again and it kills me when he doesn't tell me what it is! I'm not much of a comforter, but I decide to bring forth my sappy side for once as I turn back to Espio.

"Thanks fer dinner and everything. Yer really sweet, y'know that, Esp?" I ask him, sending him a fond smile. Espio blushes and looks at his feet, avoiding my eye again. I go on, "Just know that anything ya might ever tell me will never change my mind about yeh, alright? You'll always be my best buddy no matter what happens. We're Team Chaotix for life. Got that?"

"Yes. Oh, Vector, I..." Espio says in a rush before abruptly trailing off. He looks up at me with watery eyes, too many emotions flooding through them for me to identify his feelings. Taking a step closer to me so that we're only a few inches apart, Espio adds softly, "You're the best friend anyone could possibly ask for."

Oh god, now I feel myself tearin' up! What is it in this little chameleon that brings out the sentimental side of Vector the croc? I look down at Espio tenderly as his eyes suddenly get a bit glassy in the moonlight drifting into the living room from the window. Not wanting me to see him cry, Espio closes his eyes and tilts his chin up towards me just a bit. His lips are parted slightly and the way he's positioned himself before me is a little more than suggestive. Damn, I want to kiss him. I wanna kiss away whatever it is that's buggin' him and tell him the truth - that I love him and that I always will. 'Course, I can't do that though and little Esp is not makin' that any easier for me!

Before I do something I'm going to regret, I stumble backwards and grab the door handle. Suddenly, I remember something Charmy and I were talkin' about on the phone earlier and ask, "Uh, Esp?"

Espio slowly opens his eyes and the look on his face is clearly one of disappointment as he asks, "Yes, Vector?"

"Charmy wanted me to come over here for Halloween," I admit, feelin' kind of foolish for bringing up something stupid like Halloween after the heavier topics we talked about tonight. "Is that okay with ya?"

"Yes, of course. I don't see why that would be a problem," Espio says quickly before turning away from me and adding, "Goodnight, Vector."

He slips away quietly from the door in just a blink of the eye. I haven't even stepped out the door yet, but he's already gone. Argh, I feel like I've done sumthin' to upset him although I dunno what it is. Sighing, I trudge out Espio's house and shut the door carefully behind me. I start home in the dark, wondering what Espio might be hiding from me. There's a hell of a lot more to him than what meets the eye. I'm gonna uncover all the secrets of his past if it's the last thing I do.

The days until Halloween pass by quickly. I see Esp a few times in between then. He's back to his normal self, but there's something sad about him that I didn't seem to notice before. Maybe it was always there and I just never took the time to recognize it before. Even though I'm dying to ask Espio about it, I keep my big mouth shut. I don't wanna upset him after the dramatic movie night.

Finally, it's the day of Halloween. Bored, I'm sittin' on my chair behind my desk when the phone suddenly rings. I jerk upright as if I've been doing something wrong. I haven't been doin' anything wrong though. Well, not _really_. I was kinda fantasizing about kissing Espio, but I'm gonna blame that on him. It's his fault for gettin' so close to me and lookin' at me with those big, sultry eyes of his. It was as if he was practically begging me to kiss him last night. I know he wasn't, but it sure felt like that.

Picking up my phone, I say into it, "Hey, this is Vector."

"Hey Vector!" Charmy's excited voice exclaims from the other side of the phone. I immediately pull the phone a few inches away from my ear. I've learned my lesson after talking with Charmy enough times. The little bee gets so hyper that he has a tendency to scream into the phone instead of talk into it. Charmy goes on, "Are you coming over for Halloween or not?"

"Yeah. Of course I didn't forget that today is Halloween!" I reply in surprise. "Halloween isn't for a few more hours though, right?"

"No, but don't you want to hang out with us?" Charmy asks, sounding almost hurt. "I know Espio wants you here. He was the one to tell me to give you a call."

"Esp told yeh to give me a call, huh? That's interesting. I'll be right over," I reply, wondering why Espio told Charmy to call me if he was the one who wanted me to come over sooner rather than later. Suddenly, I think of something and smack my forehead with my palm, muttering, "Crap!"

"What is it?" Charmy asks, sounding worried. "Is something wrong? Are you not going to be able to come?"

"It's not that. I just forgot to get a costume, that's all," I reply, feeling stupid. "I'll go run over to the store right now and get one. Then I'll drop by yer house. Sound good?"

"Yup!" Charmy replies before giggling, "I can't believe you forgot to buy a costume! Hurry and get one before all the good ones are bought up. Bye!"

"I can't believe I forgot ta get one either," I admit as Charmy hangs up the phone.

Getting up from my desk, I nearly avoiding tripping on a soda bottle in the middle of the floor as I race towards the door in a hurry to get out of the apartment room and to the store to do my Halloween shoppin'. I've been real distracted lately and a certain purple chameleon is the reason for that. No matter how hard I try not to think about him all the time, thoughts of Esp keep popping up in the front of my head. My thoughts are starting to get a little more romantic whenever I think about him. I wanna touch him and show him how much I love him. The secret of how I really feel about him is gettin' hard to keep inside of me. I feel like I'm gonna burst with the knowledge sometimes.

I hurry to the grocery store since the gigantic store always has everything from food to gardening supplies to holiday decorations and am immediately swallowed up in a large crowd as I take one step inside the store. Damn, why's it so busy in here? Guess I'm not the only one who forget to do his Halloween shopping! Luckily, there's a huge sign hanging from the ceiling that tells me the Halloween costumes and decorations can be found to my right. I fight my way through the crowd straight to the rack of costumes. It doesn't take me too long to find the rack. There are always advantages to bein' a croc. One of them is that people tend to get out of yer way real fast when they see yeh comin' in their direction.

I stand next to the rack with a hand on my hip while I look over all the costumes. At this point in the season, it looks like all the good costumes have been picked over. All that's left are boring costumes. I don't wanna be a witch! Practically all the costumes left are witch costumes. Hmph! Wait, what's this?

Pickin' up a costume that looks like it might have some potential, I take a better look at it. There's a long black cloak and a fake scythe inside the package. Hm, not bad. Guess I'll go as the grim reaper and scare all the kids in the neighborhood. Sounds like fun to me!

Wasting no more time, I make my way straight to the checkout line and tap my foot impatiently while I wait for my turn to pay for my costume. As I stand around and wait, I wonder what Espio might be wearin' for Halloween. I hope he's wearing something kinda slutty. I know, I know, it's bad of me ta think that way about my little buddy, but I can't help but fantasize about him in a costume of my choice. He'd look pretty damn sexy if he took on a goth look. Closing my eyes, I picture him with dark streaks of eyeliner around his eyes and a black collar with spikes around his neck...

"Sir? Are you going to buy that?" a voice cuts into my thoughts.

"Right, uh, yeah," I nod, stepping up to the cashier and handing her my grim reaper costume. Sighing to myself, I wait for the hedgehog cashier to ring up the price of my costume. I can fantasize all I want, but whaddya bet that Espio will be wearin' something that covers his whole body for a Halloween costume? I can definitely see him as a ghost. I'll bet ya fifty bucks that Esp is gonna be a ghost when I barge into his house in just a few minutes.

* * *

_Hm...who thinks Espio was trying to get Vector to kiss him earlier? Review please! :)  
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	43. Costume Craze

**Saints-Fan-12: Yeah, you're right about Espio. He's really warming up to Vector. Thanks for reading! :)  
**

**Mormar1: I agree about Espio wanting a kiss from Vector! You'll figure out what his Halloween costume is in this chapter. I hope you like it.  
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**Alicia: Hehe, yeah, Vector is definitely thinking kinky about Esp. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Well, I'll give you a hint - someone is going to go as a ghost, but it may not be Esp. xD I'm sorry you got sick from eating something! That's awful. And ick, medicine does taste terrible, doesn't it? I hope you don't get sick again this year! Are you completely better now? :)  
**

**zgirl16: I agree with you! And yes, Esp really needs to stop lying. *facepalms* Ooo, you've been a fan for quite a while! How did you first discover Linkin Park? Yay, you don't hate Marilyn Manson. xD A lot of people I know do. xP  
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**ShadowChaotix: Esp definitely wanted that kiss, but stupid Vector didn't realize it. *rolls eyes* It is definitely hard admitting that you love someone. No wonder Esp is being shy. Lol, you sound like me! I should be studying for exams, but no, I'm updating instead. xD  
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**LuluCalliope: Lol, tell Chella I said hi! I think if I watched a rape scene around my dad, he would freak out and cover my eyes, just saying. xD Anyways, yeah, Espio really needs to tell Vector the truth at some point. Rape can be sort of embarrassing though, so that's probably why he doesn't want to admit to it like you said. Do you think Vector will get a chance to beat Bryce up someday? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Hehe, so true. Vector is going to like Esp's Halloween costume though. You'll see why in the chapter after this one. ;) Thanks for reading!  
**

**Vulpette: Yeah, you'd think Espio would have learned his lesson by now, but nope. Then again, Vector isn't exactly the brightest, so he doesn't always pick up on when Esp is lying. I know, Vector as the grim reaper totally works, doesn't it? I think he'll look more funny than scary though. xD Lol, yeah, there aren't really any slutty costumes for guys. I just had that goth thing stuck in my head because I saw a pic of goth Espio earlier and I guess I was thinking about that while I was writing the chapter. xD Thanks for the review!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Ooo, that would have been cute if they had kissed! Who do you think will be the one to initiate their first kiss? Vector or Esp? xD And aw, I'm sorry you still have the sniffles! *sends you pillows, blankets, more popcorn, and anything else you might need to feel better* Is there any other food you want me to send you for while you wait for the next update? Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I know, why can't Esp just see the truth already?! *sighs* I bet he will feel much better when he tells Vector the truth. Do you think he'll eventually tell Vector or do you think Vector will figure it out on his own? Haha, Vector was having lots of fun fantasizing about Esp's Halloween costume. ;) For being such a "great detective", Vector is not very good at picking up on Espio's hints. You'll find out what Charmy and Espio are going as in this chapter! I think Vector may be a little too interested in Espio to worry about scaring the kids much, but you'll find out more about that in the next chapter. My least favorite pairings? Hm, those would have to be Vectilla and Espadow. Vector can only be with Espio and Espio can only be with Vector in my book. xD What's your least favorite pairing? Thanks for such an awesome review!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It would have been a cute scene! Unfortunately, the way Vector finds out about Espio being raped isn't going to be very cute, more dramatic, I guess. =/ Haha, yeah, I had fun writing about Vector perving over what Espio might be dressed up as for Halloween. Good guess about the ghost costume. :3 I totally agree with you about the camping fic. I actually sort of liked the plot, but I felt as if everyone was OOC. Did you feel like Jet was way off? I just couldn't see him letting Sonic dominate him like that. And that bit where he cried because he was turning into "Sonic's girl" sort of put me off. The other fic sounds a bit interesting with them getting lost and all that. Maybe I'll have to look for it. Yay, you like those genres then? ^^ It will be romance too, of course. I forgot if I said that or not, but I guess that's a given since it's SonJet after all. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

It's Halloween and Charmy and I still don't have any costume ideas for this special event. I wish I could take Charmy shopping for a costume, but I don't have any money to spare right now. I just barely paid the bills with the income I earned from working part time at the cafe. We're barely scraping by as it is and there's just no money to spend on Halloween costumes. Frowning to myself, I stand by my cabinet in the bedroom and go through its drawers to see if I have anything that might work as a Halloween costume for either Charmy or myself.

Things have been better lately when it comes to Team Chaotix although we haven't been hired for any more detective work. Vector has been extremely nice to me lately and the two of us have avoided getting into any big arguments. I find that I miss the laid back crocodile when he's not around. Earlier, I asked Charmy to give him a call to see if he might want to come by a bit early to help with the Halloween costumes. Why did I ask Charmy to do this? I suppose it's because I'm still a bit too shy to admit that I want Vector around.

A guilty tug from somewhere within me suddenly makes me feel a bit sick. There's another reason for why I want Vector here early although I'm ashamed to admit what it is. I assume that Vanilla will invite Vector over for a Halloween party of some sort with her and Cream. I try not to act selfish and tell myself that I want Vector here to brighten up Charmy's Halloween, but the truth is that I want Vector here just as much as Charmy does if not more. My feelings towards Vector have...gotten stronger lately.

"Hey Espio!" Charmy bursts in through the doorway of my bedroom and hovers by my shoulder. Grinning at me excitedly, he asks, "What are we going to be for Halloween? Have you come up with any cool costumes yet? I want to be something really scary!"

"Scary, hm? I haven't come up with anything yet, but I'm still looking," I tell the little bee, trying to think of something scary that Charmy could be.

"Vector said he'd be here soon. He forgot about getting a Halloween costume too, so I guess he's going to go to the store and buy one before he gets here," Charmy tells me while I continue to rifle through the drawers. After a moment's pause, Charmy asks in a very innocent voice, "Do you love Vector, Espio?"

"_W-what_?" I stammer, so shocked by the abrupt question that I drop the scarf I'm holding and let it flutter to the floor.

"Not like that, silly! I meant like as a family member. I just feel like this is the first Halloween that I've celebrated with an actual family," Charmy tells me, rolling his eyes as I misinterpret his question as something else. "I can't wait to go trick-or-treating tonight! I'm going to get so much candy!"

I immediately relax and tell myself I'm being stupid for thinking that Charmy would ask me if I love Vector in a romantic way. Of course his young mind doesn't work like that. Shutting the drawer and moving to the closet, I tell Charmy, "Well, I do like Vector very much. He's been kind to us."

"Mhm," Charmy nods, following me to the closet as if he's my little shadow. "He says you're his best friend. I hope I'm his next best friend. I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

"Charmy, of course you're my best friend," I reply, taking a break from my searching to turn and give the bee an affectionate smile. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Thanks, but you don't have to get mushy about it!" Charmy says, backing away before I can start getting sentimental. I smirk over at him out of the corner of my eye and go back to searching the closet. Suddenly, Charmy notices something and points at some old sheets, exclaiming, "I know! I can be a ghost for Halloween! All we have to do is cut some holes in one of those sheets and I'll be all set! Ghosts are really scary, don't you think?"

I look up at the sheets and suppose that I might as well make Charmy a ghost costume out of them. It's the very least I can do for him. Leaning forwards, I reach up and grab the sheets, murmuring, "Yes, ghosts are quite scary. I think you'll make a perfect little ghost."

"Yay! I'm going to be the scariest ghost ever!" Charmy yells in elation before whizzing out of the bedroom, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to go get some scissors."

Glad that Charmy is so excited over a costume that is going to cost me not even a penny, I take the sheets into my arms and start out to the living room. I dump the sheets on the kitchen table and am handed the scissors by Charmy only a millisecond later. He continues grinning at me and zips back and forth across the room, too excited to sit still. I eye him carefully, trying to take in his measurements before I carefully cut the sheet into a costume with two holes for Charmy's eyes in it. He doesn't need to be a blind ghost.

Finally, I finish the ghost costume and hold it up to inspect it for any imperfections. It looks fairly decent. Waving Charmy over, I suggest, "Why don't you try this on and see what you think?"

Charmy fumbles with the sheet and whips it over his head as quickly as he can. I help him adjust it so he can see through the holes I cut out of the sheet and then I stand back to observe the final effect. Charmy grins from behind the sheet and asks, "How do I look, Espio? Do I look really scary?"

"Very scary, Charmy," I nod somberly even though Charmy looks more cute than frightening.

"I'm going to scare everyone in town tonight, even Vector!" Charmy brags as he flies around with his new costume still over his head. He comes to a halt a moment later and then glances over at me, asking, "But what about you? You need a costume too!"

"I suppose so," I nod, still not sure what I might want to be for Halloween just yet.

"There are a lot of sheet scraps left," Charmy points out as he glances down at the mutilated sheet still lying on the kitchen table. "You could do something with the extra sheets maybe?"

"Perhaps. I suppose I could be a mummy..." I muse aloud. I don't really want to be a ghost or anything too flashy. A mummy is a bit of a boring thing to dress up as for Halloween, so I'm thinking that this could work quite well. Next to Vector, who is sure to dress up as something colorful and gaudy, nobody will notice me.

"A mummy? That's a cool idea, I guess," Charmy nods, not looking completely sold on the idea although he doesn't seem against it. He holds up a strip of sheet and asks, "Want me to help wrap you up?"

"Yes. Thank you," I reply as Charmy ties a knot in the strip of sheet and starts wrapping up my ankles and slowly moving up my body. Not wanting to feel too suffocated, I add as an afterthought, "There's no need to make the costume too tight. You can leave some space between the sheet strips."

"Okay," Charmy nods, wrapping me up a bit less tightly as he moves from my legs to my waist.

Bang, bang, bang! The sound of someone pounding on the door reverberates around the inside of the room. I know Vector well enough by now to know that this is just his excited way of knocking. Without waiting for anyone to invite him inside, Vector flings the door open and tromps inside with a big shopping bag in his hand. Grinning from ear-to-ear, he calls, "Hey you two! Miss me?"

"Hello, Vector!" I say cheerfully, giving him a warm smile from where I'm still getting wrapped up by Charmy. "It's very good to see you."

"Aw, that's my Esp!" Vector smiles at me fondly as he strides over to us and watches Charmy's progress on my Halloween costume. He seems a little too interested in the way Charmy is wrapping the strips of sheet around my waist, causing me to shift uncomfortably.

"Uh, hello? Am I invisible or something?" Charmy complains as he continues his work.

"Er, sorry Charm," Vector apologizes, blinking and looking over at Charmy. Smirking, he adds, "Yeh make a scary ghost! Say, I can take over for ya if yeh like..."

For some reason, I don't particularly want Vector to take over Charmy's job of wrapping me up. I have this strange gut feeling that Vector just wants to get his hands on me. Grasping for an excuse, I reply, "It's alright. Charmy can finish. Besides, I think you ought to change into your Halloween costume. You still look like Vector to me right now."

"Oh, right," Vector admits, glancing down at his shopping bag. He starts over to the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, "Be back in a sec!"

I find myself wondering what Vector's costume is while Charmy finishes my costume. I'm covered in white strips of sheet and look mummified at this point. Feeling a bit self conscious, I chew my tongue and seek out Charmy's opinion, asking, "How do you think I look?"

"Awesome! Your costume looks better than I thought it would. I bet Vector agrees with me," Charmy says before he raises his voice and yells through the bathroom door, "Hey Vector! What do you think of Espio's costume?"

"It looks real good!" Vector calls from the other side of the door before adding, "Then again, Esp always looks good."

Flushing, I try to figure out something to reply to that. Luckily, the bathroom door bangs open at this moment and saves me from coming up with something to say. Vector, dressed in a black cloak and holding a fake scythe, strides out of the bathroom. I can tell he's trying to pose as the grim reaper, but he looks anything but scary with his long green snout poking out of the black cloak. Charmy must think the same thing because he starts giggling and puts a hand over his mouth to try and stifle the giggles.

"What?" Vector asks as he waves his fake scythe around clumsily in the air. "Yer not supposed ta be laughing!"

"Sorry, Vector," Charmy replies innocently through his giggles. "You just look really funny!"

"I'm not supposed ta look funny!" Vector retorts. "I'm supposed ta be scary! I'm the grim reaper! Rawr!"

Vector's antics cause me to chuckle. Glancing over at Charmy and then outside through the window, I say, "It's starting to get dark outside. Why don't you get your dinner and then we'll do some trick-or-treating? I made you a sandwich in the refrigerator, Charmy. You can't miss it."

"Aw, man!" Charmy complains. "Do I have to eat? I'm not even hungry. Besides, I have to save room for Halloween candy!"

"Yes, you have to eat," I nod firmly, not particularly wanting to send Charmy trick-or-treating on an empty stomach. If I do that, he'll end up eating a meal of sugary candy. I shudder at the thought and add, "The sooner you eat, the sooner we can go trick-or-treating."

"Well...okay," Charmy admits, convinced that it's best to not argue with me. He whizzes out of the room and into the kitchen. I assume he's going to go and try to inhale his dinner as quickly as possible. Oh well, as long as he eats something, I'll be content.

Vector cuts through my thoughts and sidles up to me, asking, "Do ya really think I look like a joke, Esp? I do look scary, right?"

"Hm..." I muse aloud before I decide to tease Vector a little bit. I grab the drawstring at his neck and pull the cloak shut so that Vector's eyes are obscured by the black fabric. All I can see is a long green snout. Smirking, I reply, "Now you do."

"Say, I can't see a damn thing with the way you've got me tied up!" Vector whines, stumbling around the living room.

I smirk, watching Vector in amusement.

"You did that on purpose, didn't yeh?" Vector accuses me while he fumbles with the drawstring in an attempt to get his hood off of his face. "Yer gonna get it, ya little vixen!"

Once Vector finally manages to loosen his cloak and regain his vision, he gives me a glare and starts towards me. I easily dance backwards out of his way, giving him a little smirk as I do so. Vector raises an eyebrow at me and asks, "So ya want me to catch yeh, huh? I'm game!"

Vector starts chasing me through the house, causing me to run through the hallway and leap over the glass bowl by the door before I find myself cornered in the living room. Looking triumphant, Vector pins me against the wall and places a hand on either side of me as he declares, "I've got ya, Esp!"

"Yes, Vector," I tell him wryly, tilting my head up so I can look into Vector's big brown eyes. My heart seems to skip a beat as I realize how close we are. I jab a playful finger against his chest and ask, "What are you going to do now that you've caught me?"

Vector thinks for a long moment before he grabs one of the strips of sheet wrapped around my chest. Using it to pull me closer to him, Vector replies, "I dunno what to do with ya. I just dunno."

Vector's fingertips are almost directly on top of the place where my heart should be. I wonder if he can feel it hammering against my ribs as he tugs me closer to him. It's during these moments where I can swear that Vector isn't just teasing me. I think he really does have feelings of some sort for me although I'm not exactly sure what they are just yet. Then again, perhaps I'm over-thinking things again.

"I FINISHED MY SANDWICH!" Charmy yells at the top of his lungs as he comes whizzing back into the living room. His loud voice catches me off guard and I accidentally tumble forwards against Vector's chest. My whole body turns red and I'm very glad I'm wearing a costume today of all days. Sending Vector and me a weird look, Charmy asks, "What are you guys doing? This is no time to be standing around! We've got trick-or-treating to do!"

Ignoring Charmy's rambunctious behavior, Vector looks down at me and makes no move to push me away from him as he asks, "Alright there?"

"Just fine," I reply a bit breathlessly as I take a step backwards from Vector and brush myself off as if I might have picked up some crocodile germs from him. Sending him a sidelong look out of the corner of my eye, I flick my tail at Vector and say, "Charmy's right; it's time to go trick-or-treating. Let's go."

* * *

_I'll give you a hint about the next chapter. Someone is going to have trouble with their costume. Who do you think it will be? Sorry if this chapter is crappy again. I have my most important final tomorrow and I'm really nervous. Review please! :)  
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	44. Halloween Havoc

**Saints-Fan-12: xD Do you think Vector has germs? And ooo, good guess! Let me know what you think of this chapter. :)  
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**Mormar1: I liked writing about the living room scene the most in the last chapter. And aw, blushing Esp is just the cutest thing ever! Thanks for reading!  
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**Guest: That's a very good prediction! I'd guess it would be Espio too. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Thanks for the luck! My finals went well. :) And aw, I hope you get better soon! How's that puzzle coming along? I'm terrible at them. I hope you're having a great weekend!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I kind of spoiled the whole story for you, didn't I? I'm terrible at that! Of course Vector doesn't want to touch Esp. I mean, why would he want to do that? *sarcasm* Oh god, eight more exams sound horrible. Good luck with them! I missed you so much today. I hope we can talk tomorrow!  
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**LuluCalliope: How did your final go? Mine went better than I thought it would go. Hehe, well, that might happen yet! Bryce deserves a good beating. Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Oh my god, I wish I had thought of that! It's a hysterical idea. xD I can totally see Espio getting stuck in a door and Vector trying to help him out. ;P Thanks for the review!  
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**Vulpette: Thanks for wishing me luck on my final. It went a lot better than I thought it would go surprisingly enough. Lol, now I have a vision of "scary" Charmy scaring away everyone on the planet. xD Good prediction about Espio. You'll see what goes wrong with the costume in this chapter. Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Omg, I do that all the time! I yell out random things when I'm on the internet and my mom thinks I'm crazy. xD I definitely think Vector is more dominant too. He'll probably kiss Esp and Esp will be all, "Get away from me!" hehe And yay for sickness stuff! Is it helping at all? I hope so, but if not, hopefully these will! *sends you cyber skittles* Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: The chase scene was my favorite part too! And yeah, Charmy always interrupts the special moments between Vector and Esp! Bad Charmy! I saw a picture of Espio as a mummy from dA or something, so that's where that idea came from. I've never read a SonicxRouge fic before, but that seems really wrong since they don't know each other. Amy is really annoying, I agree. The only female character I really like is Fiona. Sonadow is your OTP? Cool! What do you like most about it? That would be good if Espio comes clean to Vector about his past soon. He keeps putting it off! My exams went pretty well, thanks for asking. :) They were on history, ugh. Definitely not my favorite subject, haha. And aw, that's so sweet of you to say! I'm glad you think my chapters aren't crappy. Thank you so much for reading this!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Your prediction was really close! Vector's going to get to have a little fun with Esp in this chapter though, so he doesn't need to worry too much. xD I agree, Vector as the grim reaper is hysterical. Yup, that scene will be pretty dramatic! I could give you a little hint about it if you want? Some people don't like hints and others do, so I always ask before giving stuff away. xD You're totally right though, I hate drama irl when it's happening to me. Let's just keep the drama between Vector and Esp. That's exactly what I thought about Sonic raping Jet! It was so off. D: I haven't found any good Sonjet lemons to read sadly. =/ Oh my god, if you did some fan art for my story, that would be amazing! I would love it so much! Let me know when you get a deviant art so I can friend you on there. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXIV  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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It turns out I was wrong about Espio bein' a ghost for Halloween. It wasn't all that bad of a guess though since Charmy is going as a ghost. That means I was half-right anyways. I've gotta admit that I like Esp's Halloween costume a lot more than I thought I would. He's posing as a mummy with strips of white cloth wrapped tightly around his small figure. For some reason, I notice all his slight curves a lot more when he's dressed like this. I trail after Espio as he follows Charmy to the door of the house.

Brr! A gust of sharp wind hits me smack in the face as soon as the three of us have stumbled outside. For it being only six pm, it's really dark outside. I squint and glance around before my eyes finally adjust to the lighting. I'm actually grateful for my grim reaper's cloak and pull it more tightly around myself to try and keep warm.

"It's quite chilly out tonight," Espio remarks as the three of us start down the sidewalk. There's a neighborhood not too far away from here that I'm guessing we're going to. It's pretty small, but it's better than nothin'. Wrapping his arms around himself, Espio continues on, "I'm surprised it's this cold considering it's only October. It was much warmer yesterday."

"I could warm ya up, Esp!" I pipe up, unable to keep the slightly suggestive comment to myself as I reach for him.

Espio immediately dodges me and sends me a wry smile over his shoulder as he replies, "I'm not _that _cold."

"Aw," I complain teasingly, sending a flirtatious wink in his direction as I add, "Well, if ya change yer mind and want some crocodile warmth, I'm right here for yeh."

Espio's cheeks turn pink and he quickly turns his head away from me. I can never tell if he likes it when I flirt with him or not, but I can't help myself. When I look at my Chaotix buddy, all kinds of coy thoughts enter my head. I have kind of a hard time keepin' them there. They usually end up spilling out of my mouth one way or the other.

"Look! Here's the neighborhood!" Charmy exclaims a few minutes later, already several feet in front of us. Practically bouncing up and down in his excitement, he turns around to face Espio and me, asking, "Can I go ahead and start trick-or-treating? Please?"

"You may," Espio nods, smiling at Charmy's enthusiasm.

"Yippee!" Charmy yells into the night before he whizzes ahead of us to the first house in the neighborhood.

I scan the area around us and notice that there are only about twenty houses in the neighborhood. This definitely isn't gonna take too long. Espio and I follow Charmy at a distance, neither of us all that concerned about gettin' candy. I'm not worried because I know Espio won't let Charmy eat all his candy and I'll be allowed to munch on some of it. Besides, I'm kinda enjoying my view at the moment. Espio is walking directly in front of me and keeps swaying his tail left and right directly in front of my nose. It's almost hypnotizing.

Suddenly, Espio almost trips and I practically go crashing into him. Somehow or the other, I manage to force myself to an abrupt halt before I trip over the little chameleon. As I catch my balance, Espio gets nimbly to his feet and looks down, cussing, "Damn."

It's not too often that ya hear Espio cuss, so I know somethin' must be bothering him. Wondering what's wrong, I approach his side and ask, "What's up?"

Espio motions downwards in annoyance and mutters in a clipped voice, "My costume is already falling apart. I suppose that's the inevitable problem of homemade costumes. They never seem to stay together. I would have bought Charmy a nice costume from the store, but we just didn't have the money to spare this year."

I follow Espio's gaze and notice that his costume is indeed unraveling. A long strip of white cloth that had been wrapped up his leg earlier is now lying on the ground. I quickly retrieve it from the ground and brush it off before replying to Espio, "Cheer up already! Charmy's havin' a blast! Just look at him."

Espio looks over to where Charmy is at the second house in the neighborhood. He's chattering away at a female hedgehog at the doorway of the house. They're both laughing and I notice the female hedgehog slip him an extra piece of candy. Charmy's eyes light up and practically glow with his excitement. There's no denying that he's having a great time.

"I suppose you're right," Espio admits before sighing pessimistically. "I just wish I could do more for him though. I'll never be able to measure up to the loving parents he should have. I try my hardest, but it's simply not enough. Charmy could have so much better. I feel selfish keeping him with me instead of letting someone like Vanilla adopt him. I don't think I could handle life without him."

Wondering where Espio's melancholy side came from all of the sudden, I try to cheer him up and reply, "Don't talk so negatively about yerself! That ain't gonna do yeh any good. Charmy loves ya, Esp. He wouldn't want to stay anywhere else. Besides, nobody expects ya to live up to parental standards. Hell, yer only sixteen!"

"Yes, but I feel as if I've lived for a hundred years," Espio sighs quietly, a look of sorrow filling his amber eyes.

"Well, ya sure don't look like yer a hundreds years old. Yeh look amazing," I reply honestly, allowing my eyes to skim up and down the chameleon's shimmering scales.

Espio sends me a dry look and replies, "How about I just take that as a compliment and don't ask any questions about why you just said that?"

"I'd say that would be a good idea," I smirk at him before motioning to the strip of white cloth in my hand, asking, "Can I help ya fix yer costume?"

Espio looks at the cloth in my hands and makes no reply. Decidin' to take that as a good sign, I kneel on the ground before him and start wrapping the piece of cloth up his leg. I work a lot slower than I need to and try to caress Espio's leg while I work. His scales are so smooth and feel so warm against the cold October wind. As I start moving up towards Espio's thigh, I catch a whiff of his strong scent. Unable to help myself, I inhale deeply and scoot a little closer to him. I continue working the cloth up Espio's leg until I accidentally brush up against the inside of his thigh, causing him to visibly shiver and stumble backwards.

"I...I think that's good enough for now," Espio stammers as he stumbles back and gives me a reprimanding look.

"Er, okay," I flush since I know I'm not exactly innocent here. I was tryin' to feel up Esp's leg and it's my fault for making him uncomfortable. I can't help it though! He just looks so sexy in the moonlight and it's not helping how he keeps walking directly in front of me, giving me a nice view of everything I want to see. Well, that's not true. I'd really like ta see more, but let's not go there.

As Espio and I start our walk around the neighborhood again, I eye a house to our right and send Espio a look out of the corner of my eye as I ask, "Wanna get some candy?"

Espio sighs and shows no interest in going to get candy. However, after he glances in my direction, his face relaxes and he admits, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get one piece of candy."

"Alright! C'mon then!" I exclaim, surprised that Esp is willing to go get some candy with me. I grab his hand to make sure that he doesn't change his mind on me, and maybe for another reason too, before I practically drag my little reptilian friend up to the doorway of the house closest to us. A female cat around the age of eighteen or so is standin' in the doorway with a big bag of treats in her hands. Eyes fixated on the bag, I call out, "Trick-or-treat!"

"You two are a little old for trick-or-treating, aren't you?" the cat asks even though she's smiling. Feeling awkward, I blush and look at the ground. The cat laughs at my embarrassment and says, "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with adults trick-or-treating. Go ahead and take as much candy as you want. I bought far too much this year."

"Really?" I ask, eyes gleaming. "Thanks a lot, ma'am!"

Unable to resist free candy, I shove my hand into the bag and start grabbin' handfuls of candy. Espio elbows me after a second and then sends me a disapproving glance. Looking down at my fistfuls of candy, I suppose that maybe I am bein' a little greedy. I thank the cat one more time and then Espio and I continue on our way once again. We're only past the second house, but Charmy is already halfway through the neighborhood. I chuckle as I watch the little bee whiz to his eleventh house. Sometimes I wonder how he has so much energy all the time.

"Do you_ really _think it was necessary to take quite so much candy?" Espio asks, eying my fistfuls of candy reproachfully. "We need to set good examples for Charmy."

"I'm starving though!" I complain. "I didn't get any dinner because I had ta buy my costume and then I went straight to yer house."

"Candy for dinner is never a good thing," Espio says although he doesn't protest when I open a piece of taffy and start chewing on it. "Oh damn."

"What is it? Oh," I reply through a mouthful of taffy as I notice that the piece of cloth wrapped around Espio's arm is starting to come undone. "I'll fix it for ya!"

Before Espio can protest, I start wrapping the cloth back up his upper arm. Is it just me or do Esp's scales seem to glow in the moonlight? I take my time wrappin' up his arm again, wishing I could freely stroke the chameleon's body. I could make him feel real good if he'd only let me.

Once Espio is wrapped back up, we cut across the neighborhood so we can catch up to Charmy, who is miles ahead of us at this point. Espio suddenly turns to me and says, "I forgot to tell you that it's Charmy's birthday in two weeks. I haven't picked him up anything for his birthday yet. Would you like to go to the mall with me sometime next week and pick out a birthday present for him?"

"I'd love to!" I exclaim, nodding vigorously. I'll take whatever opportunities I can to spend time with Esp. I especially like it when the opportunities allow me to spend time with Esp alone without Charmy tagging along. I do like the bee, but I'd be lyin' if I didn't say I like Espio more.

"Great," Espio replies in his serious voice as he suggests, "How about we go on Thursday then? Charmy is going over to Cream's house for a sleepover that day. We should have plenty of time to do our shopping then. Will that work for you?"

"Yeah," I nod immediately since I never seem to have any plans these days. Another thing I don't have right now is money, but I'll manage to dig some up somehow or the other so I can buy Charmy a cheap birthday present.

We finally manage to catch up with Charmy and follow him as he makes his way to the last doorway. We stay a short distance away from him as he collects candy. The female squirrel at the door gives him a friendly smile as she holds out her bag of treats to him and exclaims, "What a cute little ghost you are, dearie!"

"I'm not a girl!" Charmy protests loudly, not wanting to be called "cute" or "dearie".

Chuckling, I elbow Espio and whisper, "Guess yer not the only one who gets mistaken for a girl sometimes."

"I do not get mistaken for a girl," Espio replies back in annoyance, folding his thin arms across his chest. "As I've said before, I'm just as male as you are. The color of my scales has nothing to do with my gender and you know it!"

"Heh, I dunno about that," I reply, deciding to tease Espio some more. "You've never actually proven to me that ya aren't a girl..."

"Vector!" Espio exclaims, giving me an incredulous look. "Don't be crude."

I snicker to myself at Espio's reaction and then suddenly notice that a strip of cloth covering Espio's chest is starting to unravel again! I immediately grab it and say, "Lemme help ya with that!"

Espio tries to smack my hands away, but gives up easily and rolls his eyes at me while Charmy flies over to us with his arms full of candy. Grinning from ear-to-ear, Charmy exclaims, "Look at all the candy I got! I'm going to eat it all tonight! Wait, did you guys not get any candy?"

"I didn't, but Vector certainly did," Espio replies in a stale voice. "Also, someone remind me not to dress as a mummy again next Halloween."

"I think ya make a real good mummy, Esp," I reply, standing close behind him while I wrap the cloth around his chest. Since he can't really see what I'm doin' from this angle, I lean down and sniff the area beside his neck. God, why's he always gotta smell so enticing?

"Wait, if Vector got candy, where did it all go?" Charmy asks curiously. I gulp and decide not to answer that question since I know Espio would certainly not like me to tell Charmy that I ate all of my candy already. The silence hangs between us for a minute before Charmy lets the subject go and asks instead, "Vector, why are you looking at Espio like he's a piece of candy?"

My cheeks burn bright red. If the kid can tell I'm not starin' at Espio in the normal way, that ain't good. Espio immediately takes a few steps away from me as he echoes Charmy's question a bit indignantly, repeating, "Yes, Vector, just why _are _you looking at me that way? I think we've all had enough trick-or-treating for one night. Both of you have sugar highs. Let's go home."

The three of us start back towards the house, but I can't turn down another opportunity to flirt with Esp and reply snidely, "Ya know why I'm lookin' at yeh in that way."

"Do I?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh huh," I nod, smirking at this point.

"Hm, well, I don't think I do and I don't think I want to know the reasoning behind it either," Espio replies, sticking his nose into the air and refusing to look at me.

"Aw, yer so cute when yeh try to act all innocent like that," I say, wrapping an arm around Espio's shoulders.

Charmy, who's been listening to our conversation, turns and gives me a weird look, stating, "I think Espio is right. You_ do _have a sugar high, Vector!"

* * *

_Vector certainly wants a piece of Espio. xP Do you think anything will happen between them in the next chapter? Review please! :)  
_


	45. Sticky Situations

**Saints-Fan-12: I think Vector would agree with you there! Something kind of romantic might happen! Good guess! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, they are cute when they flirt with each other! Do you think Vector will admit his feelings to Esp aloud soon? Thanks for the review!  
**

**Guest: I'd say there's definitely an embarrassing part in this chapter for Espio. xD Let me know what you think of this update!  
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**Alicia: Yes and no really. And ikr? Vector on a sugar high is hilarious. ;P Thanks for the review!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yay for sugar highs! Vector needs to get them more often. Yeah, Esp should just be quiet. We know he likes it. ;P That was my favorite part to write with Vector putting his hand up Espio's leg. I mean, that was definitely a total accident on his part and everything. xD Thanks for reading! :)  
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**LuluCalliope: Good luck with your remaining finals! I'm sure you'll do great. Wow, I could never do that in front of a teacher. xD Oh god, that would be...awkward to say the least. Do you think Vector will try anything in front of Charmy? =/ Yeah, parents love to make our lives miserable. It sucks! Thanks for the review!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Yeah, he sure is. It might not be such a bad thing if Espio finds out Vector's secret though, right? ;P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Vulpette: Yes, Vector is definitely starting to press his luck! It's kind of a surprise he doesn't have a black eye yet, don't you think? I agree that something will happen between the soon. The tension just keeps on building. It's great to hear that you still like the story. ^^ I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Vector is totally feeling Esp up. xD Now I guess the main question is whether Espio likes it, hates it, or is just tolerating it. What do you think? Hehe, I'd like to see you going to Esp's house and making them kiss. They need a shove in the right direction! I'm glad to hear it's helping! Are you almost over your sickness now? *sends you more cyber skittles* Thanks so much for reading. :3  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I'd say a little more awkwardness will happen between Vector and Esp in this chapter! Oh yeah, Vector was definitely jumping up and down at the chance to help Espio with his costume! xD Nope, we can't blame Vex at all! I mean, Esp is a pretty attractive guy and Vector is in love with him. Hehe, you're a candy fan too? I would've been elbowing Vector with Espio. Yay, I'm glad I made you laugh! :) I really like Sonadow as well! Their pasts are quite similar and I love how they're opposites yet kind of the same if that makes any sense. Do you think you will write some Sonadow sometime? SonRouge is just...weird. xD History is kind of a boring subject, but I'm glad you're good at it and that you're still liking my chapters! I hope you like this one too. ^^  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Vector definitely seems like he's getting caught up in the moment. xD What do you bet he's going to do something he regrets soon? =/ I'm the exact same way with hints/spoilers. I like them and I never get why some people are so against them. Okay, so I'll give you two hints since you'd like them. Firstly, the scene we're talking about isn't going to take place for another forty chapters or so. Secondly, Espio ends up coming clean because Vector tries something he shouldn't. xP Hope that helped! Well, I'd definitely say there's a bit more teasing and drama in this chapter. It just keeps on building. xD Ooo, I'd love to see your Espio drawing! I can't draw AT ALL, so I'm sure it will look awesome to me. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

As our little group of three walks back to Espio's house, I wonder if Charmy is right. Maybe I _do _have a sugar high. I can't seem ta keep my eyes off of Espio no matter what I do. He's walking very close to me and I notice his amber eyes flicking this way and that. For some reason, Espio always seems to get real nervous at night. I walk a little closer to him and give him a reassuring smile. Espio sends me a hesitant one in reply and holds Charmy's hand to make sure he can't stray off into the distance. Charmy, who is too busy stuffing his face with candy to notice, doesn't seem to mind.

Finally, we reach Espio's familiar house. I dunno why, but Espio's house seems like more of a home to me than my own messy apartment does. If only this was my real home. I'd love livin' here with Charmy and Esp. Like Charmy has said on several occasions, we're more like Family Chaotix instead of Team Chaotix.

In a hurry to get inside, Espio quickly opens the door to the house and waves us within. Once the door is firmly shut behind us, Espio immediately seems to lighten up. His whole body visibly relaxes and he starts smiling again. I return the smile even though his smile is directed at Charmy instead of at me.

Dumping his collection of assorted candies onto the wooden table, Charmy looks over them excitedly and exclaims, "Oh boy, look at all this candy! I don't even know what piece to eat first!"

"Don't eat too much," Espio warns Charmy in his parental way. "You don't want to get a stomachache.

"Whatever you say, Espio," Charmy rolls his eyes before he closes them and randomly grabs a piece of candy.

While he unwraps it, Espio plucks his ghost costume off of his head and says, "I suppose we ought to discard these costumes before we end up sleeping in them. I promise to get you something nicer to wear next year, Charmy."

Charmy is too busy unwrapping his candy to realize that Espio is talking to him. My eyes light up when Espio says it's time to get rid of the costumes. I sidle up to him and grab onto a strip of white cloth slung across Espio's hips as I exclaim helpfully, "I can get the costume off for ya, Esp! Just stay still and let ol' Vector do the work."

Before Espio can protest, which he probably would've done considering the annoyed expression on his face, Charmy interrupts us and sighs melodramatically as he tells us, "Aw, I got a sucker. I don't like suckers very much, especially the red ones. They always taste like cherry. Cherry is too sweet for me. I really want a tootsie roll!"

"Then eat a tootsie roll! I love those too," I respond to Charmy, givin' him a look out of the corner of my eye. Charmy decides to take my advice and throws the sucker towards the trash bin. I make a wild dive for it and manage to catch the damn thing before it makes a sticky mess on the floor. Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. Smirking at the purple chameleon I still have a tight hold on through the strips of cloth wrapped around his body, I suggest, "Esp can eat yer sucker, Charmy!"

"What?!" Espio exclaims, giving me a dirty look. He starts to protest, "No, I really don't think that I-"

Too late. I pop the sucker into his mouth as I talk over him, "Here ya are, Esp! There's a rule that says yeh gotta eat at least one piece of Halloween candy on Halloween. Ya haven't had one yet, so this can be yer piece of candy for the year. Don't give me that look. One piece of candy ain't gonna hurt ya."

Espio debates over my words while I continue unwrapping him and finally decides to just go with it although he admits, "Fine, but I think you and Charmy have eaten enough candy for all of us."

"Heh," I reply, too interested in the soft curves of Espio's hips to really think about saying anything intelligible. Esp can protest all he wants, but his body is kinda feminine. He feels so soft and fragile under my touch and his fuchsia scales seem to give off a glow in the light although I guess I could be imagining that.

"You know, Vector," Espio starts out, managing to capture my attention. I look up at him from where I'm now unwrapping his leg of the cloth and have to repress a sigh of longing. Espio is swirling the tip of his tongue around the sucker very suggestively. I follow the pattern of the light pink tongue around and around the sucker, smelling the strong scent of cherry on Espio's breath as he goes on, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're just using this costume as an excuse to touch me."

"Wouldn't that be a weird thing?" I answer with a question, giving Espio a wink. I'm surprised he's talking like this in front of Charmy, but the bee is paying no attention to us at this point.

Espio looks surprised at my reaction and tilts his head at me as he states, "You're not denying it."

"Nope!" I reply cheerfully as I finish unwrapping the cloth from around his body and throw it carelessly to the side, taking a step backwards to enjoy the view of a completely uncovered Espio once again. I normally see him like this, but the bare scales look ever better than usual after seein' him wrapped up all night. Trying to lighten up the situation since Espio is giving me a wary look, I elbow him and say, "Y'know I love ya, right, Esp?"

"...Yes?" Espio replies dubiously, probably trying to figure out just what I mean by that comment. He decides not to trouble himself with it and glances over at Charmy, who has somehow managed to devour half of his pile of candy already. Espio's eyes fly open in shock and he says firmly, "Alright, Charmy, that's enough candy for one night. Now come over here and say goodbye to Vector."

Aw, crap. Esp is pushin' me out the door again. Guess maybe I shouldn't have teased him quite so much tonight. Charmy reluctantly sets down another piece of candy and flies over to the two of us. He has chocolate all over his lips and sends chocolate breath all over me as he wraps an arm around my neck and Espio's neck, squishing us all together as he yells, "Group hug!"

My hips accidentally slam against Espio's as Charmy drags us together, causing a sort of friction between us that makes it nearly impossible for me to keep myself from tossing the little chameleon over my shoulder and dragging him off to the bedroom.

Espio must be feelin' sort of awkward too because he ducks out of the hug a little sooner than usual, blushing slightly as he says to me, "It was nice of you to stop by for Halloween. Charmy certainly enjoyed having you along, didn't you, Charmy?"

Charmy nods vigorously, but I've gotta admit that Charmy isn't the one I want to please. Raising an eyebrow, I press Espio, "So Charmy was the only one who enjoyed my company tonight, huh?"

"I'll let you figure that one out for yourself," Espio replies in his composed voice as he sucks delicately on his sucker, not really helping the fantasies that are already swirling around in my head.

"Esp, yeh drive me crazy, ya little bastard," I roll my eyes at him as I tromp to the doorway and kick the door open before I tackle the chameleon. A frigid gust of wind makes me wanna run right back in the house. Procrastinating, I turn and look over my shoulder at the dysfunctional family I'm leavin' behind me and call, "See you two later."

"Yes. Oh, and Vector?" Espio calls after me.

"Yeah?" I ask, immediately coming to a halt in the doorway. I can't seem ta help the fact that I'm secretly hoping that Espio is gonna invite me to stay the night.

"Remember what we talked about earlier," Espio reminds me before picking up a napkin and using it to wipe the chocolate smudges off of Charmy's mouth.

I stare at Espio with a clueless expression on my face while Charmy looks between the two of us excitedly and speaks in a muffled voice through the napkin, "What did you guys talk about earlier? I want to know too! Tell me what you guys were talking about!"

Charmy's curiosity helps me to remember what Espio is referring to. The two of us are goin' shopping for Charmy's birthday in just a few days while Charmy goes to Cream's house for a sleepover. Before I can accidentally spoil the secret, Espio tells Charmy, "Vector and I were just talking about how he shouldn't eat so much Halloween candy in the future because he's not feeling well. Right, Vector?"

"Er, right, Esp," I reply, deciding to just play along so I don't get into trouble with the little chameleon later. Deciding that it really is time to brave the cold, I take a step forwards and tug my grim reaper's cloak closer around me as I shut the door and call behind me, "See ya, boys!"

Head down and shoulders hunched, I start trudgin' down the sidewalk, still kinda wishing that Espio would have let me stay the night. I guess that's just too much ta hope for. Y'know, it's a shame i don't have my headphones with me right now. I took them off along with my gold chain so they wouldn't ruin the scary effect of my Halloween costume. Now, I'm forced to listen to silence. I dunno how normal folk stand this awful silence. Music makes the world a much better place!

As I make my way towards my apartment, I find my thoughts on Espio again. The little guy has come a long ways in the few months that we've known each other. Now that I think about it, I realize that he doesn't seem to mind my flirting with him. He hasn't asked me to stop or anything. Could that actually mean something?

Scratching my head, I realize that Espio isn't dumb. I'm sure he knows I'm flirting with him by now. Surprisingly enough, he hasn't pushed me away yet and I actually have a few reasons to think that he might be flirting back with me. It's hard to know what's goin' on in the chameleon's head, but I'm starting to wonder what it would be like if I took Espio aside and told him just how I feel about him. It sure would be nice to get all these smothering emotions out of my head and get 'em out there in the open. Espio would either accept me or reject me.

Nah, I can't do that. If Espio rejects me, which is the more likely of the two options, then I'll have destroyed our friendship and Team Chaotix. Besides, I can't really confirm my hypothesis of Espio responding to me. Whenever I push the bar, he always clams up and abruptly changes the subject. It's like he can only take so much from me.

Sighing, I come to the conclusion that I'm just gonna have to keep my trap shut and hope for the best. Espio's friendship and Team Chaotix is something I can't live without. I'm just gonna have to be satisfied with those two things and let nature take its course. Ya never know. Esp could warm up to me yet.

The next few days pass by slowly. I really want to drop by Espio's house again, but I figure that I'll start annoying him if I'm over there everyday. Finally, after what seems like an eternity of boredom, Thursday afternoon comes and it's time for me to go shoppin' with my best buddy. I get up bright and early, take a shower to make sure I smell decent, and then brush my teeth and gargle so I have minty fresh breath as usual. After that, I stride out the door with my headphones in place and head directly to Espio's house without any second thoughts.

I'm bobbing my head along to my music and am not payin' much attention to anything or anyone around me when a pink figure comes to a halt in front of me and practically screams my name, "Vector!"

I come to a sudden stop and find none other than Amy Rose in front of me. I've never liked the girly, prissy hedgehog, but I like her even less now after that date she went on with Espio. I can't believe I was stupid enough to try and throw 'em together! I should never have tried to bury my feelings for Espio by hooking him up with Amy Rose of all people.

"Whaddya want?" I ask Amy grumpily, in no mood to hear about her obsession with Sonic or with Espio for that matter.

"You should learn to turn your music down so you can hear people when they're trying to talk to you. When you keep ignoring people like you just did to me, they'll think you're being rude," Amy says, not looking too happy herself. When I just grunt and send her a glare, she goes on, "Have you seen Espio lately?"

I immediately tense up at Amy's words and give her a hard look, retorting, "What's it to you?"

"Do you have to be so grouchy about_ everything_? I really don't see why someone like Espio even bothers hanging out with you," Amy states aloud, giving me an annoyed look. "I want to talk to Espio about something. Can you give him my phone number and tell him to call me as soon as you see him next?"

Amy shoves a piece of rose-colored paper with her telephone number written on it in curly letters towards me. I take it with the intention of crumpling it into a ball and tossing it into the trash as soon as I can. Suspicion takes ahold of me and I ask dubiously, "And just what do yeh want to talk to Espio about? It wouldn't happen to have somethin' to do with a date, would it?"

"Why do you care?" Amy asks, brushing a strand of pink hair off of her face as she puts a hand on her hip and starts walking away, "I told you that I wanted to talk to Espio about it, not _you_."

"Little brat," I mutter under my breath as I watch the selfish hedgehog flounce away from me with her nose in the air.

As soon as she's out of sight, I crush the paper in my fist into a tiny ball and start stomping along towards Espio's house once again. I dunno what Amy's up to, but she's definitely up to no good.

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_Hm, what do you guys think Amy wants to talk to Espio about? Review please! :)  
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	46. Shower Strife

**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction there! And aw, I'm so glad you still like the story. :) Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: That's a good guess about Amy. :3 I agree about Vector. Someone has to spill the beans sooner or later, lol. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Guest: I loved writing the sucker part. xD Also, great prediction there! Vector would definitely think it's an actual date. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alicia: I totally agree. Amy can be such a brat at times. Thanks for the review!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, how do you think shopping will go? Oh wait, I probably already told you. *facepalms* You do know the whole story. xP I kinda blabbed the entire thing to you. And yeah! Vector is just looking for a reason to touch Esp. *nods* I hope your exam went well! I keep thinking about you! *huggles tight*  
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**LuluCalliope: I don't think it's just you. Everyone else also seems to be thinking that Amy wants to use Esp to make Sonic jealous, hehe. And aw, I'm sorry about your dad! Maybe we'll talk tonight? I didn't see you on at all earlier today.  
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**Vulpette: I'm with you there - too much thinking is never a good thing for Vector. He's definitely not the brightest guy. xP I'd say he'll slip up sooner rather than later too. He seems to have a hard time controlling his thoughts around Esp. That's true, Vector is going to be jealous no matter what Amy wants with Espio. xD Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Lol! Well, Esp might like it...or he might not. Guess you'll have to wait and see! Who do you think is crushing on who more? Vector or Esp? Jealous Vector is never good. And yay, I'm so glad you're almost over it! Is there any other sort of candy you want me to send you? xD Thanks so much for your support on this story. ^^  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Go Vector! *cheers* I'm glad he crumpled the paper too. Amy and Esp don't make a good match. I love writing about Veccy and Esp flirting with each other. I can totally see Vector shoving a lollipop in Espio's mouth. xD He's so pushy! That's true, I'd stick with the fic you have an idea for right now. ^^ You can always come up with ideas though! I have...four ideas for fics in my head right now. I think too much! Good question about the length of the story. I think it's going to be close to a hundred and fifty chapters. Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Aw, I'm sorry about your internet problems! I hate those. =/ Is your internet fixed now? I'm glad you liked the chapter! I don't like Amy so much either. She's kind of whiny. You'll see what she's up to soon. Oh, and good luck on the puzzle. I'm sure you'll bet able to complete it soon. Hope you like this chappie. :)  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: You're right to be suspicious of Amy! And hehe, I also wonder what would happen if Vector took Esp aside and told him how he really feels. What do you think would happen? xD Yeah, this story is going to be long. It was supposed to be a hundred chapters and now I think it's going to be closer to a hundred fifty. I guess we'll just have to wait and see! Vector always does things he shouldn't. xP Any predictions on what Vector might do that will result in Esp coming clean with him? Awesome! I bet your drawing is amazing. ^^ I have insomnia too. That's why I always update at 2 am or so. Thanks so much for reading!  
**

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**Chapter XXXXVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I reach Espio's house in a cranky mood. I am not at all happy about meetin' up with Amy on my way here. What does she see in Esp anyways? Well, alright, I've gotta admit that there are a lot of likeable things about the chameleon. The little brat needs to just stick with Sonic though. Espio is _my _best buddy, not hers. No way am I gonna give Esp her phone number and tell him to call her. I know I'm starting to sound real possessive of my friend, but I don't want Espio getting hurt by getting into a relationship with someone like Amy. Yeah, that's why I don't want to give Espio Amy's number. It has nothin' at all to do with any jealousy I might feel if the two became a couple.

Just as Espio's house comes into view, I glance inconspicuously around me on all sides before I take aim and fling Amy's crumpled wad of paper with her phone number on it as far across the street as I can. It lands in a puddle. Chuckling to myself at my brilliancy, I stride up confidently to Espio's door and bang on it.

...There's no answer. Huh, that's odd. Usually, Espio answers the door almost immediately. What's he doin'? I wait a few seconds and then try the door again. There's still no reply from anyone inside the house. Maybe Esp can't hear me. I'll go inside and find out what he's up to. It's not like I'm a stranger invading his privacy or anything. Espio knows who I am.

Not allowing myself to feel guilty, I whip the door to Espio's house open and tromp inside. Surprisingly enough, the living room is vacant and much too silent. Under normal circumstances, the TV is on, Charmy is screaming excitedly over something or another, and Espio is sitting at the table sipping his tea and reading the newspaper. Today, there's nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it worries me when I can't find Espio anywhere. He did tell me to meet him at his house today. Okay, so I am a little early, but why would Espio have gone out of the house before I got here? Espio doesn't like goin' out, especially not on his own. That's why he invited me to the mall to go birthday shopping for Charmy with him. I would like to think that Espio invited me along just for my company, but I'm not thick enough to believe that. Although Espio has definitely warmed up to me, he doesn't return my strong feelings towards him.

I decide to check the bedroom just in case Espio overslept. Not wanting to startle him in case he's sleeping, I walk as quietly as I can through the hallway. Unfortunately, I can't seem ta make myself be quiet. My feet make loud thumps against the floor even while I'm tryin' to tiptoe.

When I reach the bedroom door, I put my ear against it to listen for any signs of life within. I don't hear anything, so I twist the doorknob slowly and ease it open. I stick my head into the small room with the cream walls and blue comforter, but I don't see a purple chameleon anywhere. God, where are ya, Esp?!

Starting to really get nervous that something might have happened to him, I search the room quickly, peerin' under the bed and searching in the closet. All I find in there is dust and cobwebs. It's a good thing Espio hasn't found 'em yet or else he would be doing a huge clean of the entire house. I think he's allergic to dirt and grime.

Now that I've searched the bedroom, I really dunno what else to do. I step out of the door and pause in the hallway as I contemplate on what to do next. I could search Charmy's room, but I dunno why Espio would be hidin' out there. Besides, Charmy is at Cream's house for the sleepover. Stumped, I stand around and scratch my head until I hear a faint sound coming from my right. I follow the source of the noise and identify the noise as running water. The noise brings me straight to another door. It's not closed all the way and is slightly ajar. Do I dare crack it open? I mean, I wanna make sure Esp is okay and hasn't accidentally drowned himself or anything. As much as I don't wanna have to worry about Espio, I do worry about him what with his depression problems and all that.

Really trying to be quiet this time, I push the door open a bit more and take a hesitant step inside before coming to an abrupt halt. I'm in the bathroom. Geez, you'd think I could remember where the bathroom is. Guess not though. I scan the room for Espio before my jaw goes flying open and my eyes bulge. Espio is standing under the shower with his head tilted back slightly and his eyes closed. The water trickles down over his body, making his scales shimmer and twinkle at me. I watch as if hypnotized when Esp grabs a bar of soap and starts washing his body. My eyes follow the circular motion of the soap going around in circles starting at Espio's neck then going to his chest and then down from there...

It never occurs to me that I should be gettin' the hell out of here before Espio notices me. I'm too busy staring at Esp through heart-shaped glasses to notice anything else. Suddenly, the running water comes to a halt. I'm too slow and don't retreat from the bathroom like I should. Espio takes a few steps out of the shower and then comes to a sudden halt.

"V-vector!" Espio stammers, looking around for something to cover his wet body with. "What are you doing here?"

"I...er...you invited me over, remember?" I remind Espio, thinkin' that I'm pretty clever to come up with that answer so fast.

Espio just stares at me with dubious eyes, slender arms folded across his chest. The water droplets continue to dribble down his body until there's a little puddle at his feet. A very sweet aroma comes from the chameleon. I can't help but inhale deeply as the scent wafts to my nose.

"That's not what I meant!" Espio replies, trying to be defiant although it's not coming off very well. "I _know _I invited you over. I meant why are you watching me in the shower?"

"I wasn't watchin' ya in the shower," I deny immediately. Esp gives me a look that tells me that he doesn't believe me for a moment. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some fast thinking here. Searching my brain for something to use as an excuse. I finally remember my real reason for coming into the bathroom and proclaim triumphantly, "I wanted to make sure ya were alright. I couldn't find yeh anywhere else in the house, so I started to worry. When I heard noises in here, I thought I'd better come check on ya."

"When you say 'noise', you mean the water running?" Espio asks in a dry voice, the water droplets all over his body continuing to wink invitingly at me as the light hits them at the right angles.

"Uh, yeah?" I reply, giving Espio a sheepish glance.

"Oh please, Vector. You don't fool me. I know you just wanted to watch me in the shower and you know it too," Espio replies wanly before taking a step backwards in sudden disgust. He points at my face and adds, "Your nose is bleeding, Vector. Go take care of it. I'll be out in a minute."

Espio spots a towel and his eyes light up with relief as he hurries over to it. I flush, a little embarrassed about the nosebleed. My eyes drift over Espio and I notice some tissues to his right. I start over to them, but the sleek coil of Espio's tail smacks me right in my face. I would've been mad if the tail didn't smell so damn enticing...

"I meant go clean yourself up in the_ living room_!" Espio emphasizes, wrapping the towel around his slender shoulders and turning to face me with a stern glare. "Don't push me!"

"Right," I nod, knowing that I've pushed Esp to his limit and that he won't take any more of this sort of crap from me today. I better watch myself while we're shopping so I stay on good terms with him. Stumbling back out into the hallway, I make my way to the kitchen, find some tissues on the counter, and wipe my nose. Esp is right. It is bleeding.

True to his word, Espio appears a few minutes later. He's dried himself off, but his scales are still shinier than usual and he still smells sweet like lavender. I try not to watch him too closely as he steps into the room, but my eyes catch his every move. Everything about the chameleon comes off as sexy or seductive to me. There's the way he tosses his head, the slight sway of his hips as he walks, and the bob of his tail...

"Let's just pretend that little scenario earlier never happened, alright?" Espio asks me very formally, snapping me out of my daydreams.

"Whatever makes ya happy, Esp," I reply in an easy going manner. "I can't help it that yer so...so..."

I trail off, not exactly sure where I'm goin' with this. Unfortunately, the words are already out of my mouth and now Espio is looking at me curiously. He raises an eyebrow and asks, "So what, Vector?"

"Attractive?" I offer, decidin' just to tell him the truth. I'm not flirting with him in an outright manner. I'm just telling it like it is.

Espio lets out a harsh laugh and starts towards the door, replying, "I am anything_ but _attractive. I have nothing to flaunt to anyone. If anything, I ought to be very ashamed of myself."

"Huh?" I ask, trailing after Espio as he opens the door and steps out into a sunny, cloudless day. "Whaddya mean by that?"

Espio looks up at me and I see that all the light has gone out of his eyes. He looks like he's trying to put up his walls again, which is never a good sign. I'd better back down before I get myself into more trouble. Slinking onto the sidewalk, Espio replies, "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."

My mouth opens to protest. When someone says somethin' I don't understand, my usual method is to push and push until I can get it out of them. However, I manage to catch myself this time and force my big mouth shut. Pressing Espio today would be a stupid thing to do. It would be smarter of me to change the subject.

"So it's Charmy's birthday next Saturday, huh?" I ask randomly, wanting to get Esp back into a better mood. Espio just nods, not expanding on the subject whatsoever. I decide to give it another go and wrack my brains for something else to say to him. I question, "So has it been a long time since you've been to this mall?"

All I get for a response is another nod. Argh! I hate it when Esp shuts himself off from me like this. I don't know what nerve I touched or what it was I said that made him turn so cold and secretive suddenly. It really hurts me when Espio acts this way. I feel like he doesn't trust me or consider me a very good friend.

We walk the rest of the way to the mall in thick silence. I can hold a conversation with Espio by myself, but he's completely clammed up and is refusin' to talk to me. By the time we reach the mall, it's driving me crazy and I can't seem to put up with it for another second. Something must be said. Since Espio is walking very slowly with his eyes glued to the ground, I'm able to slip ahead of him and block his path. He almost walks right into me, but notices me at the last moment and comes to a halt.

"Look, Esp, I dunno what I did ta make ya mad, but it wasn't on purpose," I implore the chameleon. "Please don't be like this all day! I can't stand it when yeh lock me out like this."

Espio glances up in surprise and I can practically see the iciness melt away from his eyes. Sighing, Espio's voice loses the rigidness it held earlier and he murmurs sadly, "It wasn't you, Vector. It was something else. I'm sorry. Sometimes things just bother me."

"Are ya talkin' about yer cousin?" I ask, remembering everything Espio told me about the evil, red-eyed bastard. Just the thought of him makes my fists clench.

Appearing shocked once more, Espio raises an eyebrow at me and murmurs, "You actually remember what I told you about him?"

"'Course I do," I reply, not gettin' why Esp would think I would have forgotten it already. "Why wouldn't I remember?"

"I didn't think you would care," Espio says in a barely audible voice as he looks down and kicks his purple sneaker against a nearby trash bin.

"Esp, how many times have we been over this?" I ask, sighing a bit dramatically. I don't get where all of Espio's self depreciation comes from. Yeah, his cousin beat him up a few times, but that shouldn't have ruined his life like this! One bastard shouldn't make Esp feel like nobody in the world is ever gonna care for him.

When Espio doesn't say anything to me, I throw caution to the wind and spontaneously pull him in for a quick hug. Espio's amber eyes widen in surprise, but he doesn't try and get away from me. I give him a tight squeeze before stepping away, telling him, "Yer always gonna have me as a friend, y'know. Nothin' is ever gonna change between us. I'll always be here for ya no matter what happens. Actually try and remember that this time, alright? Now let's go do some shoppin'!"

Espio nods and the two of us walk side by side to the mall. Unfortunately, part of what I just told Espio is not at all true. Things are gonna change between us whether I want them to or not.

* * *

_Looks like something is going to happen between Vector and Esp soon! Who do you think will make the first move? Review please! :)  
_


	47. Shopping Strains

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you there. Vector seems to be more dominant. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**BowserRoy: That's okay about not reviewing! I'm glad you're back though. :3 Were you able to get your computer fixed? It's a pain when they don't work. I'm so glad you liked the Halloween chapter! Lol, so do you like and dislike Amy then? I find her annoying at times like Vector. Thanks for catching up on this! ^^  
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**Mormar1: Me too, I can totally picture Vector with a nosebleed! And you're right, a lot of things seem to go wrong for these two. Thank you for the review!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Very awkward, yeah. xD Mhm, I'd say it's out in the open that Vector likes Esp to say the least. Thanks for the review. ^^  
**

**Guest: You're right, Espio is pretty skittish in general. Do you think he'd run away if Vector tried to make a move on him? ;P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alicia: They're going to have a little party for Charmy. :) And hm, I dunno. Thanks for the review!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Vector always manages to redeem himself even if he ticks Esp off a lot. And yeah! He better hurry up and make the first move or else they'll just have secret crushes on each other for forever! Secret crushes are the worst. =/ I hope your exams went okay and I can't wait to talk to you!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Good luck on your final! I'm sure you did well.  
**

**PreyasRules: Wow! Thank you so much for all the nice compliments. I'm so happy that this is your favorite yaoi fic. :) There will definitely be lemons later on, so please keep on reading! It's great to hear that you've read the whole fic twice. You're flattering me. xD Thanks a ton for the review!  
**

**Ersiffa Narman: Hehe, they better kiss soon, right? xP Seems like Vector wants to do a lot more than just kiss Esp though, lol. I definitely agree that he's the one doing the most crushing. xD *sends you some Twix bars for being so awesome* Aw, you don't have to thank me! Thank you for reading!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Woo, I'm so glad to hear that this was one of your favorite chapters again! *dances around* It was fun to write with all the funny parts, especially Vector spying on Esp in the shower! I think I'd have had a heart attack if I was Esp. I feel bad for him too thinking that he's worth nothing and all that. Vector needs to help build his self esteem back up, doesn't he? I get that way too sometimes, so I definitely know where you're coming from with your story ideas. I'm sure you'll think up something for the next chapter though. You're a great author! Ooo, a Vecpio two shot sounds awesome. xD Hehe, I'm a crazy person with too many ideas! Thanks for the great review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yay! I'm so glad that you're feeling normal now. I'm the same way, it always takes me a few days before I can tell if I'm completely better or not. That's a good prediction about Vector making the first move. Do you think he seems more dominant? Hehe, maybe I should watch some movies. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, so true - if you hear the water running in the bathroom, the shower is obviously turned on. I'm glad you liked the nosebleed part. xD I actually had a bloody nose while I was writing it. How weird! I seem to get them a lot. Ooo, that's a good prediction. Esp seems like the type who would need to think things through. Yay! I hope you don't get bored with all the chapters. xP And hm...Vector does seem like the type to try and push Espio into having sex with him. Want me to tell you whether or not you're right about them being a couple or not at that point in the story? I love giving hints/spoilers for some reason, so if you ever want any, just let me know. Hope you like this chappie!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXVII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio and I reach the mall in a matter of steps and I politely dash ahead to open the door for him. Esp gives me a slightly amused smile, probably findin' it funny that I'm trying to act like a gentleman towards him. I hope my antics will get him to cheer up a bit. Guess that evil cousin of his did more damage to the sensitive chameleon than I might have guessed. A lot of random topics remind Espio of him and those in turn make Esp fall back into a pit of depression. I wonder how the poor guy survived before he met me. It takes a lot of effort on my part to get him out of his strange funks.

"Thank you, Vector," Espio tells me politely, that small smile still playing around his lips as he walks through the door I just pulled open for him.

"Anything for yeh, Esp," I reply wholeheartedly before following him inside the mall. I walk close to Espio for both his sake and my own. Espio hates crowds and might take comfort from my close presence. I also walk close to Espio fer no other reason than because I simply want to.

The mall is surprisingly busy for this time of year. It ain't Christmas yet, so I don't get why hedgehogs, cats, and bats surround us at pretty much every angle. The mall is a river of vibrant colors and loud noises. I don't mind crowds too much. I can just push my way right on through 'em. People always seem ta get out of the way when they see a big ol' croc coming through. Poor Esp seems kinda uncomfortable though. He takes a step closer to me so that our sides are almost touching and I notice him glancing this way and that as if the whole world is out to get him.

"Do ya have any place in mind for where to shop for Charmy's birthday presents?" I ask in a rather loud tone to be heard over the crowd.

"Well, there is a toy store on the upper level of the mall," Espio says in his even tone, forcin' me to turn my music down in order to hear him in this chaos. Pointing to the escalator up ahead, Espio starts towards it and says, "The store is right up there to our left. Let's go."

I nod and tag along behind Espio as he cuts straight through the crowd and makes his way to the escalator. The two of us step onto it and start the ascent to the upper level of the mall. This mall is on the ginormous side. There are probably close to a hundred shops in it. If I was here all alone, I'd probably get lost. 'Course, I rarely go to the mall because I never have any extra dough to spend. It seems like I'm always scrapin' for money to pay the apartment bills with these days. Team Chaotix isn't gaining popularity very quickly.

When we reach the upper floor of the mall, a sweet aroma fills my nostrils. I come to a halt and close my eyes while I inhale the delectable scent. Espio doesn't realize I've stopped and keeps walking. He notices my absence after a few seconds and backtracks to where I'm standing. Folding his arms, he taps his foot on the floor and gives me an annoyed look.

Popping my eyes back open, I smile sheepishly and ask, "Say, Esp, what do yeh think about stoppin' for some of those delicious smelling pretzels over there? I'm starving!"

"I'm sure you ate breakfast before you arrived at my house," Espio frowns. "This trip to the mall is for Charmy. It's not about us. If you want to get a pretzel, then fine, but I'm going to the toy shop."

With that said, Espio turns on his heel and starts towards the toy shop, apparently willin' to leave me behind. After sending the pretzel shop one more longing look, I roll my eyes and hurry along to catch up with Esp. Who would've guessed such a small, delicate looking guy could be so darn stubborn when he's on a mission?

The two of us enter the toy shop a minute later. If I thought the rest of the mall was crowded, then this shop is suffocating. People are everywhere! Esp and I can barely move without knockin' into someone or something. I turn up my music so I don't have to listen to the loud chatter pulsing throughout the store. Espio doesn't have headphones and flinches at all the noise. Not sure where we're goin' since the store is full of hundreds upon hundreds of toys, I just sort of follow behind the chameleon and let him do the toy hunting.

Unable to help it in this thick crowd, I accidentally jam my elbow into someone on accident. Oops. I turn to apologize and find myself face-to-face with one of the store workers. Damn. Figures I would knock into a store worker out of everyone here, huh? I open my big mouth to apologize, but the store worker is already speakin'.

"Hello there," the friendly female gerbil with shoulder length brown hair and matching brown eyes greets Espio and myself. I blink at her in surprise. Why's she not mad at me for smashin' into her? The gerbil goes on to apologize, "I'm sorry it's so busy in here. I guess this store is really gaining popularity! Is there anything I can help you look for?"

Figuring that Espio, who never likes to raise his voice, won't want to answer the gerbil, I take the initiative and reply for the both of us, "Nah, we're good. We're just browsing for a birthday present for Charmy. He's turnin' seven in just two weeks and we wanna make it a special occasion."

"That's very exciting!" the gerbil exclaims in her bubbly manner. "Seven years is a very fun age for your child to be. You two must be very happy parents."

Whoops, she just insulted Esp in probably the worst way possible. Chewing on my tongue and not even noticin' the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, I turn and glance over at Espio to see how he's reacting. It's obvious that the gerbil thinks Espio is Charmy's mother and I'm Charmy's father. No one in their right mind would think a tough croc like me might be a woman!

After a long, thick silence, Espio replies in a deadly even voice, "I'm not female."

At hearing his low voice, the gerbil takes a step backwards as she realizes her mistake. Her cheeks flush and she quickly apologizes, "Oh, I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"No hard feelings," Espio says in that very even voice. He doesn't look mad on the outside besides for the flames glowing in his eyes, but I know that under those shiny scales of his, he's fuming. The damage has been done.

As soon as the gerbil turns back to her work, Espio grabs my wrist in a very tight grip and literally hauls me through the thick crowd and out of the toy shop. Apparently, he's been too insulted to stay in that store another moment. I have to admit I kinda found the situation funny and sort of cute, but I know it was more annoying and insulting than anything for Esp. Once we're out of the toy store, I send him a wary look, unsure how to gauge his mood.

"Vector, you and are are going to shop separately from here on out," Espio says, his cheeks flushing slightly as he adds defiantly, "That way, no one can mistake my gender."

"Aw, but Esp..." I start to protest, not wantin' to shop all alone. That's no fun. The only reason I'm on this shoppin' trip is to see Espio!

"No buts," Espio replies firmly. I frown at the floor sadly, thinkin' that I might as well have just stayed home if Esp isn't gonna spend any more time with me on this trip. Espio notices my sad look and apparently feels sorry for me because his expression relaxes and he sighs melodramatically before adding, "How about we meet up in a half hour and then we'll go to any food place you would like to go to?"

"Ya really mean it?" I ask, eyes lighting up at the thought of my two favorite things - food and Espio. When my little friend nods, I grin over at him and say, "It sounds like a plan!"

I'm no longer so reluctant when Espio and I part ways. Unfortunately, it's only after we've separated that I realize I have no idea where to go to shop for Charmy and I also have no idea where I'm gonna meet Espio later. Crap. Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to worry about it later because at this point, Espio is long gone.

Since I dunno where anything is located in this mall except for the pretzel shop since it smell is so strong and tempting, I decide to browse. I could go back to the toy shop, but even though I'm not claustrophobic like Esp, I don't really like the large crowds. With nothin' better to do, I just start walking along and glancing over the names of stores as I pass 'em. If one looks interesting, I'll stop inside the store. Nothing seems too interesting yet though. All I've passed so far are a few shops relating to feminine stuff. There's a makeup shop, a shop with way too much perfume for sale, and a shop selling lingerie. Uh, I don't think I need to go to any of those shops for Charmy.

After a few minutes of no luck, I find a store with a blinking red sign above it. It says "Video Games, Music, Movies, & More". Hm, that sounds promising! I head towards the shop and stride through the door. Just a quick look around tells me that this is my kind of place! Anything digital or that has to do with music makes me feel right at home. I should go look for a present for Charmy, but the isle marked CDs are calling my name. Deciding to look at presents later, I give into temptation and check out the CDs.

I end up findin' a lot of music I like, but none of it is on sale or marked down. Go figure. I guess that maybe that's a good thing though. At least I won't end up spendin' all my money on a bunch of CDs. 'Course, I really could use some new CDs right now...  
_  
Vector, stop bein' so selfish_, I chide myself._ Yer here to shop for Charmy's birthday present, not for yerself!_

Trying to keep this thought in mind, I pull myself away from the CD isle and search around for the video games. I find them not too much later. Luckily for me, there's a bin of marked down video games. I go straight to the bin and start sortin' through the games as I look for sumthin' that looks fun and cheap.

Ten minutes later, I've found the perfect game for Charmy. Yeh have to collect gemstones in it and defeat enemies along the way. Charmy's gonna love this present! Feeling pretty happy with myself for accomplishing my mission of finding a cheap, fun game, I proceed to the checkout area and pay cash for the game. Unfortunately, I'm left with only five bucks. Geez, I really am poor.

Deciding to worry about money later and about Espio instead right now, I exit the shop triumphantly and glance around for any sign of a purple chameleon. Unfortunately, no chameleon is anywhere to be seen. Oh well, Esp has to be around here somewhere, right? Still feeling optimistic, I figure that if I just start walkin' around, I'll find Esp sooner or later. It's not like he disappeared or anything.

An hour later, I'm not feeling nearly so confident. I've been wandering around the mall for what seems like forever and haven't seen any sign of Espio. Where could he be? It's like he's purposely avoiding me! At wit's end, I decide to try the lower floor of the mall and descend down the escalator.

It's another thirty minutes later when I get careless and accidentally knock into another person. I look down to apologize and find a flustered, familiar reptile standing before me. A big grin splits across my face and I'm really tempted to grab Espio and toss him into the air excitedly as I exclaim, "Esp! I found ya!"

"No, Vector, I think_ I_ found _you_," Espio points out wryly. "It didn't seem like you were paying any attention to where you were going."

"Uh, well..." I trail off, knowing deep inside that Espio is right. Figuring that now might be a very good time to change the subject, I say, "So did yeh get a present for Charmy?"

"I did," Espio nods, pointing to a little bag slung over his wrist with the big cuff. Raising an eyebrow at me, Espio asks, "Have you decided where you would like to go for a food stop?"

"Hm, good question!" I reply, already excited at the thought of food. I glance around myself, not particularly wanting to tromp all the way back upstairs to the pretzel shop. Call me lazy if ya like, but I've been wanderin' around this place all afternoon and my legs are tired. Thankfully, there's a smoothie shop to our right. Eyes lighting up at the convenient location, I point at the shop and suggest to Esp, "How about we go and get a smoothie?"

"Alright," Espio resigns. "I suppose they might have a healthy fruit smoothie of some sort."

"It's always about health with you, isn't it?" I roll my eyes at my buddy as the two of us enter the smoothie shop. It's not nearly as crowded in here as it was in the toy shop.

"I just want to keep my body clean," Espio replies tightly, no amusement in his face.

The two of us approach the counter where yer suppose to order yer smoothies and glance up at the list of different smoothies and their prices written on a chalkboard hangin' on the wall. The pina colada smoothie is sounding real good to me. Esp has his eyes on a strawberry smoothie.

"I think I want a pina colada," I tell Espio, feeling my stomach growl at the thought.

"Have you seen how pricy these drinks are?" Espio asks me, dubiously glancing at the prices written on the chalkboard. I've been too concerned lookin' at the different drink types to pay any attention to the price. I follow Espio's gaze and notice that he's right. The smoothies are real expensive. Frowning, Espio adds, "I think we only have enough money for one."

Sighing, I know that Esp is right. I wouldn't typical give in to something like this, but since Esp has had a rough day, I offer, "Alright, we'll get one smoothie and share it. You can pick the flavor."

"Really?" Espio asks, tilting his face up to look at me in surprise. "You would do that for me?"

"'Course I would," I reply firmly, giving Esp a smile. "We're buddies. We can share a drink, right?"

"I suppose so," Esp nods before returning my smile and adding, "Thank you."

"Yer welcome," I reply. Truth be told, Espio's smile makes me even happier than a smoothie.

* * *

_Getting a smoothie should be a simple thing, but who thinks that there's going to be trouble in the next chapter for Vector and Espio? Review please! :)  
_


	48. Cryptic Secrets

**Saints-Fan-12: Omg, that would be so awkward if Vanilla came along and asked if Esp and Vector were on a date together since Vanilla and Vector are still supposed to be dating. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**BowserRoy: Oh god, that sounds horrible about your computer! I could never put up with a computer like that. I'd probably throw it against the wall and then regret it. xP Is your computer really old or something? Oh wait, so Amy is your favorite character from the Sonic games or did I read that wrong? xP I think she's okay, I guess. It depends on what she's doing, haha. I actually love Vector's voice, but that's just me. I don't know how anyone could not love Espio. The arrogance thing doesn't seem to fit him that much so I sort of toned it down a bit in this story. Did you notice that? xD Heh, I agree with you about Bryce. He's not gone for good yet! If I wasn't updating all the time, I'd be too lazy to log in too. xD Feel free to talk as much as you want! I love long reviews!  
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**Mormar1: Vector and Espio sharing a smoothie is definitely cute! Well, you'll get to figure out what bad thing is going to happen to them in this chapter! Let me know what you think of it.  
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**Vulpette: Omg, that is exactly what I was thinking when I was describing Charmy's video game. I guess I've been playing too much Sonic! I love that Lady and the Tramp spaghetti moment. xD I should write something similar to that into this fic maybe. Hehe, yes, there is always trouble when it comes to Esp and Vector! Hope you like this chapter. :)  
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**Guest: That's definitely likely. Espio is a bit girlish with his pinkish-purple scales, don't you think? Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Alicia: Ikr? Vector causes trouble wherever he goes! Thanks for the review!  
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**gamerprincess13: Good prediction there. Something bad will definitely happen! Aw, thanks for putting this on your favorites list. It means a lot to me! I wasn't sure if you were still reading this or not. xD How do I update fast? Well, basically, I have no life and spend my entire weekends writing and doing nothing else. ;P Thank you for the nice review!  
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**ShadowChaotix: You've gotta admit that Esp makes a good mother. xD Yeah, Vector needs to just lean over and give him a big smooch or something. Esp would definitely like it! And I know, Esp's death stare is frightening. *shudders* I can't believe this is our last day to talk! D;  
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**LuluCalliope: Awesome! I'm sure you'll do great on the rest of your exams. And lol, exactly! Smoothies are disasters waiting to happen. Thanks for reading!  
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**PreyasRules: I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! That's a good prediction about Vector's snout. It is kind of prone to getting in the way. Yay for lemons! I'll probably never write a fic without lemons. xD Bryce is a total bastard! I figured that you're an Espio fangirl. What makes him your favorite? I'm a Jet fangirl, but I adore Espio and Vector as a couple. Hehe, talk all you like! I love reviews. :)  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Yay for romantic situations! I bet you're starting to wonder if Esp and Vector are ever going to kiss, right? Well, I dunno if Esp would like it if Vector got his hands all over him, but I'm sure Vector would enjoy every second of it. 3 Ugh, I absolutely hate finals. I had mine last week and they were hell. Good luck with the rest of yours and here's more Twix! *sends you more Twix bars* Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: It was awfully nice of Vector to buy a smoothie for him and Espio to share. :) Something will definitely go wrong because Espio and Vector are trouble magnets! Hehe, yes, it was really embarrassing for Espio to be mistaken for a girl. He didn't like that so much! I'm glad to hear that you're working on the idea for the two-shot. It's going to be awesome, I can just tell! Thanks for the great review! :D  
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**zgirl16: Yay, you're back! :) You're right - there's definitely going to be trouble! It's okay, I understand about being busy this time of year. Are you on winter break yet? I hope so!  
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**Chibi-Guest: I agree about Vector being dominant. He's just so big and pushy, you know? Hehe, I can see the two of them sharing a smoothie too. It's a cute scene! Good luck on the puzzle! I know you can do it. I enjoy anything funny too. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, I'll admit that the first time I saw Espio, it was at a distance and I automatically assumed he was a girl until I heard his voice. xD The purple scales sort of give off that feminine look, you know? I had another nose bleed today! I think Vector is cursing me with nose bleeds for writing that last chapter, lol. Woohoo for questions! :D To answer your question, yes, they will be a couple by then. :) I prefer long stories as well! I think they're more meaningful and can get you more interested in the characters than short stories can. I'll always try to update daily, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for updates. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXVIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio orders his strawberry smoothie and then the two of us go to look around for an empty table. Although the smoothie cost a lot, it's really big. There's one straw in it, so Esp and I are gonna have to share the straw. How come that makes a tingle of excitement run through me? Sharin' a straw with Esp really isn't all that big of a deal. Guess everything about the little chameleon excites me these days. I feel a jolt of guilt rip through me. I've gotta get a hold on myself before this gets outta hand.

The two of us find a table in middle of the room to sit at. It's a small table with two chairs placed on opposite sides of it. The flooring in here is made up of black and white checkered tiles. It's a nice place and it's pretty clean. Esp probably appreciates that although I really don't give a damn if there's garbage on the floor or not.

To be polite, I let Esp take the first sip of the smoothie while I glance around the smoothie shop. More people have left since we arrived and we're the only two left in the shop at the moment. Not like I mind that or anything though. 'Course I prefer to be left alone with Espio although it gives me bad ideas sometimes.

"This is actually quite good," Espio cuts through my thoughts as he pushes the smoothie towards me and delicately pats his mouth with a napkin.

Eager to try the smoothie, I grab the glass quickly and pull it across the table. After taking a loud slurp of it, I've gotta admit that I agree with Esp! For bein' a fruit smoothie and not a sugary one, this ain't bad at all! Telling myself not to be greedy and take more than my share, I push the smoothie back towards Espio. I try not to stare as he carefully sucks through the straw, but my eyes seem to be glued on the purple reptile. Luckily, Espio hasn't noticed yet and isn't blushing under my intense gaze.

"Say, do ya think I could see what yeh bought Charmy?" I ask, leaning across the table to try and steal a glance in Espio's shopping bag.

Espio jerks his head up while I'm leading forwards and my snout ends up bumping into his nose. We both blush brightly and pull back. Argh, why do I have to be so clumsy and bang into things all the time? I open my mouth to apologize, but Espio has already slid his shopping bag to my side of the table with no comment. Curious to see what he bought Charmy, I turn it upsi-down and dump the contents of the bag onto the table. A pair of small white socks falls onto the black surface.

"Er, socks?" I ask, giving Espio a dubious look.

"Yes, why not?" Espio replies, sending me a defiant stare. "Charmy has holes in his old ones and they're much too small for him."

"Alright," I reply, still not completely sold on the whole socks for a birthday present concept. If I got socks for my birthday, I'd be real disappointed. 'Course, the only thing I really need for my birthday is Espio. Heh, wouldn't he look cute all tied up as a present? Wait, that didn't come out right. I'm gonna draw the line and not think about this any more.

"What did _you _get him, Vector?" Espio asks as he glances contemptuously at my shopping bag.

"Just some cheap video game I found at the electronics store," I reply, tuggin' the game out of the bag and handing it across the table to him. Espio takes a look at it and appears kinda jealous. He sends me a curt nod and then hands it right on back to me with no comment.

Taking the game back, I tuck it into my shopping bag once more as the two of us continue lapsing into silence. I'm not bored or anything though. I could watch Esp sit and suck at his drink all day long and never get tired of it. I can't seem to help the fact that I've fallen helplessly in love with the chameleon. Nothin' is going to be able to stop my feelings for him at this point.

Just in case Espio thinks the silence is getting awkward, I watch a familiar hedgehog stomp into the smoothie shop while I ask, "Isn't this kinda nice for somethin' different, Esp?"

Espio hesitates, clearly not wanting to admit that I'm right about something like this. However, after a moment's pause, he resigns and nods, "Yes, I suppose it's nicer than I imagined it to be."

I nod absentmindedly, my eyes now locked onto the grumpy looking hedgehog as he orders a drink. There's something very familiar about him although I can't seem to figure out where I recognize him from. After wracking my brains, I finally come up with the answer I'm lookin' for a few minutes later. This is the hedgehog that yelled at Espio for spillin' his drink at the cafe that one time while I was on my date with Miss Vanilla. I remember it clearly now. Recalling how I wanted to beat the hedgehog up last time, I keep a close watch on him as he sidles across the room.

Suddenly, the hedgehog glances over in our direction and seems to recognize me. A malicious grin suddenly crosses his face, and without any warning, he kicks the leg of Espio's wobbly chair as hard as he can before dodging out of the way and acting like nothin' happened. Espio is so light that he can't keep his chair from tipping over. Both chair and chameleon end up on the floor.

I'm immediately on my feet to go and help Esp, my blood boiling at the hedgehog who had the nerve to pick on my friend. He's gonna get it later, but first I need to make sure my buddy is alright first. Hurrying around the table, I find Espio on his back with his legs parted slightly. Blinking dazedly, he tries to prop himself up on his elbow.

"Are ya alright?" I ask Espio in concern, immediately leaning down and extending a hand to him, but not before something else catches my eye.

Yeah, I know staring is rude. We all learn that at a young age, but I can't help but stare at what I'm seein' right now I've never looked at Espio's inner thighs before, but looking at them for the first time, I see what a damn mess they are. If I thought his wrists were bad...well, those marks are nothing compared to these. Little white spiderweb lines criss-cross all over the chameleon. The faded scars are everywhere and they seem to increase in number as you look up his leg. I force myself not look in that direction any further, but I bet that even Espio's privates are scarred.

"Esp," I breath, knowing for certain that he's keeping something from me. "What the hell happened?"

Not seeming to notice what I'm looking at, Espio waves me off, still looking a bit dazed as he replies in his usual calm voice, "It's nothing, Vector. It was only a little fall. I'm just fine."

"I'm not talking about the fall! I'm talking about yer legs. Did yer cousin do that too?" I ask dubiously as I reach on and brush a hand against the marred flesh.

"W-what?" Espio stammers, jerking back from me as if he's afraid I'm going to hurt him. He gets to his feet as quickly as he can and gives me nervous look as adds, "I'm f-fine."

"Yer certainly _not _'fine'!" I snap, angry that Espio is still keeping secrets from me. I've been nothin' but a true and loyal friend to him. Why can't he just learn to trust me and tell me everything? Not realizing that I'm shouting, I continue on, "Why won't ya just tell me what happened? We've been over this a thousand times and-"

Espio closes his eyes tightly and interrupts me in a quiet voice, "I...I can't deal with this."

I blink, and in that instant, Espio dashes out of the shop and disappears from view. When I open my eyes, he's nowhere to be seen. I curse at my stupidity and glance around the shop for him although I'm positive that he's not still here. Just as I guessed, there's no sign of the tiny chameleon anywhere. I've lost him.

"Dammit," I hiss, glancing around myself for the crabby hedgehog who is the real source of my problems. If he hadn't barged in here and had the nerve to kick over Espio's chair, none of this ever would have happened! 'Course, the hedgehog is nowhere to be seen. I'm left all alone with nobody to take my aggression out on.

Growling under my breath, I don't bother to finish the smoothie. My stomach twists and churns within me and I really just wanna know whether or not Espio is alright. He's gonna be on my mind until the next time I speak to him. I hope he's not too mad. Ya never know with Esp. Sometimes he gets real upset and blocks himself off from me for weeks and other times he gets over in it a day or two. I'm definitely hopin' that this is only gonna take him a day or two to get over.

As I exit the mall, I realize that it's four long days until Charmy's birthday. That means that I'm probably gonna have to wait four whole days to see Espio again. How come that seems like an eternity to me? Shaking my head as I walk along, I find myself thinkin' about Esp and his secrets.  
_  
I don't wanna hurt ya, Esp. I would never ever hurt yeh_, I think to myself as I tromp along. _ All I wanna do is help. Nothin' more. But yer obviously keeping sumthin' from me and it's killing me not to know what it is. If ya tell me, I'll listen and then I'll try ta help or comfort yeh. I love ya, Esp. I love ya more than anything. Why can't ya just accept me?_

With these thoughts spinning through my mind, I head home to my dingy little apartment room. On my way through the lobby, the annoying female hedgehog who always seems to be skulking about reminds me that my monthly payment is due soon. I groan inwardly and give her a nasty look. The last thing I need to think about are bills right now.

I stomp up to my apartment room, taking the stairs because I'm too impatient to use the elevator. After that, I burst into my room and slam it shut behind me. I plop into bed and decide to take a nap. Surprisingly enough, I end up sleepin' through the whole night.

Just as I expected, I have absolutely no contact with Espio over the next four days. I don't get to talk to him or see him at all. My heart aches for the chameleon, but I try to repress my feelings. I'm actin' like a lovesick schoolgirl, not a touch croc! What the hell is wrong with me?

Finally, Saturday comes around and it's Charmy's birthday. I've still not had any contact with Espio and I dunno if I'm welcome at the birthday party anymore or not. I should be, but ya never know with Esp. I feel real bad about scarin' him off at the smoothie shop, but am I really to blame for that? If it's anyone's fault, it was the damn hedgehog's fault! If I ever run into him again, he'd better be ready to run for it!

Not sure if I can just show up at Espio's house with Charmy's birthday present or not, I sit on my bed and think about my options. Either I show up or I don't go at all and see if Esp misses me or not and gives me a call. Knowing Esp, I'd say he probably won't call me. If that happens, I'll end up missin' the whole birthday party! Just showing up at Espio's door doesn't seem too polite though. Are there any other options here?

Suddenly, a light bulb goes off in my head and I come up with a perfect idea. Why don't I just give Espio a call and see how he's doing? If he's in a good enough mood, I'll ask him if I can drop by in a few minutes to celebrate Charmy's birthday with him and the bee. After all, if I don't give him a call now, I'll end up missin' the party! It's already late afternoon.

Mind made up, I tromp over to the telephone and pick it up before resolutely dialing the familiar digits into the phone. After that, I bring the device to my ear, half-heartedly turn my music down a few notches, and then sit and wait for Espio or Charmy to answer the phone, preferably Espio.

"Hello," a pleasant voice sounds from the opposite end of the phone. Phew, Esp doesn't sound too mad.

"Hey, Esp," I reply, hoping his mood won't change when he realizes it's me on the phone. "I was wonderin' if I could stop by for Charmy's birthday party."

"Oh, of course," Espio replies immediately, his voice still level and more pleasant than unpleasant. He seems to have forgiven me for the smoothie shop incident. Going on, Espio adds, "I was wondering if or when you were going to show up."

"I'm comin' over right now!" I reassure him before hesitating, unsure if I should bring the mall situation up or not. Feeling like I owe my buddy an apology, I say awkwardly, "I'm real sorry about the other day, Esp. I didn't mean to upset yeh or anything..."

"It's alright. I wasn't upset at you," Espio sighs before hesitating and going on in a rush, "Vector, I was hurt very badly a while ago. It didn't happen once, but over and over again instead. I'm physically scarred, but what's worse are the emotional scars. I get upset over these things sometimes, but know that I'm not necessarily upset at you."

I try to process this vague information and basically get out of it that Espio isn't mad at me any longer. Sighing with relief, I say, "Well, as long as yer not mad at me, it's all good. Yer sure ya don't wanna talk about anything?"

"No, some things I can face alone," Espio replies, his voice suddenly sounding sad. He quickly changes that though and adds, "Hurry over. Charmy misses you."

"I'm on my way! I'll be there in just a sec," I promise Esp before hanging up the phone and hurrying to the doorway. As I go, I can't help but wonder if it's Charmy who misses me or a certain someone else.

* * *

_Hm, it seems like Espio and Vector aren't making too much progress in their relationship yet. =/ If it is Vector who decides to make the first move, what do you think he'll do to show or tell Espio that he's in love with him? Review please! :)  
_


	49. Facing Facts

**Saints-Fan-12: Hm...I think you're right. It will be sweet. :) Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**BowserRoy: Yay, I'm so glad you're still loving the story! It really makes my day to hear that, especially how you have it in your favorites. Thanks so much! Hm, your laptop really shouldn't be messing up already then! =/ I have a favorite girl characters list too, so that's awesome that you also have one. Who's number one on your list? Mhm, I toned down the arrogance thing a bit although I guess Esp kind of looked down on Vector and thought he was stupid when they first met. xD Hehe, it's awesome to be a ninja! Ninjas ftw! Bryce will enter the story, but it probably won't be until sixty chapters from now or so, lol. Well, I don't think you talk too little or too much. I really enjoy our conversations here. :3 Ooo, good question. My favorite game is Sonic Riders and then Sonic Heroes. Do you like those games? Here's the update with Charmy's birthday!  
**

**Mormar1: Aw, that would be so adorable if Vector kissed Esp and then ran away before Esp could respond to him! Good prediction! Let me know what you think of this chapter. ^^  
**

**Guest: Lol, yeah, I could see Vector being all obnoxious about it and scaring Espio off for good! xD I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: You'll find out what he does if he ever decides to admit his feelings to Esp (dunno if that's ever going to happen though). ;P Thanks for the review!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Yes, Vector needs to make his move soon! He's being so slow about the whole thing. Hurry up, Vector! Nobody can face things alone, certainly not rape and all that. Esp needs Vector. I agree, but we both know Charmy is like his adopted kid, hehe. Thanks for reading!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Yay, that is so awesome! Great job with your exams. ^^ Thanks for liking the chapter! That's still so awesome that you got the position. I'm so happy for you. :) Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: Aw, I'm gonna miss you when you go to New Zealand! You'll come back and catch up on the chapters though, won't you? Please? ^^ I hope you have a nice time on your trip though. I've never been on a road trip like that before. I think Shadow and Espio were my first favorite characters before I discovered some of the other ones. Espio is pretty sexy, I agree, I mean who doesn't like him?! I'm glad you loved the chapter! They totally had a butterfly kiss, hehe. You were right about that! Hm, maybe the hedgehog is related to Bryce! I'll give you a spoiler and say that Bryce has two very close buddies who are a LOT like him. No need to apology, your spelling is just fine. :) Don't worry, not all of Esp is scarred...just his thighs and wrists. Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: I know, right? Who does that damn hedgehog think he is? *shakes fist at hedgehog* That's a good prediction about Vector kissing Espio. ^^ And yeah, poor Esp is having a break down. He needs Vector to take him into his arms, hold him close, and tell him that everything will be okay...and, er, I'm blabbing here, aren't I? Anyway, thanks for pointing out that error! I just fixed it. ^^ I'm glad you're done with your exams now. *throws you a party* Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I dunno who that hedgehog thinks he is! Isn't that so rude knocking into someone's chair like that? I've had a few experiences like that and they were awful! Hehe, yeah, hopefully Vector can get revenge on him sometime soon. That hedgehog deserves it! Poor Esp running out of the mall. =/ He seems to be having lots of bad experiences in that place! You like milk shakes? Cool! Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Guest: Yes, poor Espio. D: He's had an awful life. Hehe, I guess Vector is like a little fanboy following him around and drooling over him all the time, huh? xD I actually considered writing Espio toying with Vector a bit more, but I don't think that's something Espio would do considering the fact that he's so skittish, you know? Well, I decided to take your request into mind, so here's a chapter in Esp's POV! ^^  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I'm glad you liked the chapter! Espio really should tell him, but we all know how stubborn he can be at times! Yup and I had another nosebleed again today. Hm. xD I get them a lot in the winter for some reason. Great theory there! I can definitely see Vector doing that. If Espio makes the first move, what do you think he will do/say to Vector? Hope you like this chapter. :3  
**

* * *

**Chapter XXXXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I hang up the telephone feeling satisfied. At least Vector has agreed to coming over for Charmy's birthday party. Charmy has spent the entire day at Cream's house so far. I've felt a bit lonely and slighted that Charmy prefers to spend his birthday with Cream rather than with myself, but I try not to take it to heart. However, my increasing loneliness did lead me to picking up the phone and calling Vector. Charmy should arrive at the house at any moment and so should Vector. Then we can celebrate the little bee's birthday together.

I've done my best to make as nice of a birthday for Charmy as possible. There are a few handmade decorations in the living room and in the kitchen. Since we've been pressed for money lately, I had to bake a cake from scratch instead of purchasing a pre-made one at the grocery store. I wish I could do more for Charmy, but I just don't have the money to spoil him like I really want to.

I lean up against the sofa and tap my foot impatiently as I wait for Charmy and Vector to show up. My thoughts trail back to the last time I saw Vector. We left off on a rather awkward note. A rude hedgehog tipped my chair over and I ended up on the floor. It was very embarrassing to say the least and it hadn't helped that Vector had seen the scars on my inner thighs for the first time. He's suspicious that I haven't told him my whole story. Well, he's right. I can't tell him about the rape though. If I did, he would think less of me. I can't have that.

Hoping that Vector won't bring up the situation from the other day, I start pacing around the room since I can't seem to keep still. I've made some party hats and so I put one on my head while I wait. Finally, there's a loud pounding on the door. That would be Vector. Charmy couldn't knock that loudly even if he tried to.

"Come in," I call in an even voice, knowing that Vector will come in whether I tell him to or not.

Wham! The door goes flying open and Vector comes tromping in with his shopping bag slung over his arm. Knowing the carefree crocodile, I'm going to guess that he didn't even think about wrapping Charmy's present. Oh well. I don't think Charmy will care whether or not it's wrapped. He's already going to like Vector's present better than mine anyways.

"Hey there, Esp!" Vector greets me as he strides inside and dumps the shopping bag on the kitchen table. He spots the party hats and his eyes light up. Without a moment's thought, Vector grabs a party hat and throws it on top of his head before turning to me and grinning, asking, "How do I look? Real handsome, eh?"

"Sure, Vector," I reply, shaking my head in slight amusement as the croc gives me his sharp-toothed smile. He no longer intimidates me. Despite his big size and shiny teeth, I know Vector will never hurt me. Although he can be a bit daft and perhaps not understand all of my problems, I know he'll never intentionally do anything that he thinks might upset me.

"Where's the birthday boy?" Vector asks, scanning the room for Charmy before he yells, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARM!"

I think Vector has a hard time judging how loud his voice is since he practically deafens me by screaming his birthday greeting to Charmy. It's probably his raucous music's fault. Even in general, Vector tends to talk much louder than is necessary. Although I don't mind that, his screaming is enough to pop my eardrums.

"Charmy isn't here yet," I explain to Vector as I go back to leaning against the couch, keeping an eye on Vector to make sure he doesn't get into the cake or something he shouldn't be getting into. "He's been spending the afternoon at Cream's house, but he should be here at any minute."

"Oh really?" Vector asks, immediately raising an eyebrow at me. I nod, already able to tell that he's up to no good. Vector sidles up to me and smirks in my face, making my body grow warm and flustered as I notice the minimal amount of space between us.

"What is it?" I question, trying to step backwards although I find that the sofa is in my way. Damn.

"Well, a certain chameleon told me earlier that Charmy was missin' me and wanted me here for his birthday. Turns out that Charmy ain't even here yet," Vector points out triumphantly, making my cheeks go from pink to red in embarrassment. Leaning in close to me so that I can feel his warm breath all over my face and neck, Vector goes on, "Could it be that the chameleon was missin' me instead?"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," I stammer, purposefully looking at the floor. Vector loves making me uncomfortable and he also loves teasing me. I don't think he really likes me as more than a friend though, so I don't see why he has to pretend that I might feel that way towards him. It makes me feel all tangled up instead because I don't know my true feelings for Vector anymore. All I know is that when I'm this close to him, my breath gets caught in my throat, my pulse races, and a strange warmth races through my body.

"Oh, Esp, do ya really have to fake it?" Vector asks, almost sounding sad for a moment as he reaches down and presses a finger under my chin. Forcing my chin up so I have to meet his gaze, Vector almost pleads, "Can't ya just say that yeh missed me? It's nice ta feel wanted sometimes. I don't have any real family 'sides from Charmy and yerself."

Surprised by Vector's suddenly mood change, I keep looking up at him despite the fact that Vector has dropped his finger from underneath my chin now. He doesn't seem like he's teasing me anymore. I wonder if...no. Just because Vector is being serious doesn't mean he has true feelings for me. Sometimes I wish Vector wasn't so much of a joker because then he wouldn't be so hard to figure out. He probably thinks _I'm _hard to figure out, but I personally think he's much more difficult to read. Our personalities are opposites, which makes it hard for me to know what Vector's true intentions are most of the time. Right now would be a good example of that.

Deciding to take the lead from Vector, I decide to be truthful and say in a serious tone of voice, "I did miss you. I get lonely living all alone here at times."

"I get lonely too," Vector says, his voice a few notches lower than usual. He leans closer to me and I feel the soft tickle of his warm breath against my neck. Searching my amber eyes imploringly, Vector goes on, "There are days when I don't see ya or talk to ya at all and I just feel like somethin' is missing in my life. Tell me if ya feel the same way, Esp."

Vector...misses me? I know he spends a lot of time by himself at the apartment he lives in, but I would assume that he spends his days missing Vanilla, not me. Suddenly, the words pop out of my mouth before I've even planned on saying them. In a tone of voice that matches Vector's, I whisper, "I do feel the same way."

My pulse starts racing and I suddenly know what I want. All thoughts of staying out of relationships fizzle out of my head. Looking up into Vector's face right now, all I can feel is longing. Vector is always there for me no matter what. Even when he's annoying, he always cares. I want to show him how much I appreciate his care, but I find that my appreciation has come in a peculiar form. Vector has earned my love and right now I wouldn't mind it he kissed me.

I've never been kissed properly before. Bryce always used to slam his mouth against mine and force his tongue into my mouth. He never exchanged gentle, meaningful kisses with me. Of course, I'm too shy to initiate a kiss even though I want one more than anything at this moment. I want to know if there's a possibility that there may be a chance for Vector and me. However, if I can't bring myself to show him how I feel towards him, how can I ever test my hypothesis?

I do something I never thought I would do and tilt my chin up to Vector. I half-close my eyes and brush my tail ever so lightly against his side. Vector looks back at me with wide eyes, clearly not sure what to do.

_Oh, Vector, please kiss me. Show me that there's a chance for love between us. I know I love you and I'm willing to admit it now. Please show me that you love me too..._

Vector leans forwards ever so slightly, judging my reaction carefully. My heartbeats reach an almost unbearable rate and I close my eyes as I part my lips just a bit. I've made it obvious what I want. Just when I swear I feel something brush against my lips, a loud bang sounds from the opposite side of the room. Vector and I fly apart and I just about have a heart attack.

"I'm back!" a loud, hyper voice yells from the doorway as Charmy flies inside the house. "Did anyone miss me? Oh, hey Vector!"

Vector looks too caught off guard to do say at the moment. I'm just trying to keep my heart in my chest and am attempting to return my breathing to normal, which is quite a feat. The atmosphere of the previous moment is now gone and I suddenly realize that I've been acting like an idiot. Yes, I may have feelings for Vector, but I must not act on them. Why, I'm just as low as Bryce told me I was with what I just did, trying to lure Vector to me with my body.

"Um, guys?" Charmy asks dubiously, probably wondering why I'm sitting on the couch like a statue with my hand at my chest and also wondering why Vector isn't answering him. Charmy goes on, "Why do you guys look so guilty? Am I not supposed to be here so soon? Do you have a surprise for me that's not been hidden yet?"

"Er...no. No surprise. Hey there, kid. Happy birthday!" Vector says, saving me from having to say anything since I'm still working on finding my voice.

"Thanks!" Charmy replies enthusiastically as he gives his presents on the table an excited look. Turning to me, he asks, "Can I open my birthday presents now, Espio?"

I nod soundlessly and follow Charmy as he whizzes as fast as he possibly can over to the kitchen table. I'm still trying to recover from my idiotic moment from earlier. What if Charmy had come in and found Vector and myself kissing? I probably would have scarred him for life. For Charmy's sake at the very least, I must not allow myself to get into that sort of situation again.

Charmy looks between my neatly wrapped package and the shopping bag. Clearly thinking that the gift inside the wrapped package will be nicer, Charmy rips off the paper and holds the pair of socks up. His face falls and he looks quite disappointed. Frowning, he asks, "Socks?"

"They'll keep yer feet nice and toasty this winter," Vector says, giving Charmy a wink. "I've got some socks just like that myself. We can be twins when we're wearin' em."

"Oh, okay! That could be cool," Charmy grins up at Vector before reaching for his second gift.

Surprised that Vector pretended he bought the socks instead of me, I glance up at him quizzically. Vector sends me another wink and I know he's letting me take credit for the video game just to make me feel better. Charmy will obviously love the video game far more than the socks. I give him a shy smile and feel another shiver run down my spine as Vector suddenly wraps an arm around my waist and places his hand on one of my hips. Without thinking, I spontaneously lean into him.

Suddenly realizing what I've just done, I jerk myself away from Vector and frown at the floor. What is Vector doing to me? Why must I, the ever-vigilant, wary chameleon, have fallen for the happy-go-lucky, careless crocodile? It doesn't seem right. I don't know why I've fallen in love with Vector, yet, I know what my heart wants. I want him more than I've ever wanted anything before in my life. I want a second chance at love. Yes, Bryce hurt me, but I'm so tired of forcing myself into numbness and feeling nothing at all. I know without thinking too hard that Vector can create all kinds of feelings within me that I've never experienced before. Yet, I can't risk losing everything for him...can I?

"Oh boy, a new video game!" Charmy exclaims, jerking me out of my thoughts as he grins excitedly at the game. He flies over to me and throws his arms around my neck as he exclaims, "You're the best, Espio!"

I hug the little bee back and send Vector a grateful look. Vector is so very kind to me. I wish I could view him as a very good friend and not a potential lover. Unfortunately, some feelings are unstoppable. However, as unstoppable as they might be, they are still controllable. Like everything else, I will learn to control these strong emotions I have towards Vector and keep them locked inside of myself along with all my other dark secrets.

* * *

_Alright, so Espio officially has feelings for Vector! Yay! Who thinks they would have kissed if Charmy hadn't interrupted them? Review please! :)  
_


	50. Birthday Breakthroughs

**Saints-Fan-12: Ooo, really? I'm so happy you're turning into a Vecpio fan! *parties* Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**BowserRoy: Lol, at this rate, they're never going to kiss with all their constant interruptions. Do you think they'll ever kiss? xP Yeah, there aren't many girls in the Sonic games. What do you like about Blaze and Cream? Fiona is my top favorite followed by Wave. Thanks! I write long stories. The last one I wrote was 182 chapters although I didn't post it on here. Hm, Tails is alright, I think. Not my favorite though. What do you like about him? I bet we agree that Bowser is forever the best from the Mario games though. ^^ That really sucks that your Ps2 broke! I would die if my gamecube broke. No, I'm not just being dramatic. xD You know, I like Sonic 06 as well. I like Mephiles. xD What do you think of him? Big...isn't my favorite. I dunno, I don't like him or Team Rose that much. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Mormar1: It was very sweet of Vector to let Esp take credit for the video game. :) You'll see Vector's reaction to the almost kiss in this chappie!  
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**Guest: Yeah, I agree there. They definitely would have kissed. Do you think Esp will act any differently towards Vector now? I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: Ikr? Stupid Charmy! D: Thanks for the review!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, yeah, it is kinda obvious that they would have kissed. I love Charmy too although he can be such a little pain sometimes. Oh no, last review for a long time...*cries* I already miss you so much! D;  
**

**LuluCalliope: Yup, Esp has finally decided that he loves Vector, yay! ^^ I love Chaream too. It's a cute pairing. There will be a little hint of Chaream at the end of this fic. Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: I think everyone is hating Charmy after the last chapter! xD They definitely would have started making out if Charmy hadn't flown in at that moment. xP Yay, I'm glad to hear that you're going to catch up on the chapters when you get back. That's a super smart idea about saving the chapters as notes. Feel free to do that! :D I also think that scars can be sexy...but yeah, maybe not scars on Espio's thighs. -_- You're really good at predicting things, you know that? I'd say you're pretty spot on about the gang rape thing. Vector may not show up to save the day though. ...I'd better shut up before I spoil the whole thing, huh? xP I like Sonadow quite a bit as well, but I like Vecpio more. xD I'm so happy you searched Vecpio stories and decided to read this fic. Getting your reviews is a high-light of my day! Woohoo, I'm excited that I turned you into a Vecpio fangirl. That's just awesome. I can't say I like Espadow at all...sorry! Call me weird, but I support Vecpio so much that I can't see Espio with anyone besides Veccy. Oh, and I need to see some of those sexy Vecpio drawings, btw! Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: Let's hope they kiss soon! And yay, I'm glad you're out of school tomorrow. I bet you're excited for break, right? I love being on break! ^^  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Charmy totally ruined the moment! We need to send him off to Cream's house for a week or something, don't we? That should give Esp and Vector some time to get cozy. xD Woo, I love parties! You like dancing? I don't mind it, but I'm so clumsy and just end up knocking into everything, lol. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Vulpette: Hehe, I definitely think that they're tripping on hormones. xD Hm...I'd say it's going to go fabulously well and then fall apart, but if I said that, I'd probably just confuse you, so I'll just stay quiet for now. ;P Keeping Charmy in the dark will be difficult knowing Charmy. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Yeah, Charmy definitely ruined the kiss! D: Oh no, you got chased by a dog? That sounds scary to me. I hate getting chased by big animals. Ooo, good question! If someone broke in, I'd probably freak and try to find somewhere to hide while waiting for someone to rescue me, hehe. What's Soul Eater about? I haven't seen that ever.  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Charmy has a tendency to ruin the moment, doesn't he? I agree with you about Esp. It would be great if he could get over his fears and just tell Vector that he loves him. What do you bet that them not admitting the truth to each other is hurting them worse than admitting the truth would? Yay, I'm glad you think the chapters are getting better and better! Here's more!  
**

**Guest: Yeah, stupid Charmy had to ruin it! D: I hope you like this chapter. :3  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Charmy is easy to get mad at! "Moment Ruiner" is the perfect nickname for him. Yup, Espio finally admitted to himself that he likes Veccy! About time, right? That's true, Espio will probably just keep his feelings bottled up knowing Esp. I did have two nosebleeds in a row, but I didn't have one today, which was kind of a miracle, lol. Oh, and I accidentally told you something that I decided to change in the story. When Esp tells Vector about his past, they're not going to be a couple because...um...I'll have to give you another spoiler if you want to know why. xP Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter L  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Esp is definitely comin' onto me. Either that or I'm completely blind and have started seeing things. I almost kissed him. Yeah, I ain't proud of it, but the way he was lookin' at me made me feel like he was just begging for me to kiss him. He had his eyes half-shut in a seductive manner and he was leaning towards me and everything! It's probably a damn good thing Charmy interrupted us so I didn't end up doing something I'd later come to regret. Not that I would have regretted kissing the little chameleon. Esp would've freaked out though. He's such a tease. I think he has some sort of feelings for me, but he doesn't actually want me to make a move on him. He'll play along with my casual flirting, but when things go too far or if I manage to bring up a touchy subject, he immediately blocks himself off from me. It's hard to be around Espio these days and not think about how much I want him. It's all I can think about when I'm around the smaller reptile.

Charmy has already flown off towards the living room to start playing his new video game. I let Esp take the credit for the video game just because I wanna show Esp how much I really care for him. I dunno if he realizes how much I like him. I'm guessin' he knows it to some extent, but I'm no mind reader.

"Charmy, wouldn't you like some cake?" Espio calls into the living room where Charmy is settling onto the couch for a long evening of gaming.

Apparently, cake beats video gaming because Charmy whizzes off of the sofa and plops down on one of the wooden chairs at the table, cheering, "Yay! Cake!"

"I'll go dish some up for us," Espio says with a smile at Charmy's excitement. After a moment, his face falls and he hesitates as he apologizes, "I'm sorry I couldn't buy you a nice cake from the store. I had to make one from scratch. Hopefully, it won't be too painful to eat. I'm assuming you would like some cake as well, right, Vector?"

"Do ya really have to ask?" I reply teasingly before adding, "I'm sure yer cake is gonna taste just fine. Yer cookin' is always way better than the stuff they whip up at the bakery anyways. Do ya want any help in the kitchen? I can help yeh cut the cake or get the dishes or something."

"Thank you, but I'm fine. This will only take me a moment," Espio tells me before he turns the corner and starts clanking dishes around in the kitchen.

I stare after Espio, my thoughts on him again. It's like Esp and I both know we care for each other and that our feelings run deeper than that of friendship. I've been flirting with Espio enough to get my point across. I'm guessing that Espio feels the same way. He doesn't flirt like I do, but he responds to my flirting in a positive way and he tends to act almost...er...slutty around me when we're too close together. I know there are times when he's purposefully brushed his tail against me or sent me one of his sultry looks out of the corners of his eyes. I'm pretty sure Esp likes me in the same way I like him even if his feelings aren't as strong as mine. The only problem is that neither of us actually seem to be able to talk about our underlying feelings for each other. Argh. Love is so complicated.

"Earth to Vector!" Charmy suddenly shouts, jerking me out of my reverie as he waves his hand in from of my face, bringing me back to reality. Rolling his eyes, Charmy asks, "Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Er...no. Sorry, Charm. I was just thinkin' about something. What was it that yeh said?" I ask, blushing slightly at what I was thinking about.

"Let me guess. You were thinking about Espio, right?" Charmy guesses as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Wondering if it's really so obvious, I nod and ask in a lower than usual tone of voice so Espio can't hear our conversation, "Uh, yeah. How'd ya know that?"

"I dunno. I guess it was the way you were looking at him," Charmy shrugs his shoulders. "You really like Espio, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. He's a really great guy. What's not ta like?" I ask, hoping that Charmy hasn't figured out my true affections for Espio. If he has, then we're all screwed. If Espio finds out that Charmy thinks there's something goin' on between the two of us, he'll quit Team Chaotix and I'll have lost my very best buddy!

"I know, Espio is really great," Charmy nods along innocently, making me realize that I'm just jumpin' to conclusions. Charmy is too young to realize that I like Esp in a way I shouldn't. The little bee goes on in his same cheerful voice, "Espio likes you a lot too. He gets sad whenever you're gone. He used to get sad a lot more often, but not so much anymore. I've tried to get him to tell me what it is that makes him so sad, but he won't ever tell me what it is. I think if you guys spent more time together, Espio would be even happier."

"That would be nice, but I don't see how that's gonna happen," I reply, raising an eyebrow at the little bee. "Why? Did ya have something in mind?"

Charmy blushes and admits, "Well, sort of. Would you like living here with me and Espio if Espio would allow it?"

Hell yeah, I'd like livin' here with Esp and Charmy. 'Course, that might not be such a good idea since I can't seem to control myself when I'm around the smaller reptile. Still though, the idea is too good to resist, so I reply, "That would be great, kid, but ya know Espio will never allow it.

"He might if I can talk him into it," Charmy replies hopefully. "So if I talked to him about it and he said yes, would you do it?"

"Sure. Why not?" I ask, shrugging my shoulders. I know this is never gonna happen, but a guy can hope, right? Besides, if anyone has a chance of talkin' Espio into anything, it would definitely be Charmy. Espio has a certain soft spot for the bee. Even I haven't been able to find a way to get to that soft spot yet.

Espio chooses this moment to come back into the kitchen with his arms filled with dishes. On the dishes are pieces of a delicious looking cake with lots of thick, creamy icing. I can hardly keep myself from drooling as Espio patiently steps to the table and sets plates of cake in front of the three of us.

"What have you two been talking about?" Espio asks, looking at us out of the corner of his eyes.

I gulp, wondering if maybe he overheard the conversation Charmy and I were having earlier. We weren't talkin' all that loudly though, were we? I dunno anymore. Luckily, Charmy saves both of us and says, "I was just telling Vector how excited I am to play my new video game. Wow, Espio! This looks amazing! Yay, I see seven candles!"

"The cake does look super good, Esp," I chime in before my eyes light up and I exclaim, "It's time to sing the birthday song!"

Espio doesn't look too happy about singing, but he sings along with me as I belt out the happy birthday song nice and loud so Charmy knows just how much we appreciate him. Charmy must really like my singin' because he's smiling and giggling by the time I get done with the song.

"Now close your eyes, blow out the candles, and make a wish," Espio urges Charmy.

Charmy squints his eyes, takes a moment to make a wish, and then blows out all the candles after only one attempt. Espio and I both cheer and clap. Well, I mostly do the cheerin' and Espio does the clappin'. Unable to keep the question to myself because I'm a very nosy croc, I lean forwards and ask Charmy, "What did ya wish for?"

"I can't tell you that, Vector! Otherwise, it won't come true!" Charmy chastises me as he picks up his fork eagerly. "If it does come true, I'll tell you though. Wow, this cake is the best cake I've ever had!"

Needing to know if Charmy is right about the cake or not, I immediately grab my fork and shove a huge bite of cake into my mouth. Esp was nice enough to give me a way bigger piece of cake than the piece he gave Charmy. I'm happy to see that he's even decided to take a small piece for himself. As I chew, my eyes light up. Charmy sure was right; Espio's cake is the best I've ever eaten too! It's much better than the cakes I had at Miss Vanilla's house. Esp is a guy with a lot of hidden talents.

Speaking with my mouth full since I can't keep my thoughts to myself, I burst out, "Ya have a talent for bakin', Esp! You could be a master chef if yeh put yer heart into it!"

"Oh, Vector, you know that would never happen. You're just trying to be nice, which I do appreciate, but let's keep everything realistic please," Espio protests despite the fact that his cheeks flush slightly and his lips curve upwards. I know he's inwardly beaming at my comment. Nobody can resist a croc's natural charm!

"Do we really gotta be modest all of the time?" I roll my eyes as I take another big bite of cake.

"When it comes to Espio, yes," Charmy answers my question. Before I can say anything else to Esp, Charmy's eyes float over to the calendar on the wall and he suddenly bursts out, "Look! It's only a week until Thanksgiving! Can Vector come over and spend Thanksgiving with us, Espio?"

"Yes, he can," Espio says without even thinking about it. He turns to me with that small, irresistible smile still on his face as he adds, "Would you like to spend Thanksgiving with us, Vector?"

"'Course I would!" I nod, grinning right on back at Espio. "There's gonna be a lot of good food, right?"

"Well, I suppose I could do some cooking," Espio admits slowly as the three of us finish our cake. As soon as we're all done eating, Charmy gets a sort of hopeful look in his eyes and starts glancing over at the television longingly. Espio has an easy time reading into his thoughts and says, "Yes, you may go play your game now if you'd like."

"Okay!" Charmy yells, immediately flying out of his chair and practically tipping it over in the process. Espio manages to save the chair before it comes crashing to the floor and smiles affectionately at Charmy. A little jerk of jealous goes rippling through me. Great. Now I'm even jealous of the bee! What's next? Am I gonna be jealous of the glass bowl I bought for Esp?!

"Want me to help ya with the dishes?" I ask Espio, noticin' that I made quite a mess and that there are lots of crumbs all over the table. Oops.

"No, it's alright. I can take care of the dishes later," Espio says, causing me to blink in surprise. Espio used to be extremely picky about crumbs on the table, dirt on the floor, or grime anywhere in his perfectly clean house. He seems to be lightening up a little when it comes to all this stuff now.

"Alright, but I don't mind helpin'," I add, settling back in my chair as Charmy turns on his video game.

Espio glances behind him at the window to look outside. It gets dark early at this time of year. The sky is already black and the stars are out. Turning to me again, Espio asks pleasantly, "I was wondering if you might like to go outside and look at the stars with me?"

"Sure thing!" I reply enthusiastically, almost knocking my chair over in my haste to get up. I blush, but Espio just smiles more and I notice a twinkle in his eyes. Guess being humiliated is worth it if I can make Espio smile.

The two of us make our way to the door. I wait for Esp while he takes his scarf off of the back of his wooden chair and wraps it tightly around his neck. As I look at him closer, I notice that the scarf is very thin and worn looking. I can't help but wonder how long Espio has had it for. It looks like it's at least a decade old! I should buy Esp a new scarf for Christmas. It's a little earlier to be thinkin' about Christmas, but the holiday always seems to creep up on me and I wanna make sure I get something nice for Esp this year.

"Vector and I are going to go outside for a few minutes," Espio calls to Charmy as he opens the door. "We'll back back inside in a few minutes."

Charmy is too infatuated with his game to respond. Exchanging knowing looks, Espio and I step outside and let the door fall shut behind us. It's a cool, crisp night outside with a chilly breeze. The stars wink at us from above and cast moonlit shadows upon the porch. The two of us sit on the stairs leading up to the house and stare up into the night sky. A peaceful silence forms between us before Espio decides to speak a few minutes later.

"I used to sit by my window and look at these stays when I was still with my cousin. I wished upon them a few times," Espio admits, a faraway look in his eyes.

"What did ya wish for?" I ask, my gaze moving from a twinkling star directly above me to Espio.

"I wished to get away from my cousin and to make a better life for myself. I think my wish came true. You and Charmy have given me so much. I'm in your debt," Espio admits, still staring up at the stars.

"Listen to me, Esp. Yer never gonna be in my debt. Havin' ya as my best buddy is more than I ever could have asked for. There's nothin' more I need from yeh," I tell Espio firmly before I notice that his hand is shaking. Frowning, I add, "Yer cold, aren't ya?"

"It's alright," Espio replies.

I'm not about to let my buddy freeze to death! Leaning over, I take Espio's hand and slip the glove with the thick cuff off of it. Espio looks very surprised and immediately jerks his head over in my direction. For the first time ever, he doesn't try and yank his hand away from me though. He seems to have finally realized that I don't give a damn about his scars. Good. It's about time!

Very gently, I cup his cold hand between my two warm ones and try to transfer some of my body heat to Espio. It's no surprise that it's hard for him to stay warm. He's so damn skinny. I shoot a look out of the corner of my eye at Espio to see if he's lookin' at me or not. He is and the expression on his face makes me wanna wrap my arms around him. He's got that sentimental look in his eyes - the one that tells me that he's never had anyone who really cared about him before he met me.

Suddenly, the door flies open and Charmy practically runs into us. Coming to a halt above our heads, Charmy says, "Uh, Espio? The TV sort of froze..."

Espio sighs and I tenderly slip the glove back over his hand before gettin' to my feet and then lending Espio a hand. He looks at me a moment too long and says, "I suppose I ought to go fix the TV. Are you going to head home for the night, Vector? It's getting dark out and I don't want you getting lost in the dark."

Aw, how sweet. Guess Esp really does care about me! Getting a sentimental look on my own face, I take a step backwards and reply, "Ya don't have to worry about me. I could find the way to my apartment with my eyes closed. I should probably be leaving though. I'll see ya for Thanksgiving! Happy birthday, Charm!"

"Bye, Vector!" Charmy calls, waving vigorously.

"Goodbye," Espio adds in his quiet way before he adds, "Thank you for everything."

For a moment, I wonder what he's thankin' me for. I didn't really do anything for him today. Maybe he's just that glad to have me for a friend.

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_Ooo, Charmy wants Vector to move in with him and Espio. xD What do you think Espio will say to that? Review please! :)  
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	51. Embarrassing Explanations

**Saints-Fan-12: I'm with you there, Espio saying yes would be a huge surprise. I hope you like this chapter!  
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**BowserRoy: Woohoo, yay for cute chapters! Yeah, I'd say they'll kiss...eventually. xP I agree with you about Blaze and Cream. Do you support Silvaze (Blaze x Silver) just out of curiosity? I've never played Sonic Advance 2 before, but it sounds like fun! Well, I guess it's a good thing that Sonic Heroes was the only game you had for your Ps2, but it's still a shame that it broke. D: Most of my games are for the gamecube as well. That's my favorite gaming system. :3 I write a lot. xD I try not to, but all my stories end up really long. I feel the same way about Big, I guess. There are worse characters. Tails is really smart! I'm always astonished at all the things he knows! Tailream is alright, I guess. I'm more of a Chaream supporter as you're probably noticing from this fic. ;P What's your favorite Tails pairing? You'll find out what the next chapter is like right now. ^^  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, it would be nice if Espio asked Vector to move in with him before Charmy brings it up. xD You'll see what he does in this chapter. ^^  
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**Guest: Good prediction there! You'll find out what he does very shortly. ;P Thanks for reading!  
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**Alicia: Charmy better starting running (flying) away then! Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Let's hope he says yes! *crosses fingers* I dunno when I'll be on skype next. I have three Xmas parties to go to. Believe me, I'd much rather be on skype than at the parties though. =/ Thanks for reading!  
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**PreyasRules: Ooo, good question! What would happen if Charmy slept over and Cream's and Veccy and Esp spent a night together? *looks thoughtful* What do you think would happen? xD Yay, I'm glad you're going to catch up on the chapters once you get back. I'm gonna miss you while you're gone. Just don't forget about the story in the meantime. xP I'm glad you don't mind spoilers! If you want more, just ask because I absolutely love giving them. I guess I'm weird that way. xD Bryce might end up dead...wouldn't that be nice? xD We'd all have a party! I like Shadow as well, but I just don't like him with Espio. Espio is Vector's, hehe. Oh no, you're leaving tomorrow morning! *cries* Well, I hope you have a nice trip and I can't wait for you to return. And I already have an inkbunny account, so that won't be a problem. I gotta admit that I've found a lot of great Sonic-related pics on there! Talk to you soon! :3  
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**Cosmictruffle: Wow, the best chapter yet? Thanks so much! :3 You can always expect daily updates from me. I have no life over here. xD  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Is Charmy on your good side again for mentioning Vector moving in? xD I don't think I could stay mad at Charmy long. He's too cute. xP Lol about Charmy living with Vanilla and Cream! I honestly don't think he'd mind it since he likes Cream so much. I really don't like Vanilla though. How about you? She's like...my least favorite Sonic character almost. Thanks for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: Yay for fifty chapters! It's good to see you're still reading this. ^^ Hehe, well, I can give you a spoiler about Bryce if you want one. Just ask! Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I'm so happy that you liked the chapter so much! I actually think it's a good thing when you start to tear up over the story because it means you're really getting into it! I was tearing up earlier when I was writing one of the future chapters which is going to be kind of sad. I think we're really similar! *high fives you* Hehe, so Charmy is on your good side again now? xD Let's hope that Espio eventually agrees to Vector moving in with him. It always seems to take Espio a long time to warm up to ideas. It's great that you have so many favorite chapters! I love hearing that. :3 Omg, you're talking like Vector now? So funny! And thank you! Merry Xmas and happy winter break to you as well! :D  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It's likely they would have kissed! After all, Espio was feeling pretty sentimental. xD It would have been nice if Vector had stayed longer, I agree. :3 Yay, here's another spoiler then. They're not a couple during the scene we're talking about because one of the two decides to break up with the other. xP Can you guess who that might be? Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LI  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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The days until Thanksgiving pass by very quickly. In fact, I've even forgotten to do the Thanksgiving grocery shopping! It's not like me to be nearly this forgetful. I used to never forget things like this. However, a certain crocodile by the name of Vector has been on my mind quite a bit lately. As much as I don't want to admit it, I find myself spending more and more time thinking about him. His toothy smile is rather charming and I love the way his vermilion eyes light up the room. There's just something about Vector that's caused me to fall deeply in love with him. It's hard for me to admit this, but I realize that denying the truth is as silly as lying about the color of the sky.

It's Thanksgiving morning and I'm sitting at the kitchen table drinking my coffee. In a few minutes, I plan to go over to the grocery store and pick up some food for our Thanksgiving dinner. Despite the early hour, Charmy is already in the living room playing his video games. Feeling a bit tired this morning, I take my time finishing my coffee.

"Charmy, I'm going to take a short trip to the grocery store to pick up some things for our Thanksgiving dinner. Is there anything in particular you would like me to buy? I was thinking about making a green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls, and a pumpkin pie," I tell Charmy after reluctantly taking the last sip of my coffee.

"Yay, you're finally going shopping!" Charmy cheers from the sofa. "I thought you had forgotten all about Thanksgiving! Um, can you get some whip cream and ice cream to go with the pumpkin pie? That would be good. You can never have pie without ice cream!"

"Actually, I think it's cake you can't have without ice cream. Pie usually goes with whip cream instead. However, since it does happen to be Thanksgiving, I will pick up a tub of ice cream if I can find some on sale," I decide as I stand up and push my chair in before grabbing my scarf and wrapping it tightly around my neck.

"I _love _ice cream," Charmy grins over at me, knowing that he's getting ice cream now. A maybe from me always turns out to be a yes. Suddenly, Charmy's expression changes and he sends me puppy dog eyes. Uh oh. That's never a good sign. It means that he wants something. Giving me his nicest smile, Charmy asks, "Espio, can I ask you something?"

"Yes," I nod, bracing myself for whatever is going to come. "You know that you can ask me anything, Charmy."

"I know," Charmy admits, completely turning away from his video game to talk to me. Hm, whatever he's going to say must be rather important to him if he's actually giving up his video game for a few minutes to talk about it. Still speaking in that sweet, childish voice of his, Charmy goes on, "You like Vector, don't you? You consider him part of our family, right?"

"I like Vector," I nod before hesitating and adding, "I suppose I consider him to be part of the family. Why do you ask?"

"I miss Vector when he's not around," Charmy admits, causing me to frown and feel a bit slighted. Charmy reads into my expression and quickly protests, "I love you too, Espio, but I like it when we're all together. I think you miss Vector too. Do you think he could come and live with us? Then we could be together all the time."

"I'm sorry, Charmy, but that's really not possible," I point out.

I would let Vector stay here to save him the rent if we had an extra room for him, but we don't. There are only four main rooms in this house. There's the living room and the kitchen that are connected, then there's my bedroom, Charmy's bedroom, and the small bathroom. Of course there are the two closets and the pantry as well, but those areas are clearly not big enough for a room for Vector to stay in. The large crocodile is just going to have to stay in his apartment.

"But why not?" Charmy whines, not about to let this go without a good explanation on my part. "We all love Vector. He can just share your bedroom, can't he? You have a big bed and you two can share the bathroom, can't you? I want Vector to live with us."

"It's really not that simple," I tell Charmy, wishing it was as simple as that. "I can't share a bed with Vector."

"Why not? Are you afraid he'd squish you? I'm sure he would be sure to stick to his side of the bed if you asked him to," Charmy continues to protest, not about to let this go anytime soon.

Sighing, I realize that I'm going to have to give Charmy a better explanation. I haven't talked to him at all about sex yet, but perhaps I can vaguely hint at it in a way so that he understands that me sharing a bed with Vector would never work. Choosing my words carefully, I explain, "There are certain things that adults can do in a bed other than sleeping..."

"Huh?" Charmy asks, tilting his head at me and looking downright confused. "Like what?"

I search my head for the right words. Who knew that explaining this matter could be so difficult? After another moment's pause, I reply, "There's a certain...action that two people who love each other very much can do in a bed. It has do to with the connection of bodies and minds. It's a very intimate thing."

"You love Vector though, right?" Charmy asks, still not seeing the problem. "So wouldn't it be okay then?"

Oh dear. I'm either explaining this all wrong or Charmy just isn't understanding. Shaking my head, I try again to give a better explanation and murmur, "The certain action is something that only couples and married people perform together. It wouldn't be morally right for Vector and I to...um...do it together."

"Aw," Charmy complains, looking crestfallen that his plan of having Vector move in with us isn't going to work after all. "Can't we just get another bed or something?"

"We don't have the money for an extra bed right now. They're expensive," I say, starting towards the door to get out of this awkward situation. "I'm off to the grocery store now. Take care of yourself while I'm gone and remember to keep the doors locked. I can't have anything happening to you."

"You say that every day, Espio," Charmy complains loudly. "Don't you think that I remember stuff you tell me the first time?"

"I'm just being cautious," I tell Charmy, sending the bee an affectionate look before I start towards the door, adding, "I will be back soon."

Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for the cold and push open the door to our house. Luckily, it's not as cold as I imagined it to be. Although it certainly isn't warm, it's a pleasant day for this time of year. The sky is bright blue, the sun is shining, and the wind is only blowing slightly. Taking a deep breath, I start off briskly to the grocery store. After a few steps, I hesitate and wonder if perhaps Vector might like to come to the grocery store with me. He could help me carry some of the bags back to my house after we finish shopping.

Thinking I have a good idea, I change directions and hurry to Vector's dingy apartment. I don't like his place much. It seems to be filled with all the criminals of the town. Glancing warily from left to right, I make sure nobody is watching me before I quietly ease the door to the apartment building open and step into the dark lobby. The elevator seems more risky than the stairs, so I slink up the stairs as quietly as I can. Once I'm in the hallway where Vector's room is located, I go straight to his room and knock quietly on the door.

The door whips open a moment later and Vector peers out at me, looking grouchy and tired. When he sees me, his expression immediately changes. He throws the door open wide and exclaims, "Esp! It's nice to see ya here. I never though yeh would come and visit me. Whassup?"

"I was wondering if you might like to do a bit of Thanksgiving shopping with me," I ask, raising an eyebrow at Vector. "I forgot to do it earlier and I need some help carrying the groceries back home with me. Would you mind coming along and helping me out?"

"'Course not!" Vector exclaims, stepping out of his apartment room without another moment's thought. "I'm always around to help my best buddy out. C'mon! Let's go!"

Glad that my trip here was not a waste of time after all, I start out of the apartment with Vector by my side. Since Vector is around, we end up taking the elevator. I find that I feel safe around him. Nothing scares me when I have him by my side. Vector is my protector. I know he will always keep me out of harm's way.

After we finally exit the apartment, the two of us step back out into the bright November morning. The wind has picked up a bit, so I quicken my pace to the grocery store. Vector easily strides along and matches my speed without any problem at all. We walk contentedly side by side before a familiar high-pitched voice catches our attention.

"Hey you two! Wait up!" the voice of none other than Amy Rose calls out to us.

Turning my head, I see the bright pink hedgehog running across the road towards us. I smile pleasantly at Amy and raise a hand to her in greeting. I'll admit that I was a bit unsure of her before I actually met her, but after going on the date Vector set up for the two of us, I've warmed up to Amy and think of her as a nice friend.

"Hello, Amy," I greet her as she approaches us, noticing Vector's jaw stiffen and his eyes harden at my words. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Espio!" Amy says, intentionally emphasizing my name and clearly leaving Vector out of the conversation for a reason.

I smile inwardly. It doesn't surprise me that Amy and Vector don't get along. They're such opposites. Amy is very possessive, girly, and cheerful. Vector is casual, carefree, and can be grouchy in the mornings if he hasn't gotten enough sleep.

Coming to a halt and tugging on the cuff of Vector's glove to get him to stop too, I smile politely at Amy and ask, "How are you spending Thanksgiving?"

"Well, I wanted to spend it with Sonic, but he said he was busy," Amy sighs, her face falling before she goes on, "I'm going to spend it with Vanilla and Cream. They were nice enough to invite me over. Hey, why did you never return my phone call? I really wanted to talk to you."

"Hm?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I try to think back in time, but I don't remember getting any phone calls from Amy lately. Frowning, I reply, "I don't think I know what phone call you're talking about."

"Well, it wasn't really a phone call exactly," Amy rewords her sentence. "What I meant was why didn't you call me? I gave Vector my phone number to give to you and asked him to tell you to call me. Did he not give you my phone number or something?"

Ah, I see where this is going now. Glancing at the suddenly red-cheeked crocodile to my right, I reply, "No, he didn't give me your phone number. Perhaps you would like to give it to me now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Amy says, pulling out a piece of rose-colored paper from inside of her glove before handing it over to me. Glaring at Vector, she says, "Apparently, some of us are too forgetful to even pass on simple messages! Anyway, I should get going now. I'm going to help Vanilla with the Thanksgiving cooking. Have a nice day, Espio."

"You too, Amy," I say, looking down at the piece of paper in my hand as Amy turns and starts on her way again. Vector and I continue our trek to the grocery store, Vector still blushing. Curious about something, I point out, "For someone who originally tried to get me to date Amy, you certainly don't seem very excited to have me spend some time with her."

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind about that," Vector grumbles, not looking too happy about Amy giving me her phone number. "A guy can change his mind, can't he?"

"Of course he can, Vector. I don't see _why _you changed your mind though. Amy seems like a nice enough girl," I say. Truth be told, I have absolutely no interest in Amy, but I'm trying to wheedle the truth out of Vector to see if I can get him to admit that he likes me as perhaps more than a friend. I'm not going to act upon the information either way, but I would like to hear it nonetheless.

"I don't like her or trust her," Vector replies immediately. "She's too stuck on Sonic to be good for ya."

"I see. Is there someone else you think I should be with instead?" I press, really wishing Vector could just come out and tell me the truth of how he feels about me.

"Nah. I see ya as the solitary sort, Esp," Vector tells me, giving me a gentle slap on the back. "Ya don't need a partner to make yeh happy. They'd probably just make yeh uncomfortable."

"Oh. I...I see," I reply, feeling my heart sink. If Vector sees me as a solitary creature, he certainly doesn't have any feelings for me or want to be with me in any way, shape, or form. I try not to let this bother me and blink back the tears that come to my eyes.

_ Idiot_, I tell myself. _ Vector is your friend and nothing more. This is the way things are meant to be._

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_Lol, Espio tries to give Charmy the awkward sex talk and fails. xD Who thinks he's going to change his mind about Vector moving in? Review please! :)  
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	52. Thanksgiving Fest

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, good point there! We could always move him in ourselves. :3 Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: That would've been a good way to end the sex talk. xD The worst that could happen? Well...Vector could lose control and end up forcing himself on Esp. xP Thanks for reading!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Reviewing close to midnight is fun! Do you usually stay up that late or not? xD It's okay about not reviewing the last chapter. We all get busy! Hehe, you have a sugar high? I'm exhausted right now. ;P Yeah, wouldn't it be nice if we could tell Espio the truth? Vector's just broken his little heart. D: Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Guest: Amy actually has quite a few more reappearances in this fic. :3 Vector sort of said that thing about Espio being a "solitary creature" to keep Espio out of relationships so maybe he can have Esp for himself someday. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Alicia: I know! xD He's totally not getting what Espio is saying, is he? xP Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Yeah, and I hate Xmas too. *cries* Wish me luck for the first party tomorrow. Omg! I can't believe your parents gave you the talk like that. I never got the talk. I guess my parents thought it would be best for me to learn about sex on my own, lol. Thanks for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Lol, I could also see Vector blurting out something stupid like that as well. xD I suddenly have this hilarious image of Vector showing up by Espio's front door with a bed over his shoulder. Well, not to spoil things too much or anything, but they'll eventually end up sharing a bed, which will be a bad thing for Esp and a good thing for Vector. ;P Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Woo, I bet Charmy is happy about that. :3 I don't like Amy much either although I like her more than Vanilla. What about you? I know, Vector is making Esp sad and he doesn't even realize it. *facepalms* Vector is kinda dumb sometimes, isn't he? lol Well, I think Vanilla is usually just really motherly, but she annoys me for being Vector's love interest. Thanks for the review!  
**

**PreyasRules: Woohoo, that is awesome that you got to stay at a hotel with wi-fi! I love wi-fi so much. xD I'm so happy that you didn't forget about my story. *parties* Good luck turning your cousins into Sonic fans. ^^ In my opinion, _everyone_ should be a Sonic fan! Do your cousins have internet? That would be awesome if they did. Yay for our dirty Vecpio fangirl sides! *high fives you* So you think that they'd have sex next time Charmy stays over at Cream's house if they got their feelings for each other out in the open? xP That is so true...we're the normal ones and everyone else is weird! I agree, Espio totally failed at giving Charmy 'the talk'. I bet Charmy is just super confused now. And yeah, poor Esp thinks Vector doesn't love him. Oh god, that sounds like hell! I absolutely hate waiting for things! Airports are like the worst places to wait. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you. Wish me luck because I have to go to a Xmas party I really don't wanna go to tomorrow. D: Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Andypandy123: The "talk" was pretty fun to write actually. ;P Bryce will eventually show up. Probably around chapter 115 I'm guessing? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I know, Vector is so stupid sometimes, isn't he? Now Espio feels awful and it's all Veccy's fault! D: Hehe, yeah, talking about sex isn't usually easy for anyone, especially Espio considering everything he's been through. I agree, Espio just needs to think things through a little. He should warm up to the idea later. xD Talking like Vector is awesome! I love Vector's voice. I talk sort of like Espio, I guess. I'm pretty formal irl. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: The sex talk was pretty awkward, wasn't it? xP I'm so glad I never got it. That's funny about you waking everyone up. I'm always the last one up. Oh my god, you got that exactly right! I also think that Vector wouldn't be able to bear sleeping in the same bed as Esp. Hehe, that little conversation you made up between them was funny. xD Yup, they break up for a bit. Let's just say that their relationship is going to be pretty turbulent. Good guess, but it's Vector who decides to break up with Esp. Thought I'd switch things around a little! Any idea why he might want to break up with Espy? Thanks for reading! ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter LII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Esp and I stride side by side into the grocery store. I'm in a fairly good mood although Espio is suddenly actin' all quiet and thoughtful like he sometimes does when I've offended him. I think about what I've said in the last few minutes, but nothing bad comes to my mind. All we talked about was Amy and I told Esp how I didn't think he needed a girl in his life to be happy. It's a true enough statement. Espio never shows any interest in girls and I've decided that if I can't have Espio for myself, then he's gonna stay single.

The grocery store is packed today. Must be because of the last minute Thanksgiving shoppers. Espio immediately tenses at the thick crowd, but gets a determined look in his eye like he's on a mission to get in and out of the grocery store as fast as possible. Grabbing my wrist with his surprisingly strong hand, Espio starts pulling me through the mass of shoppers as fast as he can. I'm a lot bigger than Espio and end up banging into a lot of people as I follow after him. I get a lot of dirty looks, but ignore them since my main goal is keepin' up with the chameleon in front of me.

"Say, Esp!" I call to him as we weave our way around a table full of assorted fruit and then a shelf of freshly baked bread. "Where exactly are we goin'?"

"Don't you read, Vector?" Espio sighs, not bothering to look at me as he continues to slip through the crowd. Not sure what his point is here, I give the back of Esp's head a blank look. Espio goes on, "There's a sign that says all clearance Thanksgiving foods are located in the back. We might as well get our food on clearance since we don't have extra money to spend right now."

"Good thinkin'," I agree, my stomach forming a tight knot inside me at Espio's words. He's right; we are pretty short on cash right now. At least Esp has that part-time cafe job to pay his bills with. I don't have any extra money and it's almost time to pay the rent. I really dunno what I'm gonna do about that, but now's not the time to think about it.

Espio comes to a sudden halt and I almost go crashing into him. I manage to force myself to a stop before I can crush the little chameleon and then turn my eyes to the shelf in front of me. My jaw drops and I end up gazing at all the delicious food as if I've just fallen in love for the first time. This food may be on the clearance rack, but it still looks pretty darn good if ya ask me. The glazed hams are begging to be eaten, the jello is glistening at me from every angle, and I have to keep reminding myself not to run and dive at the pumpkin pie at the very front of the rack.

While I'm staring at the food, Espio is busy checking out prices. He picks up cans of beans and flips them over while he looks for the prices. A few minutes later, he returns to me and dumps a roll making mix, beans, mushroom soup, and a stuffing mix into my arms. I stare at the boxes and cans dubiously. This ain't the kinda stuff I wanted for Thanksgiving dinner!

"Er, what exactly are the green beans for?" I ask, not too excited about eating veggies on Thanksgiving.

"I'm going to make a green bean casserole," Espio states a-matter-of-factly. "Can you carry all of this? I need my hands free to carry the dessert."

"Sure, I can. But, uh, Esp?" I ask, thinking that we should at least have turkey on Thanksgiving if I have to put up with a green bean casserole. "What about a turkey?"

"Turkeys are too expensive. We can't spare any extra cash. Besides, I'm already pushing my budget as it is," Espio replies, looking worried as he returns to the food rack.

I continue staring at the food in my arms, no longer looking forwards to Thanksgiving dinner. I've never had a green bean casserole, but I don't think it sounds too good. Mixes never seem to turn out right. Why can't we just buy some freshly baked rolls from the bakery section of the store? I can smell the delectable scent of the breads from where I'm standin' right now. 'Course, I do know why we can't buy any of these things. Like Espio said, we're short on money. We're _always _short on money.

Espio returns to my side a moment later with a large pumpkin pie, a tub of vanilla ice cream, and a bottle of whipped cream in his arms. My eyes immediately light up and I'm suddenly looking forwards to Thanksgiving dessert! Even if dinner is gonna be a bust, dessert sure looks good. Licking my lips, I zone in on the pumpkin pie and imagine what it will taste like.

"Let's go check out," Espio tells me, sending me a sidelong glance as he adds, "Do try to keep up."

Jerking myself out of pumpkin pie daydreams, I nod and give Espio a mock salute before trailing after him as if I'm his shadow to the front of the store. We have to wait in line for a long time since the store is so busy. Espio waits patiently, but I'm not feelin' too patient. I tap my foot irritably on the ground and sigh loudly before turning my music up to occupy myself. Espio gives me an annoyed look after my fifth sigh and I decide that I should probably keep my trap shut to avoid angering him further.

Finally, we get through the checkout and start out of the grocery store. As soon as we're out in the open outdoors once again, Espio relaxes and looks much happier. As we walk along, he tells me his cooking plans, saying, "First, I think I ought to make the green bean casserole to make sure it gets done. After that, I'll make the rolls and then the stuffing. All we have to do with the soup is heat it up and the pumpkin pie is pre-made, thankfully."

"Sounds like yer gonna have yer hands full," I tell Espio. I don't really like cooking, but I feel like I should at least offer to help and add a bit reluctantly, "Want me to help yeh with anything?"

"That would be nice. Thank you," Espio says as we arrive at the door to his small house.

I can't decide if I'm glad that I'm makin' Esp happy by helping him out or annoyed because now I'm gonna have to spend my entire morning slaving away in the kitchen. Espio unlocks the door and the two of us tramp inside to begin our cooking. I can hear Charmy's video game music from the living room. When is that kid not playing his video games?

"Hey Vector!" Charmy greets me from the couch where he's making wild motions with his video game controller as he tries to keep his character from falling off of a cliff. "I didn't know you were coming here so early. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"I didn't know I was comin' here so early either, but Espio needs some help with the cooking, so here I am," I reply as I follow Espio to the kitchen and dump the food onto the counter. Turning my eyes to the chameleon, I say, "Alright, boss, put me ta work! Whaddya want me to do first?"

"Why don't you open the green beans and wash them to make sure they're clean?" Espio suggests while he carefully opens the box containing the rolls mix. After opening the box, he pulls a drawer open and tosses me a can opener. I barely catch it in time and then send Espio a doubtful look.

"These are canned beans though, Esp. Do we really need to wash 'em off? I bet they've been cleaned already," I point out. I've never washed canned veggies before and washin' the beans sounds like a completely waste of time to me. I offered my help to Espio thinkin' that he would have me bake the rolls or do something useful, not wash already clean beans!

"It never hurts to be careful," Espio replies as he dumps the rolls mix into a bowl and adds some milk to the bowl. "Besides, we need to make sure that whatever goes into our bodies is clean."

"Er, okay then," I reply resignedly, figuring that there's no use in arguing with Esp. He's real stubborn and there's no use in fighting him.

As Espio continues workin' on the rolls, I open one can of beans and drain them before trying to come up with a way to wash them in the sink without letting them go down the drain. My mind ends up wandering from beans to something Esp said a few moments ago. He's always goin' on about health and keeping his body clean. I can't help but wonder if Espio is a virgin or not. I assume he is. I mean, he's only sixteen and with his cleanliness obsession, I'm pretty sure he'd never let anyone between those slender legs of his. I can't know for sure though...

"Vector! You just let all the beans go down the drain!" Espio's voice brings me out of my reverie.

Blushing, I look down and see that Espio is right. I got so distracted that I accidentally let the beans go down the drain. Maybe that's not _such _a bad thing though. I mean, I wasn't exactly lookin' forwards to the green bean casserole and I doubt Charmy was either.

Sighing, Espio shoves me to the left with one hand and says, "You're clearly no help in the kitchen. Go keep Charmy company for the afternoon. I'll finish this up on my own."

I can sense that Esp is kinda mad and that I'm best off just doin' as he says. Nodding, I wordlessly slip out of the kitchen and trudge over to where Charmy is still playing his video game on the couch. I plop down next to him and prop my feet up on the coffee table. At least I don't have to waste any more of my time washin' already clean veggies.

Charmy finishes his video game level and then sets his controller aside so he can look at me. There's a sad expression on his face as Charmy says, "I talked to Espio about you moving in with us."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I can already see what Espio's answer was based by the look on Charmy's face, but I go ahead and ask anyways, "What did he say?"

"No," Charmy sighs, shrugging his shoulders. I did my best to convince him, but he wasn't going to go for it."

"Aw," I reply, feelin' a little more disappointed than I should have about this. I mean, did I ever really think that Esp might allow me to stay here with him? Not really. So it shouldn't be a shock to me that his answer is no. Despite this, I still find myself pressing, "Did he say why or anything?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't really getting it. He was wording it really weird," Charmy says, picking up his video game controller again. "All he said was something about not wanting to share a bed with you and how awkward that can be between grown ups. I didn't really get what he was saying."

"Oh, I gotcha now," I chuckle, imagining the awkward conversation that probably went on between Charmy and Espio over the subject. I get this tingly feeling when I think about Espio talkin' to Charmy about sharing a bed with me though. What would it be like ta share a bed with Esp? My mind starts to go straight to the gutter, but I try to stop myself before I start thinkin' too dirty about my best friend. I won't degrade Esp and think of him that way because, well, I know Esp would kill me if he could read my mind.

"What's so funny?" Charmy asks, sending me a confused look. I'm saved from answerin' his question because he apparently doesn't really care about my answer and offers me his video game controller, asking, "Would you like to play my game for a while? I don't mind if you want to, but make a new profile so you don't mess up mine."

"Alright, I'll give yer game a try. 'Course, yer probably gonna have to help me out with it though," I tell Charmy as I take the little controller into my big hands.

"No problem! I'll tell you all my tricks!" Charmy nods enthusiastically, looking like he's gonna have just as much fun helping me out with the video game as he would have had playing it himself.

To be honest, I'm really not all that interested in playin' Charmy's game. The only reason I'm playin' it is because I have time to burn and the game will keep my mind off of Espio. Despite playing the game for the next several hours, I get bored fast and end up thinking about Espio anyways. Dammit, I'm so screwed when it comes to that chameleon.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of waiting, Espio appears from the kitchen looking satisfied. He waves us over to the wooden table and says, "Everyone come and sit down. I've finished all the cooking, so let's eat while everything is still warm."

"Sounds good to me! I'm starving!" I announce, immediately standing up and practically tripping in my hurry to get over to the table.

Rolling his eyes at me, Charmy adds what we all know to be true, "You're _always _hungry."

"Yeah," I admit as I pull back one of the wooden chairs from the table and plop down in it, "But I'm extra hungry for Esp's amazing cooking!"

Espio's cheeks turn a light shade of pink as he disappears into the kitchen to fetch the food. A moment later, he's back with plates, silverware, glasses of water, and napkins. I grab my fork and hold it posed, ready to shove it into whatever food I can reach first. Esp retreats to the kitchen again and returns with the food in his arms this time. There's a plate of freshly baked rolls, a large bowl of mushroom soup, a bowl of stuffing, and...what's this? It looks like Esp managed to make his green bean casserole after all. Wonder how he pulled that one off!

"Help yourselves," Espio says, sitting down on a chair to my right.

I inconspicuously move my chair a little closer to Espio's chair as I stand up and lean across the table to snag the dish closest to me, which just so happens to be the green bean casserole. Oops! I didn't mean to grab it. I shoot a sideways glance at Espio and find that he's watchin' me closely. Crap. Now I can't set down the green bean casserole and go for a different dish without looking rude. For Esp's sake and not my own, I put a few dollops of the casserole onto my plate and then go for the stuffing. After a few seconds, my plate is full. Now I'm left with the pressing question of what to try first.

My eyes go from the stuffing to the casserole. Wanting to get the green stuff off of my plate, I take a deep breath and hesitantly take a small spoonful of it. I cram it into my mouth and wait to taste something really horrible. Instead, something really good reaches my taste buds.

"Wow, Esp!" I exclaim, wondering how he managed to make green beans edible. "Yer dinner turned out real well!"

"Even the green bean casserole?" Espio asks in amusement, raising an eyebrow as he turns to look at me.

I reach over and squeeze his hand under the table as I nod and reply, "Yup, even the green bean casserole. Happy Thanksgiving, Esp."

Espio squeezes my hand back and blushes at the compliment before he gives me a small smile that melts my heart and replies, "Happy Thanksgiving, Vector."

* * *

_So who thinks Vector is getting a little too obsessed with Espio for his own good? xP Review please! :)  
_


	53. Pie Predicament

**Saints-Fan-12: Yes, bad Vector! *shakes fist at him* Lol! Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: Dessert will definitely be good too! xD Esp is a great cook! Well, Espio doesn't talk to Vector about moving in during this chapter, but the topic will definitely come up again! Thanks for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I love staying up late! It's really fun, isn't it? :3 Vector and Espio might get together soon. *hints* I need to stop being an evil author keeping you guys in suspense! Lol, okay, tell me tomorrow then! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**Guest: You think Veccy's only a little obsessed? :P I agree, he's not a vegetable guy, but I think he'd like anything Espio cooks for him. And yeah, that's a bit amusing. Vector's mind is dirty. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alicia: Hehe, Vector would certainly like that, wouldn't he? xD Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Thanks! *hugs* It's good to know that I have some support! :3 IHehe, I didn't get sex at all when I was seven. I don't think I understood it until I was eight or nine, but I don't really remember. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: He's definitely possessive when it comes to his best buddy. ^^ Thanks for reading!  
**

**Ersiffa Narman: I'm with you on Amy being a whole lot better than Vanilla. I think Amy's alright. I don't think she's amazing or anything, but I don't hate her (like Vanilla). And yes, Esp is Vector's! Hey, what do you think about Espadow, btw? I really can't stand that pairing. It's as bad as Vectilla to me. Yeah, Vector is getting too caught up with Esp. At this rate, he'll end up raping him or something, lol. Thanks for reading! :3  
**

**PreyasRules: That would be awesome if they have wi-fi! *crosses fingers* Thanks for wishing me luck at the party! I am the exact same way at parties. I sit there at them all awkwardly and say nothing the entire time. I don't even get why I have to go to them! D: Hehe, Vector is screwed...or wait, maybe it's Espio who's screwed? ;) I liked that line too actually, lol. I could be Vector's daughter considering the fact that I've inherited his dirty mind. Don't worry about your parents. xD My saying is that parents should totally leave their kids' internet lives alone and that's all there is to it. ^^ Yay, you love long stories? Me too! I think that long stories are the best! I just hope you guys don't start getting bored with this one. *looks nervous* Hehe, well, Espio still had one can of green beans, so that's how he pulled it off. Merry Xmas Eve to you and thanks for reading! :3  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Omg, me too! I hate trying new things. I never try them unless someone forces me to, lol. I loved writing the part about Vector losing the beans. xD I started laughing while writing it and my mom gave me a wtf look. ;P Yeah, Vector is definitely getting too caught up with Esp! Do you think that's going to get him into trouble someday? Oh, and thanks for the well wishes about the Xmas party! Thanks for reading!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Mhm, so true! Vector and green beans do not make a good match. xD Hehe, good question! Do you think Vector's a virgin? xP I know, I'm really lucky not to have gotten the sex talk! Ew, that description sounds gross. I would probably have gotten turned off of sex if I got that talk, lol. Yeah, it is a little weird that Vector is the one to break up with Esp! Let's just say that Vector can't stand one thing about Esp. Can you guess what it is? Oh, and just so you know, Vector isn't so good at the whole "breaking up" thing. Meaning, he can't keep his hands off of Esp regardless of the fact that they've supposedly broken up. :P Thanks for the review!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio, Charmy, and I eat our dinner with large appetites. Well, I do anyway. I just can't seem to get enough of Espio's cookin'! It's a lot better than you'd think for someone who seems kinda obsessed with veggies and healthiness. I even surprise myself by going back for seconds on the green bean casserole. I've never liked green beans, but I sure like Espio's casserole. That little chameleon sure is a miracle worker. It's completely unrelated, but I find myself wonderin' if maybe I'll get a miracle with Espio and get an opportunity for a chance to be with him someday.

By now, Esp has finished eating and so it's just me continuing to shovel food into my mouth while I think of Espio the miracle worker. Charmy looks bored and stares in the direction of the kitchen imploringly, probably wanting dessert. I eat faster since I know Esp won't allow Charmy to get dessert until I've finished my dinner.

"Thanksgiving isn't all about having a nice dinner," Espio suddenly states a bit randomly, immediately gettin' Charmy's and my attention. He goes on and says, "The real meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for everything we've been given. I'm very grateful for many things this year. Let's all take turns saying three things we're thankful for. Charmy, would you like to start?"

"Sure!" Charmy nods vigorously, looking excited at this idea. He taps his chin and stares at the ceiling for a moment before saying, "I'm thankful that I'm living here with you now, Espio. Last year, I spent Thanksgiving with Cream. It was nice, but this year it feels like we're a family, you know?"

"Yes, I feel the same way," Espio nods encouragingly. "What else are you thankful for?"

"Cream, of course!" Charmy points out without a second thought. "She's been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I'm also grateful for Team Chaotix! Without Team Chaotix, we wouldn't all be here together right now. I wouldn't even have met you, Vector!"

"That would be weird," I admit through a mouthful of green bean casserole. I've gotten so used to having Charmy and Espio in my life that I'm having a hard time imagining life without them now.

"What about you, Vector?" Espio asks, turning his intelligent amber eyes on me. "What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?"

"Uh, let's see here..." I start out, rapidly swallowing my bite of casserole and practically choking on the damn thing in the process. I grab my glass of water and wash down the casserole. After I've stopped coughing, I start out, "Well, I'm thankful that I've been able to pay the bills the last few months. I thought I would have been kicked out of my apartment by now. I'm also thankful for Team Chaotix like Charm said. This team has meant a lot ta me. I can't imagine my life without it now. I'm mostly grateful fer you though, Esp. You've changed my life so much. Thanks for everything."

"That's awfully nice of you to say although I can't say I see how I could have had so much of an effect on you," Espio replies, blushing brightly as he sneaks a look at me from under his eyelids.

"Believe me, Esp, my life wouldn't be nearly the same without ya," I say truthfully. "Now what about yerself? I know yer grateful for some things."

"I'm grateful for so many things this year. I could make a list of them if I had some paper and a pencil with me right now," Espio says, glancing around for a piece of paper and a pencil. Luckily, there's no paper or pencil around, so Espio is forced to just stick with three things he's grateful for unless he's gonna get up and go searchin' for paper and a pencil. If he finds paper and a pencil, I'm pretty certain we're gonna be here for the next year or so with Espio's list extending out the doorway and out into the streets.

"Er, we'll just take the short list, Esp," I tell him so he doesn't get up and go lookin' for paper and a pencil.

"Alright," Espio says resignedly, looking too tired to get up and search for anything at the moment. "Firstly, I'm grateful to be living here in my own house away from my cousin. Secondly, I'm grateful for you, Charmy. You've saved me in so many ways. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you. Finally, I'm thankful for you, Vector. You've helped Charmy and me time after time without complaint or hesitation. You have certainly been a true friend to me in more ways than one. I'm very glad I met you."

"Aw, Esp..." I murmur, sending the chameleon an affectionate look. To be quite honest, I didn't think I was gonna be on Espio's list of things he's grateful for.

"Let's hug!" Charmy calls out randomly, zipping out of his chair and flying over to Espio and me.

Y'know, I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I have this gut feeling that Charmy is tryin' real hard to make the three of us a family. I think he'd really like it if we all lived together. He wants parents since he's never had any and clearly Esp and I take can over those roles for him.

As Charmy wraps his arms around my neck and Espio's, I take care not to accidentally squish poor Esp like last time. Instead, I wrap a gentle arm around his figure and am immediately engulfed in that strong, exotic scent of his. Unable to help myself, I let my fingers stroke Espio's side ever so gently. Esp's body is so soft and...er...I dunno, he's not like yer average male. He doesn't have hard scales like mine. His build is slender, small and very huggable. Erm, why am I thinkin' about this right now? I should be enjoying the hug, not thinking about Espio's body, dammit!

Once we all pull away from the hug a few minutes later, Espio asks, "Who would like some pumpkin pie?"

"Me!" Charmy exclaims before asking, "Can we eat in the living room?"

"Say, that's a good idea, kid," I chime in, remembering that the big football game is today. "I'd like ta watch a bit of football if yeh don't mind."

"No, I don't mind at all," Espio says pleasantly, waving his hand in the direction of the living room. "Go ahead and sit down if you like. You know where the remote is. I'll be over in a few minutes. I'm just going to slice up the pie for now. The dishes can wait until later."

"Yeah, dishes can wait," I nod, knowin' that if Esp gets started on the dishes, he'll be at them for the next hour or so.

Charmy flies into the living room and I tromp after him. Collapsing on the sofa, I search around for the remote until I realize I'm sitting on it. Oops. Let's just hope it still works. I hesitantly press the power button. Luckily, the TV turns on immediately. I flick through the channels until I find the football game. Once I've found the right channel, I prop my feet up on the coffee table, tuck my hands behind my head, and settle down for a nice, relaxin' evening with Espio and Charmy.

Espio emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later with his arms full of pumpkin pie with whip cream and scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side. Ice cream doesn't usually go with pumpkin pie, but I'm sure not complaining. I watch Espio walk gracefully over to me before handing me a plate with the largest piece of pie and the most ice cream and whipped cream on it. Next, he hands a plate to Charmy and settles down next to me with just a little sliver of pie for himself.

"This is quite a dessert, Esp!" I exclaim as I grab my spoon and start digging into my pie. It's just as good as I imagined it to be.

"Yes, well, Charmy had to have ice cream and I just couldn't turn him down," Espio says, pretending to be mad although I see a playful smile flicking around the corner of his mouth.

We all turn our eyes to the TV and soon get really involved in the game. Suddenly, an unfair goal is made and my temper flares. I shake my fist at the TV screen and protest to the referees even though I know they can't hear me , "Oy, that ain't fair at all! Are yeh blind or what?"

With my sudden movement, the plate on my lap suddenly wobbles and flips over, sending pie, whip cream, and uneaten ice cream directly onto Espio's lap. Crap. That's not at all what I meant to do! I send a nervous look at Espio. He's frowning and staring at the mess, but at least he doesn't look too mad.

"Geez, I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to do that," I quickly apologize to Espio, reaching forwards and trying to scoop the dessert remnants back onto my plate.

I'm so concerned with the mess that I don't realize at first just where I'm touching Esp until I hear him inhale quickly. Frowning, I pause with my hand on the inside of his leg. Dammit, what was I thinking? I shouldn't be touchin' Esp here. Flushing, I quickly remove my hand, but not before noticing just how hot the inside of Espio's thigh is. His leg is trembling ever so slightly now. I can't help but wonder if I caused that sort of reaction in Esp or not.

As I move my hand, my mind continues spiraling in an unwanted direction. I wonder what it would be like if Espio let me touch him. I can easily imagine myself fondling the chameleon. If Esp let me, I could make him feel real good, I've got no doubts about that.

There's an awkward silence while I try to stop my runaway thoughts and Espio attempts to get his leg to stop shaking. Bits of ice cream melt and start trickling down his thighs. The whitish dribbles look a lot like...no. I'm not allowin' my mind to go _there_!

"I need to clean up a moment, I'll be right back," Espio says, getting up in a swift movement. I open my mouth to speak, but Espio is already shaking his head at me as he adds, "And no, Vector, I don't need your help this time. I'll be back in just a moment."

I nod and try to return my attention to the TV screen although that's kind of hard to do now that I keep imagining the feel of Espio's warm flesh under my hands. Somehow or the other, I manage to get back into the game by the time Esp returns. He doesn't look mad anymore, so that's good.

Settling back down on the couch next to me, Espio tucks his legs up neatly underneath himself and yawns, delicately covering his mouth with his hand as he murmurs, "Sports don't hold my interest well, so if I start falling asleep, please wake me up."

"Sure," I reply absentmindedly before clearing my throat awkwardly and adding, "Sorry again about the mess. I didn't mean ta spill my dessert all over ya."

"It's alright. Accidents happen," Espio says before he shoots me a look out of the corner of his eye, adding, "Are you _sure _you didn't mean to spill it all over me?"

"Huh? 'Course not? Why would I do that?" I ask before I look over at Espio and notice the look he's giving me. It's like he knows the things I've been thinkin' about him lately. I blush and hang my head, intentionally avoiding Espio's eyes.

"I just never know with you, Vector," Espio replies before he curls his tail up around his figure and closes his eyes.

Wondering what Espio was tryin' to say there, I forget about the football game for a few moments. My mind ends up blank despite all my hard thinking and I feel a light head on my shoulder a moment later. Glancing next to me, I find that Espio has already fallen asleep just like he said he would. I know he told me to wake him up if he fell asleep, but I just can't do that when he's sleepin' so sweetly with his head on my shoulder. In fact, I totally forget about the football game and just watch the rhythmic rising and falling of Espio's chest and notice the way he looks so peaceful in his sleep.

A while later, Charmy suddenly blinks from where he's sitting and murmurs in a sleepy voice, "What time is it? I'm sort of tired."

"Er, let's see..." I trail off, looking around for a clock. I start when I realize that it's already nine pm. Time sure flies sometimes. Giving Charmy a stern look and trying to act like Espio would, I say, "It's time for ya to go to bed, Charm. It's been a long day. Guess I should be leavin' now."

"You could stay. Espio wouldn't mind_ too _much," Charmy murmurs, looking hopeful.

"I'd better not," I reply even though Charmy's offer is tempting. "Don't wanna get on Espio's bad side. Now off to bed with yeh."

"Okay. Goodnight!" Charmy calls to me before reluctantly getting up and making his way across the room.

I very carefully prop Espio's sleeping form up against a pillow and stand up. It's hard to just leave him there lying on his side all sweet and innocent looking, but I've got no choice. What I'd really like ta do is kiss every inch of his body and spread those sexy legs of his and...  
_  
Geez, Vector, get ahold of yerself! _I chastise myself. _This is Espio yer talkin' about! He's yer best friend, nothin' more!_

Thinkin' that Charmy already went to bed, I quickly lean down and kiss Espio's forehead before taking a step backwards and -

"Ew! Vector, did you just kiss Espio?!" Charmy exclaims from across the room, apparently not in his bedroom yet.

"No!" I exclaim a little too quickly, tryin' to think up some excuse. "I was just...uh...cleaning a little bit of whip cream off of his forehead."

"By licking it off?" Charmy asks dubiously. Deciding that this conversation isn't worth his time, Charmy rolls his eyes and shrugs his shoulders at me as he says, "You're so weird! I'm really going to go to bed now. Bye!"

"See ya, Charmy," I tell the little bee before leaning in and whispering to Espio, "Sweet dreams, Esp. I hope ya feel the same way I do and that one of us will get around to admitting it soon."

* * *

_Oh, Vector. *shakes head* What do you guys bet that Espio is NOT thinking the same things as him? xP Review please! :) Oh, and merry Xmas, guys!  
_


	54. Untainted Love

**Saints-Fan-12: I think he deserves a cheer and a slap! xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Vector is just an ol' perv. xD I'm glad you thought the last part of the previous chapter was cute. I think this chapter is even cuter, but let me know what you think! :)  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Ooo, how does Sonic Unleashed end? I've never played it, so I have no idea how it ends! Vector is bad at being sneaky, isn't he? We should leave the sneakiness to Esp! And haha, Charmy loves to ruin the moment! I love him though too. He's a real cutie. Merry Xmas and I hope you like this chapter! :D  
**

**Guest: Lol, Espio probably does think that. Seems like Vector would do anything to get his hands on Esp, huh? xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alicia: Thanks! I thought the avvy was pretty cute myself. xD Yeah, Vector and Esp need to just tell each other how they feel already, lol. Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Aw, I'm sorry. I don't think it's that popular of a fandom unfortunately. And yes! Charmy likes Cream! *holds up a "Go Chaream" sign* Thanks for reading!  
**

**Guest: It is funny how Charmy always seems to be around when Vector and Esp are doing something. I agree, he's gotta stay away from them when they're trying to get their relationship going. Yes, go Vecpio! *cheers* Thanks for the review!  
**

**Ersiffa Narman: Yeah, the kiss was a bit one-sided, but hey, I'm sure Vector liked it. I agree about Amy in the games. Her personality should be expanded a bit. I mean, I'm sure there's more to her than just being Sonic's stalker girlfriend! Same thoughts here about Espadow. Actually, that's one of my least favorite pairings. I can't stand it. xP Haha, do you think Veccy would ever rape Esp? I hope you like this chapter! :3  
**

**zgirl16: Aw, thanks! I'm glad you liked it! I hope you have an awesome Xmas! Do you have any plans for today? :)  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, I had so much fun writing the part about Vector spilling his dessert all over Esp! Oh yeah, he's just a crazy perv in my mind. I got that from Sonic X since he always seems so lovestruck. xD Oh my god, yeah, I do NOT think Espio is having dirty thoughts about Vector. ;P I really hope you like this chapter! Oh, and merry Xmas!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I just love the way your mind works because you really seem to have a knack for predicting things in this story. Someone _is_ going to have a wet dream, but it might not be Vector. *hint hint* I feel bad for Esp too. D: I wouldn't say Vector breaks up with him over being secretive. It's over something a little different. ;) Yeah, Vector hasn't really been in any past relationships. I just think of him as the type of guy who's had a lot of crushes, but not many relationships. So in my story, he's still a virgin. Think he'll end up giving it away to Esp or to someone else? xD Lol, yeah, what a surprise that we survived 2012! But hey, I'm looking forwards to 2013. I'll be eighteen later this year and can finally move out. *parties* Have a spectacular Xmas!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

It's a week after Thanksgiving and Christmas is approaching fast. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel at all like Christmas outside due to the fact that we're having a very warm end of November this year. The sky is bright blue and not a cloud can be seen anywhere. Instead of going out for hot chocolate, most people will want to get iced tea or a smoothie. I've encouraged Charmy to take advantage of the nice weather and to play outside for a bit. At this point in the day, he's gotten tired of the nice weather and is sitting on the couch with his eyes on me.

"Espio, I'm bored! I don't want to go outside and I finished my video game earlier," Charmy complains, looking to me as usual for something to do.

Sighing, I put down the newspaper I've been reading and try to come up with something to entertain Charmy with. It's not easy to keep Charmy interested in anything for more than thirty minutes. Tapping my fingers on the table, I try and think up Christmas activities for Charmy to do. However, with no snow, most of the activities I've been thinking of won't work. Sledding, snowball fights, and skiing are just going to have to wait until later in the season when it actually cools down and snows outside.

"Hey, what's that?" Charmy asks with interest as he flies over to the table and picks up the newspaper I just dropped.

I frown and hope Charmy isn't reading anything I don't want him to read. It seems as if the newspaper is mostly full of crime these days. I don't need Charmy reading about horrific murders, brutal rapes, or mass killings. After looking at the big grin on Charmy's face, I'm quite sure he's not reading about crime and tell myself to stop being paranoid and to relax just a bit.

"Look at this!" Charmy exclaims, throwing the newspaper in front of my face. "There's a new amusement park that just opened not too far away from here! I want to go!"

I pick up the newspaper and scan the page until I find the article Charmy is referring to. I skim the short description of the amusement park and have to admit that Charmy is right. The amusement park does sound like it could be fun. Charmy would certainly enjoy going there. I suppose I could bring him there sometime in the next week. The admission price isn't too high since the park has just opened.

"Can we go today? Please, please, _please_?" Charmy emphasizes, eyes hopeful and excited.

"Today? That's a bit...soon," I reply, caught off guard by the fact that Charmy wants to go to the amusement park already. Glancing towards the window, I suppose that today really would be a pleasant day to go to the amusement park. Sighing, I give in as I usually do when it comes to Charmy and say, "Alright, we can go to the amusement park. Are you ready to go right now?"

"Yeah! I don't have anything else to do," Charmy tells me before he hesitates and decides to risk his luck, asking, "Can we invite Vector along?"

"If you would like that, then I don't see why not. Go ahead and give him a call. I'm going to go brush my teeth and then we can go," I tell Charmy, rising from my place at the table and crossing the floor nimbly to my bathroom while Charmy cheers and whizzes off to phone Vector from the kitchen.

As I slip into the bathroom, I find that I'm looking closely at myself in the mirror, making sure I look fairly decent. I never seemed to care so much about my appearance before. Why is this suddenly changing? Deep inside, I know the answer to my question. It's because I want to look my best for Vector. The two of us are in a strange sort of relationship. I think it's obvious that we both having feelings for one another, but neither of us seem to be able to admit to it.

After brushing my teeth as quickly as I can, I slip out of the bathroom and return to the living room where Charmy is flying in circles, unable to keep his excitement to himself. Opening the door for the two of us, I ask Charmy as I step outside, "What did Vector say?"

"He said he would meet us outside of his apartment and that the amusement park sounds like a lot of fun," Charmy tells me enthusiastically.

I nod. I knew all along that Vector would not refuse a chance to spend time with Charmy and myself. Without a job or anything else to keep himself occupied with, Vector always jumps at the chance to get out of his apartment. The only time he's turned down own of my invitations was when he was going on a date with Vanilla. Speaking of that cream-colored rabbit, I wonder just who Vector prefers. I suppose he clearly favors Vanilla to me as she's beautiful, female, and much easier to get along with than myself. The thought stings slightly so I toss it to the back of my mind.

"Hey guys!" Vector's loud voice suddenly breaks through my thoughts. Looking up, I see that we've already reached the outside of Vector's apartment. He grins at Charmy and myself, causing my heartbeats to speed up slightly and a soft blush to cross my cheeks. Walking over to our group, Vector raises an eyebrow and says, "So we're off to an amusement park, huh? Sounds like fun! I haven't been to one of those in years. What about yerselves?"

"I've never been to an amusement park before, but they do look like so much fun!" Charmy replies.

Vector and I exchange smiles. It's rather amusing how Charmy buys into things just by looking at enticing newspaper articles. I'm sure he doesn't even know what an amusement park actually is. Oh well, he's bound to have fun with the rides and attractions that will certainly be sprinkled throughout the park.

Luckily, it doesn't take long at all to arrive at our destination. It turns out that the amusement park was being built just around the corner from the park and I never even realized it. I'm not one to keep up with the local updates of our town. I mainly just read about the crime articles in the newspaper - the ones I tell Charmy not to read. As detectives, I feel that I need to keep up to date with the crime of our town at the very least.

The entrance of the amusement park is framed with a vibrant red wall extending all around the park. A bright blinking welcome sign flashes above us. We haven't even been inside the park yet, but Vector already looks impressed. He elbows me and says, "Fancy place they've built here, huh, Esp?"

"Well, it certainly looks nice so far," I reply as I step over to the hedgehog we purchase tickets from. I hold out the amount of money the newspaper said I would have to pay and smile politely at the hedgehog as I request, "Three tickets please."

"Here you are!" the hedgehog with long brown hair and light blue eyes replies in a cheerful voice as she hands us the tickets. "These will grant you admission to every ride in the park. Have fun!"

"Oh boy!" Charmy yells once we're inside the park and surrounded by all sorts of rides. There's a ferris wheel not too far away from us as well as a huge roller coaster. Small stands where you can buy food are placed throughout the park. Several other smaller rides and buildings can also be seen from where we are standing.

"Look! Cotton candy!" Vector exclaims, eyes getting wide as he focuses in on a stand selling the fluffy pink candy not too far away from us.

"Cotton candy?" Charmy asks, looking confused. "What's that?"

"Yeh haven't had cotton candy before? Geez, Charm, ya have to try some then! C'mon! It'll be my treat," Vector presses as I hesitate and finally give in, following the large crocodile and the elated bee over to the cotton candy stand. I stand back a little ways as Vector pays for a large bag of cotton candy and then returns to me.

Sending him a sidelong look, I state wryly, "I certainly hope you're not going to eat all of that."

"'Course not!" Vector replies as he pulls the bag open, gives Charmy a big lump of the cotton candy and then shoves a larger amount into his own mouth. "I'm gonna share it with you two."

"I don't want any cotton candy," I say resolutely as I fold my arms across my chest.

"C'mon, Esp, yer at an amusement park! Yeh have to have some cotton candy," Vector presses in his normal pushy manner. By now, I've learned that there's no use arguing with him, so when he pushes a small lump of the light pink and blue candy into my hand, I don't protest and decide to nibble at it. It's very sweet - a bit too sweet for my sensitive taste buds.

"Where are we gonna go first?" Vector asks, sounding very enthusiastic about this place now that he has had a treat.

"I want to go on that big roller coaster," Charmy proclaims, pointing at the red and blue painted roller coaster that towers above our heads.

"I think I will just let you and Vector ride that," I say, taking a step backwards from the roller coaster. I've not been on one before, but I can see myself getting very sick from riding one.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Vector exclaims, grabbing my wrist firmly and hauling me over to where we scan our tickets to be admitted onto the roller coaster. Forcibly taking my ticket from me, Vectors scans all three of our tickets and yanks me forwards in the direction of the roller coaster. He pushes me down in one of the seats and then plops down next to me while Charmy takes the seat on Vector's other side. Grinning from ear to ear, Vector says, "Ain't this nice? I love these things! I haven't been on one since I was a kid."

"I have a bad feeling about this," I point out, my stomach already flip flopping as the ride starts and we begin to ascend up to the peak of the roller coaster.

"Oy, lighten up, Esp! If ya just relax, yer gonna have fun," Vector says confidently.

"Oh yes, imagine having fun while you're throwing up," I reply sarcastically as we reach the peak of the roller coaster.

Whoosh! My heart jumps into my throat and my pulse starts racing as we're thrown straight down towards the ground and then hauled back up into the air again. The roller coaster turns us upsi-down and brings us around several more sharp dives and turns. Needless to say, I'm feeling very sick by the time the ride comes to an end. I don't understand how or why people actually enjoy these types of rides. However, judging from Vector's whooping and Charmy's cheering, some people actually do enjoy them.

Once the ride comes to a stop, I slide out of my seat and stumble along after Vector and Charmy with wobbly legs. Charmy obviously had a blast and is gushing, "Wow! That was so much fun! We should ride that again!"

"Sure, kid! It was a lotta fun," Vector chimes in while my eyes widen in shock. There is absolutely no way anyone is going to get me back onto that horrific ride! Turning around to see what I'm doing, Vector starts to speak, "Whaddya say, Esp? Hey, yeh don't look too good there. Are ya alright?"

"I told you the ride was going to make me sick," I tell him irritably, trying to get my stomach to settle down as I lean against a nearby building.

"Sorry 'bout that," Vector replies, looking a bit guilty. "I shoulda listened to ya. Are yeh gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine. I'm already starting to feel a bit better. Let's go on a more gentle ride next though if you don't mind," I say, unable to handle any more violent rides like that awful roller coaster.

Charmy's face falls and I immediately feel bad. Vector saves the day by coming up with a plan and saying, "Well, how about this? Charmy, you can go on the roller coaster a few more times and Esp and I can...uh...go on that boat ride attraction over there to the left. That shouldn't make ya sick, right, Esp?"

I send an absentminded look in the attraction's direction and reply, "That should be fine, yes. Are you alright with going on the roller coaster by yourself, Charmy?"

"Yup! I'll meet you guys by the boat ride later! See ya!" Charmy says, snagging his ticket from Vector and flying off before I can change my mind about letting him go on the roller coaster by himself.

I trail after Vector to the boat ride attraction. It's enclosed within a purple and pink colored building. I can't help but think that purple and pink are odd colors for a building, but I'm too busy trying to steady my woozy head to think much of it as Vector scans our tickets and then leads me inside the building. There's a cozy little white boat floating along in the water in front of us. Vector tramps across the room to it and plops down in it before extending a hand towards me. I take Vector's hand and carefully sit down next to him.

A moment later, the boat begins to float forwards through the water. Glancing up, I notice a sign that says "Tunnel of Love" straight ahead of us. Frowning, I toss Vector a sideways look as I point out, "We must have gotten in the wrong line. This is a love boat ride apparently!"

"Er, yeah, I guess it is. Whoops," Vector says, blushing slightly and not meeting my eyes as our boat disappears down the tunnel.

The tunnel is dark and I can't see anything except for Vector since he's sitting so close to me. I can smell his spicy scent very clearly and can feel his arm against mine. Soft, romantic music plays from somewhere in the building, obviously trying to set the mood for an amorous boat ride. I'm not sure why it's so dark in here though. Perhaps it's so Vector can't see me blushing bright red at being stuck in such an embarrassing situation.

"Oh dear," I mumble, wringing my hands together uncomfortably. "This certainly is awkward, isn't it?"

"Well, it doesn't _have _ta be awkward, ya know," Vector replies, his voice sounding a bit strange. There's a short silence before Vector murmurs, "Esp..."

I look up into his shiny vermilion eyes. They're the only things I can see in the dark. Vector's index finger suddenly forces my chin up higher so I'm forced to look him full in the face. I'm about to ask him what he wants when Vector abruptly closes in and shatters the slight bit of distance we've been holding up against one another for far too long. Vector's mouth meets mine with the softest, gentlest kiss I've ever experienced in my life. As Vector claims my lips for his own, I realize_ exactly_ why it's so dark in the tunnel of love.

* * *

_I was going to do a Xmas one-shot, but I've been sick lately and ran out of time. I hope this chapter makes up for it. What do you guys think Espio's reaction to Vector is going to be in the next chappie? Merry Xmas, you guys! :D I love you all!  
_


	55. Tough Decisions

**Saints-Fan-12: Wow, you really liked it that much? Awesome! :3 Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked it! :D It would be awesome if that's how Espio reacts, but I think he's going to complicate things in this chapter. I hope you like it! :3  
**

**gamerprincess13: I'm glad to hear that you thought the last chapter made up for the Xmas one-shot! The last chapter is definitely one of my favorites in this entire fic. :) Hm...you'll have to keep reading to see what happens next! Espio is going to over-think things in this chappie. xD Happy holidays to you as well and thank you so much for the review!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Hehe, no problem! It's about time that they kissed, right? xD I do feel a lot better today. Thank you so much for asking! I'm so happy that you liked the last chapter. The chapters will be more romance-based from here on out. After all, this is a Vecpio fic. ^^ I'll definitely be checking out those clips on youtube then! Thanks for reading!  
**

**Guest: Yeah, it was pretty clever on Vector's part! Who knew he had a romantic side in him, huh? xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: Omg, yay, they have wi-fi! *throws a party* That is so awesome! I mean, I dunno how people can survive without wi-fi! It was about time that they kissed, don't you think? Of course, Vector seems to be the one doing all the kissing though. xP Lol, Esp is going to get screwed probably. At least in later chapters anyway. Vector totally wants a piece of him! Well, I think we both know what piece of him he really wants, lol. I definitely hope that you never get sick of this story! You should see me, I'm so into Vecpio too. I just love it so much. Veccy and Esp forever! I hope you had a nice Xmas! ^^  
**

**Alicia: Eh, not really. xD Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Thank you! I'm feeling lots better now that the holidays are over. *sighs with relief* Wow, it sounds like you had a really awesome Xmas! That's great to hear! I didn't get anything I really wanted actually, lol. Oh well, maybe next year. Yeah, Esp probably is enjoying the tunnel of love even if it's making him get all confused. You know how he is. xP Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman:Yup, they finally kissed! Shall we throw them a party? *gets out some party decor* Hm, well, Esp might mess it up! xD You'll see in this chapter, lol. Hope you like it!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: It was pretty funny how Espio reacted to the roller coaster, wasn't it? xD What do you bet that he won't be going on another one anytime soon? Hehe, well, actually Vector did know it was the tunnel of love. He totally set Espio up and then decided to act all innocent about the whole thing. Yeah, I tend to get stressed out and sick during the holidays, but I'm feeling a lot better now. ^^ I'm so happy to hear that you had an awesome Xmas! Here's the next chappie!  
**

**Cosmictruffle: Yup! It's about time, right? I've been dying to write some romance stuff. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

My pulse races and my mind spins around and around in a tumult of chaos as Vector continues pressing his lips against mine. I should pull back since I know this is wrong. I can't be in a relationship of any sort, not even with the certain crocodile I just so happen to be in love with. After all, I've come up with a long list of reasons for why I should stay out of relationships. Now just what were those reasons again? I try to think, but all intelligent thoughts fizzle out of my mind while Vector whirls me away to a world of new sensations I didn't even know existed.

I've never been kissed before. Well, not like this anyways. Bryce would crash his lips against mine every once in a while and use his tongue to pry open my mouth. This is nothing like what Bryce used to do to me though. Vector cups my chin ever so gently in the palm of his hand and brushes his mouth against mine with tender kisses that make me feel wanted and cared for. A soft moan forms in the back of my throat, but I repress it. I want this much more than I want to admit. I long to kiss Vector back and move my lips against his.

...Yet, I can't. I can't kiss Vector back because deep inside, I'm frightened. What does this kiss signify? Does Vector actually love me or is he simply messing with me since we just so happen to be on a boat in the tunnel of love by accident? Then again, perhaps it isn't by accident. Is there a possibility that Vector dragged me in here on purpose for this very reason? He knew I was paying no attention when he suggested the boat ride to me. I'm most likely over-thinking this though.

While the war in my mind continues waging, Vector keeps on kissing me. His lips are like the brush of butterfly wings against my mouth. I would never have guessed that Vector might even be capable of being so gentle with me. I would have expected the big, clumsy crocodile to kiss me even more sloppily than Bryce did.

One of my hands lifts and starts towards Vector. My body wants this. My insides seem to be melting inside of me as my inner walls tumble and lay in ruins. Trying to keep myself from getting carried away, I seek out the logical part of my mind and force my hand to stop moving. If I kiss Vector back or make any sort of movement that shows him I'm actually enjoying this, everything will be different between Vector and myself from here on out. He will know my true feelings for him and I just can't have that. Not yet.

A light is suddenly visible at the end of the tunnel. Vector draws back from me and our eyes lock. Vermilion meets amber in an unanswered question. Vector needs to know how I feel about him. Here is my chance to admit to him how I really feel. I've wished for an opportunity like this for a while now, but in the heat of the moment, I find I'm too scared to tell Vector the truth.

"Vector, I..." I trail off, not even sure what I can say. I search Vector's eyes with mine and see from his wide-eyed innocence that he's not teasing me. He really does care for me, maybe even love me.

Before I can say anything else, the two of us are suddenly engulfed in a burst of bright light. Feeling blinded, I squint as the boat ride comes to an end and we're back where we started. Did the boat ride really start only a few minutes ago? Life seemed so much simpler and less complicated back then.

"Hey guys!" Charmy exclaims from outside of the boat where he's waiting for us. "Did you notice that this is a love boat ride? Probably not, huh?"

"We noticed," I say flatly while Charmy giggles at the irony of this.

As I climb out of the boat, I realize that I can't possibly get into a relationship with Vector for Charmy's sake. Charmy shouldn't be influenced by a homosexual couple at his age. I don't really have anything against homosexual couples. In fact, my hesitation regarding them seems to have disappeared ever since I fell in love with Vector. We all want love, and at the end of the day, does it really matter if who we love is male or female? I think not, but I don't want my decisions to influence Charmy. After all, he's only seven-years-old.

The three of us step out of the love boat attraction building and back out into the bright sunny day. The sunshine no longer cheers me up. My emotions are so confused and conflicted right now that I don't even know what to think anymore. I want to be with Vector because I like him very much. Oh god, who am I fooling? I _love _Vector more than anyone I've ever met. He's healed the broken shards of my soul and helped piece them back together. I don't think of Bryce anymore and I certainly don't think of suicide.

Can I really take this next step though? Things will change dramatically if I turn our friendship into a fully fledged relationship. What will Vector expect out of me in a relationship? I wring my hands together, not paying any attention to where I'm going or what Charmy and Vector are doing as my thoughts spin around and around inside my head. I know that kissing will only eventually lead to intimacy between us and I also know that I will never be able to let anyone take me sexually ever again. I could set up rules for our relationship, but that wouldn't be fair to Vector.

"Um, did something happen between you guys?" Charmy asks, breaking into my thoughts as he glances dubiously from Vector to myself. "You're both way too quiet!"

"Er, no, nothin' happened. I was just...uh...thinkin' about what we should do next. Yeah, that's what I was thinkin' about!" Vector says, trying to nod convincingly in Charmy's direction as he asks, "Where do ya wanna go next, Charmy? It's all up to you."

"Let's go inside that awesome looking arcade up ahead!" Charmy exclaims excitedly, pointing ahead of us to a bright red building labeled as an arcade.

Vector and I trail after Charmy into the arcade and blink rapidly to adjust out eyes to the new lighting. It's very dark in here, but there are brilliant multi-colored lights flashing in every which direction. Charmy grins excitedly, obviously enjoying the loud music pulsing through the arcade as well as the lights and the games.

Since the arcade isn't too big, I decide not too worry about Charmy getting lost and move to one corner of the room while Charmy seeks out some games to try. I've lost sight of Vector, but I suppose maybe that's a good thing for now. Unfortunately, I can't seem to think while all this music echoes around me. My state of confusion worsens until I feel like I have a headache.

Charmy plays games for a while. I lose track of time and just lean against the wall with my eyes closed as I try to rid myself of my headache. No matter what I do, it continues throbbing painfully through my head. Suddenly, I feel a firm hand on my shoulder and open my eyes.

"Esp, I gotta talk to ya," Vector implores me, eyes searching mine and voice urgent for once.

I glance over to see what Charmy is doing and notice that he's playing a game a few feet away from us where the object of the game is to whack fake moles on the head as quickly as possible. Charmy must sense my gaze because he chooses this moment to turn and look over at me. Grinning, he waves and then goes back to crushing the moles.

"Not here," I whisper to Vector, sending another more furtive look at Charmy. "I can't take a chance that Charmy hears this."

"When though? I gotta talk to yeh and it really can't wait," Vector pleads, looking forlorn for the first time ever.

"I don't know," I hiss, wishing Vector could go back to whispering so Charmy can't hear us. "Later perhaps."

Vector's face immediately falls at my vagueness. I can't help my attitude though. I'm too concerned about Charmy overhearing us to be more articulate right now. Sighing, Vector's shoulders slump and he steps away from me, saying, "Ya don't like me, do yeh? I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm sorry, Esp."

"No, Vector, wait. Please," I murmur, chasing after Vector as he turns away from me. I catch onto his wrist and reply, "We_ will _talk tonight. I promise."

Vector nods, but the light has gone out from his eyes as if he knows he's going to be rejected. I don't want to hurt him seeing as my feelings for him are far from ambivalent. I just don't seem to know how to tell Vector the reasons behind my decision either way. I probably ought to tell him that I've been raped and this is why I'm so hesitant to get into any sort of relationship, but I still can't utter those simple words. It's as if by keeping them inside, I can somehow pretend that it never happened.

"Look what I won!" Charmy exclaims, interrupting us once more as he comes flying over with a big stuffed rabbit in his arms.

"That's very nice," I tell Charmy, smiling stiffly at him.

"Yeah!" Charmy nods before yawning widely.

I seize his obvious tiredness as an excuse to go home. My stomach is still queasy, I feel as if my brain is pounding against my skull, and I really need to speak with Vector privately. Turning to the little bee, I say, "I think maybe it's time we head back to the house. I'm not feeling the best right now and I think we've hit all the main attractions. I'll bring you back here another time if you'd like that."

Charmy looks as if he's going to protest, but then he takes a look at my face and says, "Okay. You don't look so good, Espio."

"I don't feel well," I admit before starting towards the door of the arcade. "Don't worry about me though. I'll be fine."

The three of us step out of the arcade and back into the sunshine. We walk silently to the entrance of the amusement park and then out to the streets. I have no idea what I'm going to tell Vector yet, but I need to come up with something soon. We will reach my house in a few minutes and Vector will need an answer from me. He's chewing on his tongue and is looking extremely anxious for the normally carefree crocodile. It pains me to know that I'm the reason for his stress, but this is an awfully big decision I'm being forced to make.

"Hey Vector, are you feeling sick too?" Charmy asks on our way back to the house.

"Nah, I feel fine," Vector says, making himself smile at Charmy before he asks, "Why do ya ask?"

"You're too quiet and so is Espio, but Espio has an excuse to be quiet since he's sick. You don't have an excuse. We should talk about something," Charmy says resolutely.

"Er, alright," Vector nods. "Whaddya want to talk about?"

"Hm. Oh! I just finished the next level on the video game we were playing on Thanksgiving. I'll tell you about it!" Charmy decides.

For the rest of the walk home, Charmy jabbers on and on about his video game. Usually, Vector tries to participate in Charmy's video game related conversations to some extent, but I can tell that he's not even bothering to make an effort today. Instead, he just nods along and keeps glancing over at me from out of the corner of his eye. Unable to help himself, he hesitantly reaches over and takes my hand as we continue down the street. Charmy is too busy blabbing to notice. I hesitate, but the lost look in Vector's eyes keeps me from pulling my hand away. Vector looks hopeful when I don't reject him and walks with a bit more bounce to his step on the rest of the walk home.

Finally, we reach the familiar door to my house and I immediately pull out the keys and unlock the door, allowing it to swing open. Charmy is the first inside, announcing, "I'm going to go get a snack. I'm hungry."

"Alright," I reply, glad to hear that Charmy has something to occupy himself with. I put my hand on top of Vector's to keep him from following Charmy inside as I call to him, "Vector and I are going to be outside for a few moments. I'll be inside shortly."

Charmy comes to a halt and gives me a curious look, asking, "What are you going to be doing outside? It's boring out there."

"I just wanted to show Vector where I planted the tomato seeds in my garden," I reply smoothly so Charmy won't be at all suspicious.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll just stay inside then," Charmy says, sounding disappointed that we're not up to anything more exciting before he flies into the kitchen and adds, "I'll be in here!"

As soon as the door falls shut, I step to the side of the house under the tall tree that blocks us from anyone looking in our direction from the street. Vector follows me and immediately starts talking as soon as we round the corner, saying, "Look, Esp, I'm real sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have kissed ya. It just felt so right in the moment, y'know? I've been havin' feelings for ya for a while now. I know yeh probably don't feel the same way."

"I...I think I need to think all of this over for a few days," I tell Vector since I still haven't reached a decision yet.

"Whaddya have to think through?" Vector asks, suddenly looking alarmed as he questions, "Yer not thinkin' about leavin' Team Chaotix, are ya?"

"No, no, nothing like that," I reply before Vector can jump to conclusions. "I just need some time to think about us. I'm very sorry. I know this is unfair to you."

"It's alright," Vector sighs, looking as if he's already been turned down. "Guess I'll just be goin' then."

Vector's shoulders slump and he trudges away looking dejected. I feel my own heart crack in two as I watch him leave. I want to run to him, tell him to wait, and confess my love for him. However, I still need to think things through and if I run to Vector now, all I can give him are empty promises. It's my turn to sigh as I feel a new heavy weight draped around my shoulders. What should I do and how do I know what decision is the best one to make?

* * *

_Esp, you just broke Vector's heart! *sighs* What do you think Espio's decision is going to be? Will he agree to getting into a relationship with Vector? And if he does, will he put "boundaries" on their relationship? Review please! :)  
_


	56. Reaching Resolutions

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you there! Espio seems to need some encouragement. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Espio should definitely tell Vector about his past. If he doesn't come clean, I don't think their relationship will last too long, do you? I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Thanks! I'm actually feeling a little sick again tonight though. =/ Oh no, you had a headache? I'm so sorry! Is it completely gone now? I hope so! Yeah, poor Vector! He just had his heart crushed, didn't he? Haha, I agree, there will definitely be rules in their relationship! Thanks for the review! :3  
**

**Guest: Wow, are you a mind reader or something? ;P I'd say you've got all that just about perfect. We both know what Vector's looking for and let's just say Espio wants a much different kind of relationship. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**PreyasRules: Hehe, yeah, lots of drama! I always tell people that drama is my specialty. Oh no, you're going to kill me because Espio doesn't give Vector his answer in this chappie. *hides under my bed* I wish you could stay at your cousin's house longer. I guess we can hope that wherever you go next has wi-fi though. Lol, when you wrote that about Vector, I thought you were going to say that the two things he wants are Esp's ass and his dick. xD Yay, that's awesome that you're never going to get sick of the story! *parties* Glad to hear your Xmas was good. Mine was decent, I guess.  
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**Alicia: Yeah! Oh no is right! Esp just broke Vector's heart. -_- And I'm not really sure. Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: Hehe, I don't think anyone is going to be satisfied until Vector gets his revenge on Bryce. And yeah, poor Vector. He was feeling pretty down in the last chapter. I'm just working on this Sonic story for now. I can't handle more than one story at once I've realized. *makes a mental note to write only one at a time* Woo, an iPad is an awesome gift! I just got some gift cards. Nothing special really, lol. Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Lol, am I going to have to hide Esp so you don't kill him? xD He might say yes to the relationship, but I think it will be a while before Espio actually tells Vector that he loves him. Love is a sign of weakness in his book. ;P Thanks for the review!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! I got sort of teary-eyed when I was writing it. I guess it's because I know what it's like to be rejected and so I tried to make poor Veccy feel like that even though Espio hasn't given him his "official" answer yet. You're definitely right about the rules regarding sex. Vector's going to want it and Espio is not. xP I guess they need to come to some agreement from the beginning of their relationship. Thanks so much for reading! :)  
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**Cosmictruffle: I know, if it were me, I would have accepted Vector's offer right away, lol. They'll make up soon. This chapter is just sort of Espio thinking things over. xD Hope you like it. ^^  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yay, you're back! I missed you! And yup, they finally kissed. xD It's about time really! Mhm, it's Esp who gets the wet dream, but that's not until chapter 115 or so. Can you imagine how embarrassed he's going to be over it? ;P Your mind is totally awesome! It's not often that I meet someone who thinks like me. That would be cute if Vector lost it to Esp! Want me to tell you if he will or not or is that too much of a spoiler? And mhm, Espio is going to be far from a virgin by the end of this story, but his first time with Vector will be the first time he willingly gives himself to someone at least. My Xmas was sort of meh. The best part was when my mom decided to order me Espio and Vector figures in exchange for a gift card I got. I'm soooooo excited! Those are the best Xmas presents**** e****ver for someone like me who is obsessed with Esp and Vex. xD How was your Xmas? ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter LVI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Once Vector leaves, I go back into the house to think for a bit. My head is still a chaos of mixed emotions and I haven't the slightest idea what I'm going to do about the pressing question I need to give Vector an answer to. I've bought myself three days, but will even that be enough time for me to think through my decision and make sure I'm choosing the right one? I cringe as I remember the look on Vector's face when I told him I needed time to think all this through. Relationships shouldn't start out like this. I should have just told him yes or no.

Sighing, I push the door to the house open and find that it feels much heavier than it normally does. I trudge inside and let it fall shut behind me. Charmy is sitting at the wooden table and is eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich he must have made himself. He has dark purple jam all over his mouth, which causes me to smile despite my inner conflicting feelings.

"Hey Espio," Charmy says through a big bite of sandwich as he watches me enter the room. He suddenly frowns and adds, "Where's Vector? You two didn't get into a fight, did you?"

"No, not a fight exactly," I reply vaguely, my headache continuing to get worse. I feel as if my head is going to explode if it gets any worse. Leaning heavily against the wall, I look over at Charmy through tired eyes and ask, "Do you might if I take a short afternoon nap? I'm feeling a bit dizzy. You can play your video game while I'm resting if you like."

"Okay," Charmy replies without any resistance. "I hope you feel better."

"Thank you, Charmy," I tell him gratefully before turning and trying to find the way to my bedroom through the pulsing in my head.

Once I reach the bedroom, I go straight to the bed and collapse on top of it. My head hurts too much for me to think about my impending decision right now. First, I need to just get rid of this awful headache. After that, then I can work on coming up with my answer for Vector. However, regardless of whether or not I can think properly, Vector's forlorn expression from when I dismissed him keeps popping to the front of my mind. All I really wanted to do was go to him and wipe the sorrow off of his face because...well...I love him and it saddens me to see him upset. If I love Vector and if he loves me, then perhaps there isn't really a problem here. Love cannot be wrong, can it? I may have to put a few limitations on our relationship, but Vector would understand that, wouldn't he?

I manage to fall asleep despite the throbbing in my head. I have a dreamless sleep and wake up feeling much better. My eyes flicker open and I gaze around myself blearily. I find the clock hanging on the wall and realize that it's already seven pm. Damn. I need to get up and fix dinner for Charmy or else he will play his video game straight through the night.

Slipping quietly off of the mattress, I pad to the door and silently slip into the kitchen. Just as I suspected, Charmy's video game music is blaring from the living room. I don't have a headache anymore, so the noise doesn't bother me too much. Since I'm too tired to put much effort into cooking tonight, I heat up a frozen meal for Charmy and gaze blankly out the window while I wait for it to heat up. I'm not the least bit hungry, so I will skip dinner tonight. Even if I was hungry, I don't think I could eat a thing because my insides are twisted up into knots right now.

Beep, beep, beep! The microwave alerts me that Charmy's dinner is cooked. Glancing up, I absentmindedly pull it out of the microwave and return to the wooden table. I set out the meal, a napkin, a glass of water, and a fork for the little bee while I call, "Come eat dinner, Charmy. You can go back to your game after that."

"Can I finish this level first?" Charmy asks, eyes still locked on the television screen. "I've never gotten this far before!"

"Alright, you can finish the level, but then come and eat," I tell Charmy while I take a seat at the table.

While I wait for Charmy to finish his video game level, I find myself wondering how Charmy would feel if Vector and I got into a relationship together. He certainly seems to want the three of us to act as one big happy family, but would he find it strange if Vector and I became lovers? Perhaps I ought to ask Charmy how he would feel if I was in a relationship.

A few minutes later, Charmy comes whizzing over to the table with a triumphant grin on his face. He plops down on his chair and takes a big bite of microwaved spaghetti as he exclaims, "Guess what? I beat the level! Now there are only three levels left of the game!"

"Good job," I tell Charmy distractedly while I drum my fingers against the edge of the table a bit nervously. Taking a deep breath, I ask, "Charmy, how would you feel if I was in a relationship?"

"Huh?" Charmy asks, bright red spaghetti sauce all over his mouth as he looks up at me in confusion. "What do you mean by 'relationship'?"

"Let me come up with an example," I murmur, searching my head for a good way to explain this to Charmy. I come up with something a moment later and say, "Well, you do know how Vector and Vanilla were dating, right? People would consider them to be in a relationship."

Charmy totally misses the point of what I'm trying to explain to him and points out, "What do you mean by how Vector and Vanilla _were _dating? Aren't they still dating?"

The knot in my stomach tightens as I realize that Charmy has a good question here. I don't know what the status of Vector's and Vanilla's relationship is anymore. If Vector wants me, he's certainly going to have to break up with Vanilla first. I won't be second best. I make a mental note to ask Vector about this later and then return to the situation at hand.

"I'm not quite sure. Anyway, how would you feel if I was in a relationship with someone? Would you mind that?" I ask Charmy, trying not to blush.

"You mean you want a girlfriend?" Charmy asks, looking surprised. I hesitate and don't answer because Charmy still looks like he's thinking and I don't exactly have a girlfriend in mind. After a few more seconds, Charmy shrugs his shoulders and replies a-matter-of-factly, "Well, it might be kind of weird at first, but I'm sure I would get used to it and like your girlfriend. I know you would only be in a relationship with a nice person. Besides, if she makes you happy, then I'm happy too. Just don't forget about me, okay?"

"Thank you," I tell Charmy, glad that he doesn't seem to oppose the idea too much although he seems to have it stuck in his head that I would only date a girl. Reaching across the table, I squeeze his free hand and reassure him, "I won't ever forget about you. You mean so much to me. I hope you realize that."

"I love you too, Espio," Charmy smiles at me happily before he suddenly frowns and points out, "Why aren't you eating?"

"Oh, I'm...not hungry," I reply since that's partially the case. "I have quite a bit on my mind at the moment."

"Like what?" Charmy asks, clearly not understanding that whatever I happen to have on my mind is probably not something I want to talk about. Charmy's eyes twinkle and he adds, "Are you thinking about asking someone out on a date? Who is it? Amy Rose?"

"No, not Amy," I chuckle, trying to imagine myself dating the pink hedgehog and failing to even begin to picture that in my mind. I hesitate and wonder if I should tell Charmy about Vector. He is young, but if I do accept Vector, Charmy will find out sooner or later that we've entered a relationship. He is going to have to learn about homosexual couples at some point, so I might as well be the one to explain it to him. Continuing to fiddle with my hands apprehensively under the table, I tell Charmy, "Someone has asked me out actually."

"Really?" Charmy asks, looking intrigued. He forgets about his dinner and turns his full attention to me as he asks, "Who asked you out on a date? Was it Amy Rose?"

"No..." I shake my head, still debating about whether or not to tell Charmy about Vector.

"Um, how about Miss Vanilla then?" Charmy continues on, not sounding as if he's going to give up guessing anytime soon.

"No, it wasn't Vanilla either," I shake my head.

"Tell me who it was then!" Charmy demands, picking up his fork again and taking a big bite of spaghetti. "I want to know who it was and if you're going to tell them yes or no!"

"It was Vector," I say, the words out of my mouth before I'm even sure I want to tell Charmy about this or not.

Smash! A loud clatter causes me to cringe as Charmy drops his fork onto his plate in shock. He stares at me with wide eyes, obviously not sure what to make of this. Oh dear, I've just done a bad thing, haven't I? I shouldn't have told Charmy about this because now he's going to be scarred for life at the idea of Vector and myself dating and it's all my fault! I internally kick myself for being so thoughtless and wait for Charmy to say something because I'm not sure what to say until he tells me what he's thinking.

"Vector?" Charmy repeats after a long, drawn out silence. "But, um, Vector's a _guy_."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," I nod, a little smile playing at the corners of my mouth despite the fact that I was frowning only seconds earlier. The way Charmy informed me that Vector is male was a bit amusing. Returning myself to the serious topic at hand, I explain, "Sometimes two people of the same sex decide to date one another. It may not be the most ordinary thing to do, but think of it this way; if you fall in love with someone, should it matter if the person you fall in love with is male or female?"

Charmy thinks this through before saying, "I guess it doesn't matter. It's kind of weird, but it makes sense. I mean, you and Vector are close, right? So it's natural for him to fall in love with you?"

"Well, maybe not natural, but possible, I suppose," I reply, still finding it very hard to believe that anyone could possibly fall in love with me. I see nothing in myself. Bryce made me feel like dirt. Actually, he made me feel like I was worth even less than dirt.

"So what are you going to tell Vector?" Charmy pipes up, looking curious to hear my answer to his question.

"I haven't decided yet," I admit, feeling bad once more for not having an answer ready for Vector. Looking over at Charmy, I consult him despite the fact that he's only seven-years-old and say, "I actually wanted to talk the whole situation over with you first to make sure you wouldn't be uncomfortable with it. What would you like me to do?"

"I think it's obvious that Vector likes you. He's always staring at you and stuff," Charmy giggles before he turns more solemn and continues, "You should do what you want to do though, not what I want you to do. I'm totally fine with you and Vector dating though. I've always wanted us to be a family. Just don't do mushy stuff with him around me. That's gross."

"Don't worry, I'm thinking about staying away from most of the mushy stuff," I reply to Charmy, knowing that if I say yes to Vector, I'm certainly going to have to put boundaries on the physical side of our relationship. Frowning, I stare at the table and add, "I'm not quite sure what to tell him just yet."

"Do you love Vector, Espio?" Charmy asks innocently, looking at me with his big brown eyes.

I open my mouth and pause. I've been denying my feelings for Vector for so long, but I suppose I don't need to deny them any longer. Charmy doesn't mind the idea of Vector and I as a couple. In fact, he's accepted it much better than I thought he might. For the first time ever, I admit the truth and flush slightly as I say, "I do. He's the only one who's ever loved me in that way before."

"Why are you hesitating then?" Charmy questions, tilting his head at me in a perplexed way. "If you love Vector and if Vector loves you, then why haven't you said yes yet?"

"I wanted to talk to you about it first and there are a few other things I need to take into consideration still," I reply, wishing my logic was as simple as Charmy's.

Now that Charmy has finished eating, he gets up from the table and says, "Well, I'm going to go back to my video game now. I know you'll make the right decision because you always do. I think it would be kind of cool if you and Vector started dating each other though. I know you get lonely when he's not around."

I nod silently and watch Charmy as he flies back to the living room. He's right; I do miss Vector when the two of us are apart. The whole concept of falling in love is very new and peculiar to me. I've never felt the way I feel towards Vector towards anyone else before. Charmy has just made me see things in a new light. Perhaps dating the crocodile wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. I have Charmy's permission to date him and there's really nothing left to hold me back anymore, is there?

* * *

_It seems like Espio is warming up to the idea of a getting into a relationship with Vector as long as they put limits on their relationship. Do you think Vector will accept that or do you think he'll demand an "all or nothing" relationship from Esp? Review please! :)  
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	57. Taking Chances

**Saints-Fan-12: Hehe, that would be the smart thing to do! Let's hope that Vector says yes. :3 Thanks for reading!  
**

**Mormar1: I agree with you! Vector wants Espio so bad that he won't demand an "all or nothing" relationship, but we do know that he is a bit of a pushy croc at times. xD Let's hope that he doesn't push Esp too much! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**PreyasRules: It's okay! I hate it when iPods run out of charge, don't you? My mp3 is old and is forever refusing to play or is running out of charge. I really need a new one! Yay, I'm glad your nan has wi-fi! *parties too* Guess you're right about Vector wanting three things from Esp! Now the question is what does he want the most from him? I'm glad you thought the last chapter was cute! Espio is pretty considerate of Charmy. xD Lol, it is a miracle! I don't mind long reviews though. xP Thanks for reading!  
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**Vulpette: Yay, you're back! I thought I had lost you on this. xP It's great to hear that you're still liking the story though! Hearing (reading?) that really made my day. It is nice that Esp and Vector have finally made some progress. That's a good point you have about Charmy. What do you bet that Charmy is going to find them doing something he shouldn't see later in the story? xD Thanks again for catching up!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I think you're right about Vector understanding some of the limits. ^^ Hm, you feel worse at night? I usually feel worse in the morning. Maybe it's because I'm a night person. I'm glad you're better! I'm a bit better tonight too. Good idea about staying inside! I'm going to do the same thing if I can. I like summer way more than winter. xD  
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**Guest: You definitely think the same way I do. xD Vector will probably start out nice and sweet and then get pushy later, right? xD Kissing and holding hands won't be enough for him. Thanks for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: That would be a shame if Vector demanded an "all or nothing" relationship. Of course, Vector doesn't know what Espio's been through though, so it's hard for him to understand why Espio wants rules in their relationship. Glad you liked Esp's explanation! It's how I view homosexuality. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: In general, I'd say Vector, but in this story, I'm going to say Espio since he's the one "setting the rules". What do you think? Eh, I've been kind of sick lately, but I'm otherwise okay, I guess. Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: I'm glad you liked Espio's explanation! It's how I view homosexuality. xD Oh god, I remember how my parents tried to hide it from me for a while too. They're strict Christians and are against gay marriages. x_x They don't know I'm bi and I certainly don't plan on telling them about it, lol. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Ersiffa Narman: Yay, Esp is back on your good side! :3 Hehe, why do I have to hide Vector from you? You're not a Vector fan or...? I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yeah, it is cute how Charmy is giving Espio dating advice! He's actually a very smart little bee! Espio is finally warming up to Vector! Yay! Oh god, yes, I definitely see Vector getting carried away at times. That's just how he is! Thank you so much for the great review!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Thanks! There's a lot more cute scenes coming up. ^^ And yeah, exactly! I really hate Vectilla though (as you know xD), so that doesn't happen in this story. Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: Thanks! I think this chapter is a turning point in the fic. :) I just went to a few Xmas parties, nothing too exciting. Did you get anything you really liked for Xmas?  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Charmy is pretty mature! And yay, you remind me of myself. I'm kind of mature for my age in some ways. In other ways, I act like a five-year-old, lol. I totally agree with you there! Nothing is holding Esp back at this point. Hehe, I dunno how to spell "hallelujah" either. Spell check ftw! xD You can share all you want to with me! I like chatting. So you like The Walking Dead? A friend of mine got into it, but I've not seen it. Here's your spoiler! Vector doesn't lose it to Esp. =/ Does that surprise you? And lol, yeah, Espio having a wet dream will definitely make him embarrassed, especially if a certain someone is around to witness it happen. *hint hint* Yeah, this is definitely going to be a long story! ...Well, I actually came up with another Vecpio story idea, so I might write that next instead of the SonJet story. I've got that one a bit more planned out and I have a title for it and everything. I have such a bad Vecpio addiction right now. xD Here's the update!****  
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* * *

**Chapter LVII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I spend the next three days fretting over my big decision. Despite Charmy's encouragement, I just can't seem to decide what to do. A part of me wants to accept Vector and another part of me says that I'm crazy to even consider dating him. Try as I might, I just can't seem to get Vector out of my head. He keeps popping up in the front of my mind even when I'm trying not to think about him. It's only been three days since I've seen him, yet, it feels like it's been forever. I suppose this is what happens when you're in love.

Finally, the third day comes and I reach my decision. I think I knew all along which choice I would make. It just took me a long time to get my mind wrapped around it. I'm up early on this crisp December morning. Charmy is still in bed and I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I want to look my absolute best today. I scrub my fuchsia scales until they glisten in the light and then brush my teeth until they sparkle. The only problem are my eyes. They look dark and hollow from a lack of sleep. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about that.

Once I'm done in the bathroom, I go to the kitchen and fix myself a cup of coffee. I flip absentmindedly through the newspaper while I sip my coffee and wait for Charmy to wake up. He must have stayed up late last night playing his video game because it takes him a good hour to enter the living room. When he finally flies inside the room, he's yawning sleepily and is rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning, Charmy," I greet the little bee as he gazes around blearily. "I fixed you some pancakes. They're on the counter if you'd like them."

"Pancakes?" Charmy asks, perking up at the sound of his favorite breakfast. "I _love _pancakes! I'm going to go get them."

I wait for Charmy to return and continue sipping my coffee and gazing out the window. I expect Vector to arrive here sooner than later. After a few moments, Charmy reemerges from the kitchen with a plate filled with pancakes drenched in maple syrup. He plops down on a chair across from me and stuffs his mouth with a bite of pancakes before he frowns and asks, "Don't you want some pancakes, Espio?"

"No, I'm fine," I reply since I feel as if I have butterflies in my stomach. The last thing I feel like doing right now is eating.

"You haven't eaten hardly anything in the last three days," Charmy points out in a muffled voice as he continues cramming pancakes in his mouth as fast as he can. "Are you sick or something?"

"I'm not sick, no. In fact, I'm feeling much better than I've felt for a while now," I reply, realizing only now that Charmy is right. I have a tendency to skip meals when I'm worried or nervous about something. It's as if my need to eat just disappears. Shoving that thought aside, I tell Charmy, "Vector is coming over for a bit this morning. I'm thinking that the two of us will go out for a walk. Would it be alright for you to go and play with Cream this morning? I really need to speak to Vector alone."

"Yeah, that's fine," Charmy replies. "Cream and I can always find things to do. What are you going to talk to Vector about? Have you decided whether or not you're going to date him?"

"I have to talk things over with him today before I make any final decisions," I reply vaguely in case things don't go the way I want them to with Vector. "I'll tell you what ends up happening when I pick you up from Cream's house later today. Does that sound alright to you?"

"Sure," Charmy says, already having cleared his plate of pancakes. I look at his plate in astonishment, wondering how he could have inhaled his food so fast. Wiping his mouth on a napkin, Charmy flies towards the door and says, "I guess I'll go to Cream's house now so you and Vector can chat. See you later, Espio!"

"Bye, Charmy!" I call to him as he flings the door open wide. He has a tendency to slam the door shut behind him, so I start to add, "Please don't slam-"

Bang! The door slams shut and I roll my eyes, figuring that Charmy didn't hear me. I return to my newspaper, but I can't seem to concentrate on it. I keep looking out the window every few seconds, wondering when Vector will get here. He will come, won't he? I do hope he isn't mad that I had to take a few days to reach a decision. It was a bit rude of me to insist on needing a few days to think the matter over, but my situation is not like most situations. Most people have not spent months being raped by a cousin every night.

The sound of loud knocking immediately has me on my feet. That has to be Vector although I'm surprised that he's knocking. He usually doesn't bother to knock. Instead, he just lets himself in. I practically sprint across the floor and open the door, trying not to look as if I've been impatiently waiting for the crocodile for the last hour and a half. Vector is standing awkwardly in the doorway with a half-smile on his face. He looks just as nervous as I feel. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's thought quite a bit about this meeting.

"Hey, Esp," Vector says, giving me a little wave. "Can I come in?"

"Actually, I was thinking that we could go for a little walk. I know a nice trail through the park where we could walk if you're up to it. It's private," I add as if in an afterthought.

"Sure. A walk is fine with me," Vector nods, stepping aside to let me out of the door.

I pull the door shut and then turn to Vector. We exchange awkward smiles and walk down the sidewalk side by side. It's too busy out here in the open to tell Vector the thing I really want to tell him. Therefore, we're forced to walk in tense silence to the park. Even though it's only five minutes to the park, it seems like a lot longer than that. Luckily, the traffic isn't too thick and nobody stops us on our way to the park. Finally, we enter the grassy green area. I take Vector's hand and lead him to the path I was talking about earlier. It's a nature trail that extends to the back area of the park which is surrounded by trees, bushes, and flowers in the summer time. Most of the flowers are dead this time of year, but the trees are still healthy and verdant.

As soon as we start on the secluded nature trail, I turn to Vector and take a deep breath before murmuring, "I've been thinking about you a lot these last few days."

"I've been thinkin' about yeh a lot too," Vector admits before frowning and pointing out, "I see ya haven't been eatin' again. Ya need to take care of yerself!"

"I'm fine," I blush, surprised that Vector can tell that I haven't been eating. I suddenly come to a halt and take Vector's hands, pulling him to a halt and turning him to face me. Searching his eyes with mine, I murmur, "There's really only one thing I need to know, Vector. Do you really love me? If so, do you love me more than Vanilla or anyone else you may have your eyes on?"

"Ain't it obvious, Esp?" Vector asks wryly. "I love ya more than anything. Why else am I always comin' up with excuses to drop by yer place? Why else did I kiss ya on the boat ride?"

"I like you, Vector. I really do. I've tried to keep my feelings to myself because I made myself a promise that I would never get into another relationship. However, you've changed my mind. You've opened my eyes to a whole new world. When I'm with you, I'm much happier than when I'm by myself. If you want to date me, then please do. I would feel very lucky to be chosen over Vanilla," I admit, peering up at Vector almost nervously, part of me thinking that he might have changed his mind about me over the last few days.

"Wait a second," Vector holds up a hand, looking at me in complete astonishment, "Ya actually feel the same way towards me? I always thought that I was just imaginin' yeh trying to flirt with me. I never thought ya might actually feel the same way."

"Why wouldn't I feel the same way?" I ask, tilting my head at Vector curiously. "You're the only one who has ever been kind to me. You've given me friendship, which was something I never thought I might have. I...I suppose the friendship turned into something else after a while."

"Oh god, Esp, I never thought I'd hear yeh say this. I imagined it plenty of times, but I never thought I'd actually hear it," Vector admits, looking stunned. Suddenly, his vermilion eyes sparkle and he grins the happiest crocodile smile at me that I've ever seen on his face before as he seizes my hands again and adds, "'Course I want to date ya, Esp! I want yeh more than anything else on this damn planet. So we're like a couple now? We're together?"

"If you want me, then yes," I nod, feeling as if a heavy weight has just been lifted off of my back. Vector is more excited than I thought he would be and I find that even I am looking forwards to what the future might hold for us. Hesitating, I add, "There are a few things I want to discuss with you though. There's a park bench right around the corner from here. It overlooks a little stream. Would you like to sit there with me and we can go over the things I'd like to talk to you about?"

"Whatever ya want!" Vector nods readily as he takes my hand and starts swinging it energetically as the two of us start down the path towards the park bench. "Do ya have any idea how happy you've made me right now? I bet I'm the happiest croc on the planet! Hold that though. I _know _I'm the happiest croc on the planet!"

A faint blush crosses my cheeks and I find myself looking shyly at the ground as I reply, "I'm nothing special, Vector. I'm just a random chameleon."

"Er, no. Yer not," Vector says as we round the corner and come into view of the park bench and the little stream. "Yer a hell of a lot more than that. Ya need me around to convince yerself of that, I see. I'm upta the challenge!"

"Good luck with that," I reply dryly, knowing that my sense of self loathing will never go away no matter what happens. "Here we are. Let's sit."

I perch on the edge of the bench and stare out over the crystal clear water of the stream while Vector plops down besides me, still grinning from ear to ear. I honestly don't know what Vector sees in me. I've always considered myself to be anti-social and not particularly friendly. He seems quite sure he wants me though.

"First of all," I start out. "I've told Charmy about this, but I don't want to do anything intimate around him. No kissing, hugging, or anything of the like. He's very young and I really don't think we're a very good influence on him."

"That's fine if it's what ya want," Vector replies before he frowns and adds, "No hugging though? I mean, we used ta hug..."

"Hugging is alright, I suppose," I admit, seeing no harm in this. I continue on, "I know you've been dating Vanilla. If we're going to be together, I need you to break up with her. I can't be second best. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Yeah 'course I do," Vector nods. "I'll end things with her the next time we're alone. I don't really think we're together anymore anyway. We haven't been on a date in the last month. Things between us just sorta mellowed out. I don't have any real feelings for her."

"I hate to sound selfish, but I'm glad," I admit, flushing slightly as I realize just how possessive of Vector I am. My mind goes back to the time Vector kissed Vanilla in the cafe I work at and how horrified it made me to see them together. I was jealous of them even before I realized I had feelings for Vector. Going on, I add, "I want to take this slow. Please don't push me to do anything I'm not ready to do. I need your respect."

"I respect ya, Esp. I really do. When have I_ not _respected ya?" Vector asks.

"Well, you do tend to be a bit pushy at times," I admit, recalling how many times Vector tried to get me to tell him about Bryce.

"Yeah, but that was for yer own good," Vector points out.

"Perhaps, but just keep that in mind please," I reply, not wanting to be turned into a slave over the course of our relationship. Some might call me paranoid, but after what happened with Bryce, I have a right to worry. I speak in a rush as I add the last thing I need to say to Vector, "Also, I don't want to do anything...sexual."

For the first time, Vector frowns. He shoots me a look out of the corner of his eye and asks, "Nothin' at all? I'm not tryin' to push ya, but what about kissing? Didn't ya like the kiss on the boat?"

"I did although it shocked me," I admit, supposing that kissing isn't exactly a sexual act. "I suppose kissing is alright."

"What about hugging?" Vector prods, obviously trying to figure out just what he can and can't do with me. "And what about cuddling? We've done that before and yeh didn't have a problem with it."

"Well, alright, those things are fine too," I reply, figuring that nothing is wrong with a cuddle here and there. I will probably end up enjoying it.

"Alright then," Vector nods, thinking this through before he adds, "What about touching?"

"It all depends on where you want to touch me. I think you know what I'm trying to say and what my limits are. Please don't push me, Vector. If anything goes wrong, we're over. I don't typically do well in relationships and I still can't believe I'm actually saying yes to you right now," I say, shaking my head at my own decision.

"A charming croc can change everything, y'know," Vector says, waggling his eyebrows at me and causing me to blush and swat my hand at him. "I've kinda been dyin' to do sumthin' every since ya told me we're officially a couple now."

"And what would that be?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at Vector.

"I really wanna kiss ya. It'll be a proper kiss this time," Vector promises before giving me a hopeful look and adding, "Please, Esp?"

I feel a shiver of anticipation run down my spine. Deep inside, I know that I've wanted Vector to kiss me again ever since the boat ride. I won't admit that aloud though and instead tilt my chin up to Vector and nod, murmuring, "Go ahead."

* * *

_Espio finally said yes to Vector! Yay! Who thinks that Vector is going to forget that Espio wants to "take it slow" when it comes to their relationship? Review please! :)  
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	58. Innocent Love

**Saints-Fan-12: Yay for fangirling! I'm just so happy that you're still liking this story! Let me know what you think of this chapter! :3  
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**Mormar1: Yes, everyone is happy for the moment! Do you think the happiness will last? That is such a good prediction. Vector will definitely want to do sexual things with Esp (he already does actually) later in the relationship and Espio will resist. xP Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yay, they are finally together! *joins you in dancing and lands flat on my face* I'm so sorry about your headache. I hope it will go away very soon. I'm not feeling so well tonight either. =/ I haven't heard about Slenderman! Lol, I won't check out meatspin now. xD Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
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**Guest: Hm, good question! I think any sort of breakup is always a bit awkward. How do you think the breakup will go? Thanks for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: I'm glad you agree with me! I guess it always seems a bit unnatural when you hear about it for the first time, but I don't think it matters who you fall in love with. Love is love and that's all there is to it in my book. And yup, they're a couple now! *cheers* Thanks for reading! :3  
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**Alicia: Yeah, Vector is really pushy. xD You're right though, Espio knows when to put his foot down, lol! Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: I also think Vector is going to forget! He's so pushy and forgetful, isn't he? xD Hehe, movies are always good for introducing us to things like rape and homosexuality. ;P I agree with you though, I see no reason to tell my parents about it. It's not any of their business. =/ And aw, thanks! *hugs* That's so sweet of you to say that! I'm guessing you joined the dating site, huh? xD Just make sure you're being careful, okay? Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Yup, they're a couple now! *parties* Guess we should just leave them alone for the meantime. xD Lol, it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of hiding. Now where's a good place to hide a crocodile? Hm. xD Thanks so much for the review. :3  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, I'm so happy that you liked the chapter so much! Vector is a really sweet guy, isn't he? I think he can be pushy and all that at times, but he's just a big softie really! I want a guy like Vector. xD I totally agree with you. Just one kiss from Esp will probably leave Vector wanting a whole lot more, right? ;P Nah, I don't think I'll do a one-shot at this point. I'll for sure write one for Xmas next year though. I do have two more longer Vecpio fics planned out though. Thank you so much for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Hehe, you think they're going to mess things up sooner or later? I'd say you're right. xD I'm going to give them a few cute chapters first though. Thanks for reading!  
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**Gamerprincess13: Thanks so much for liking the chapter! And hehe, good question there. How long do you predict that their relationship will last for? xP Wow, that was awfully nice of you to mention my story on your profile. Thanks so much! I hope you have a wonder New Year as well. :3 Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Guest: Aw, thanks! Well, my Christmas was nothing special, but I hope yours was nice. Have a great 2013! ^^  
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**ShadowChaotix: Omg! I just read your review and it totally made my day! It was so sweet of you to comment on all the chapters. You didn't have to do that, but you did, which was so nice of you! :D I loved reading through all your reviews. :3 And yup, they're gonna kiss in this next chapter! I think you've already read most of this chappie though. I need to quit giving you spoilers, huh? Here are more chapters so you don't have to wonder what's going to happen next (even though you kinda already know). Thanks a million for catching up! You're the best! :D****  
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* * *

**Chapter LVIII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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Vector immediately swivels around to face me and wraps strong, yet very gentle hands around the small of my back as he eases me closer to him on the bench. All I can hear are the whispers of our soft breaths on this chilly December morning. Vector's sparkling vermilion eyes meet mine as he leans down and carefully presses his lips against mine in a chaste kiss. For the first time in my life, I give myself permission to give in to my inner temptations. Throwing caution to the wind, I press my lips back against Vector's and am immediately shocked by the way my mind has suddenly gone deliciously blank. This was meant to be. I should be here with Vector right now. I've made the right decision after all.

Vector's large hand somehow finds the back of my head and he hauls me closer to him to get better access to my lips. His scales are so warm and smooth under my skin as I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, craving closeness with the large crocodile. Our kisses continue at an agonizingly slow rate. I assume both of us want more from the way I'm clutching at Vector with a death tight grip and the way Vector is practically devouring me with his eyes despite the fact that he's being very tender with me.

My rationality seems to have chipped away into nothingness and the only thing I'm left with is my own sense of pure desire for Vector. I've never wanted another being like this before. The strange feeling frightens me, but the dizzying excitement coursing through me easily overpowers it.

I start kissing Vector more passionately, lips pressing feverishly against his, nipping and even biting at times. Vector seems shocked at first, but easily matches my passion as he brushes his tongue against my mouth, begging for entrance. My lips part and Vector's hot, wet tongue surges inside my mouth. Our tongues meet, twining and dueling in a unrestrained display of affection for each other. A soft moan forms in the back of my throat as all these sudden sensations send ripples of desire straight to the very core of my body.

Before I do something I'm going to regret, which will most likely happen if I keep this up, I pull back from the crocodile, panting, "Oh, Vector..."

My body is flushed and it takes me a moment to regain my breath. Leaning my head against Vector's shoulder, I stare up at him affectionately, no longer finding the need to conceal my love for him. Vector wraps a tight arm around me and murmurs, "Ya know, when Miss Vanilla kissed me that time at the cafe, I felt absolutely nothin'. When I kiss yeh, it's the exact opposite."

"R-really?" I stammer, cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink at the compliment

"'Course! I love yeh. Yer amazing," Vector says simply, staring at me as if I'm a rare piece of treasure. The comparison almost makes me laugh since I am anything but that. Still feeling jubilant from the kiss, Vector hesitates and then asks curiously, "Why don't ya actually want to be with me? Y'know in what way I'm talkin' about."

"Maybe things will change in time," I admit, coming to the realization that making love with Vector probably wouldn't be anything close to being raped by my cousin. Still though, I'm very new to this and I don't want to take things too quickly. I've already done much more today than I should have.

"Yeah," Vector nods, his warm breath on the top of my head as he stares out at the small stream glittering in the sunlight before us. After a moment, he points out, "Ya told me yeh used to be in another relationship earlier. Yeh never told me that before."

"Hm?" I ask drowsily, my mind working extremely slowly at the moment. I'm a bit tired after fretting over my big decision and not getting sleep over the last few days. After a few seconds, I remember referring to Bryce and then nod, "Yes."

"Ah. Er, can I ask ya somethin' kind of personal?" Vector asks me carefully, ready to back off at any moment. I'm too content to deny him anything he wants right now although I hope it's not related to Bryce. I nod and wait for the question. Vector waits a moment before asking in a rush, "Are ya still a virgin, Esp? Or did ya lose it in yer last relationship?"

I gulp, wishing I hadn't told Vector about having been in a previous relationship. It had not been a loving relationship; it had been cruel and abusive. I hadn't lost my virginity from the relationship; it had been stolen from me.

When I don't reply right away, Vector realizes he might've pressed me too hard and says quickly, "Don't answer that unless ya want to."

"I'm not a virgin, no," I admit shamefully, staring at the ground and suddenly wondering if it makes a difference to Vector. Maybe he wanted to get into a relationship with me thinking that I'm the clean, spiritual chameleon I always try to make myself out to be. I find myself asking, "Does it make a difference to you?"

"Nah. It's none of my business really. I'm just bein' nosy," Vector blushes before a look of determination fills his eyes and he promises me, "I'm gonna be a lot better than yer last partner. I'll spoil ya rotten and yeh won't even remember the last person before ya know it."

"He wasn't a...partner to me. It wasn't the typical kind of relationship," I word my thoughts carefully, trying to clear things up for Vector. "I don't particularly want to talk about it right now though. Just know that you've already done miles beyond what he did for me. I only have room for one person in my heart and I think you've stolen it."

"D'aw, I never knew yeh were such a sap!" Vector smirks, flicking his fingers at my nose playfully even though I know he's touched.

"I have many sides just as everyone does," I reply as my mind roams back in time to the day Vector and I first met. If someone had told me back then that I would be in a relationship with the clumsy, idiotic crocodile in only two month's time, I would have laughed and said they were crazy. Tracing one of the hard scales on Vector's chest, I murmur, "Do you remember when we first met?"

"How could I _not _remember the first time I met ya?" Vector asks with a chuckle, his breath tickling the top of my head. "I remember watchin' the way ya were leanin' against that tree in the park with this kinda arrogant expression on yer face. I thought yeh were sexy even back then. I remember ya hated me though."

"I never hated you," I quickly protest although I do remember treating Vector as if he was a useless part of Team Chaotix back when we first met. Feeling a little bad, I stare at the ground and frown.

"Alright, ya disliked me then," Vector rephrases his sentence.

"That's not really the word I was looking for either," I admit even though Vector is getting pretty close to the truth. "When we first met, I wasn't sure if I could trust you or not. I didn't know we might end up being friends or something more than friends. I suppose we're an example of opposites attracting."

"Guess so," Vector shrugs his shoulders before opening his mouth to say something. He thinks better of it and shuts his mouth again.

Too curious to let Vector get away with this, I ask, "What is it? You were going to ask me something. Go ahead. I don't mind."

"Yer probably not gonna like it much," Vector says. I don't comment and wait for the question anyway. Vector finally goes on, "Ya said that yeh were in a relationship with another guy, right? I'm guessin' you've known ya like guys for a while then?"

"That 'relationship' wasn't really a relationship as I told you before," I sigh, wishing I could just banish Bryce from my thoughts and my past once and for all. I've gotten better and have made good progress breaking away from the pain he inflicted upon me, but I still wear some of his chains that hold me down mostly in my heart. Going on, I continue, "Regardless, I don't think of things that way. I don't like to think that I'm either interested in males or females. I never thought I would enter another relationship. I suppose when it really comes down to it, you're the only one I want, Vector. I like you and it doesn't matter to me what you are."

"Good answer," Vector nods approvingly. He thinks for a moment and says, "I used to think I was interested in women. I mean, I used ta fantasize about Miss Vanilla all the time. Then I met ya and everything changed."

The two of us lapse into a peaceful silence for a while. I'm tired and practically fall asleep against Vector's chest. Only when I hear a bird chirping from above our heads do I jerk up and realize how late it must be. We came to this small lake in the morning and by the looks of things, it's now afternoon. As much as I don't want to get up, I slide off of Vector's lap and stretch my arms before covering my mouth as I yawn and then saying, "I suppose I ought to go pick Charmy up from Cream's house. Would you like to come along?"

"I'll follow ya anywhere," Vector replies, immediately on his feet.

The two of us start out of the park together. I send the crocodile next to me a look out of the corner of my eye and reach up to take his hand. Vector's eyes immediately light up when I'm the one to take the initiative of holding hands. He squeezes mine tightly and I feel..._wanted_.

Suddenly, a thought occurs to me and I mention, "I've already told Charmy about how I feel towards you, so I think we ought to go ahead and tell him we're in a relationship now. I don't think I'm ready to come out with this in public though. Although I don't have any friends outside of you and Charmy, I know you talk to Sonic, Vanilla, and a few others from the town. Would you mind if we just keep this to ourselves for now?"

"Nah, if ya wanna keep it to ourselves for now, that's fine," Vector replies as we step out of the grassy area of the park and out onto the sidewalk. "Is it because yer embarrassed of me?"

"No, of course not," I reply, looking shocked at Vector's statement. "If I was embarrassed of you, I would never have agreed to forming Team Chaotix with you. It's only because I don't want to be the talk of the town so to speak."

"Ah, Esp, ya never do change, do yeh?" Vector says, shaking his head at me in a fond sort of way. "Yer still the same little chameleon who slinks in the alleys and tries to keep out of sight. Then again, I'd say you've changed a little though. Yeh seem happier than ya did when I first met ya. Do ya even miss those pills of yers?"

"I am happier," I admit before considering Vector's question, adding, "And no, I don't need them. It's all thanks to you."

As Vector and I walk along, I can sense that things are going to change dramatically between us now. Things won't ever be the same as they were even a few hours earlier this morning. I used to despise change and fear it, but now I've learned that change can be a good thing. The relationship between Vector and myself can only get better from here and I'm convinced that I made the right choice. Already, I feel as if the gap inside my soul has closed up. Who would've known Vector would change my life?

* * *

_Sorry about the short chapter, guys! I have a fever tonight. x_x Anyway, how do you think Vector is going to break his news to Vanilla? Do you think it will go over well? Review please! :)  
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	59. Total Trust

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks! Well, in this story, Vanilla is nice and innocent (like Cream) so she hasn't been dating anyone behind Vector's back. Let me know what you think of this chapter! :3  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, good prediction! Vector really should keep his mouth shut after promising Espio that he wouldn't make their relationship public. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Thanks for liking the mushy chapter! I just love mushiness. xD How about you? I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. Writing actually distracts me from feeling ill, so that's why I still update when I'm sick, hehe. Omg, I was forced to go outside as well today and it was snowing! I hated every minute of it. =/ Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Guest: I definitely think that Vanilla will take the news better than Amy in a Sonadow fic! xD Do you think she'll be upset at all over Vector breaking up with her? Thanks for reading!  
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**zgirl16: Thanks for understanding. :) Yes, I have a fever and a few other issues right now sadly. =/ It's a bit complicated. That's great to hear that you got a laptop! Is it working well for you? I mainly wanted Vector and Espio figures, so yup, I got what I wanted.  
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**PreyasRules: Thank you so much! I'm going to be sick for a while by the looks of things, but don't worry, I'll keep updating if I can. :3 No need to apologize! I'm just so happy that you reviewed this chapter. I know exactly what you mean though. Why are all the awesome dudes always taken? I swear I always have bad luck with relationships. Oh well, Esp and Veccy can live out my fantasies for me, lol! I am so glad you are in heaven over the chapter right now! xD There will be lots more mushiness and romance parts to come, so don't stop reading. xD Hm, good question about what Vector wants most. I'd say his ass, but that's just me. You'll figure out how Charmy reacts to them being a couple in this chappie. Hope you like it!  
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**Alicia: Lol, I think your prediction is right! You're really good at predicting what I'm going to write next. xD Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: I'm very sorry that you're sick too! I hope you feel better soon! I'm glad you're being careful. :) Have you met anyone you like on the dating site yet? I'm glad you liked the chapter even though it was short! And I agree about Vanilla. She should be happy for Vector even if she's initially disappointed. Thanks for reading!  
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**Ersiffa Narman: But you'll know where to find him if I put him in your closet! Maybe I'll have to hide him in mine. Veccy and I could have some fun. ;P I'm glad you thought the chapter was touching! The kissing part was fun to write, lol. Thanks so much for the review. :3  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Woo, I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! I thought it was a pretty cute one myself. xD Esp was totally melting into the kiss, don't you think? At this rate, he might let Vector into his bed pretty soon. Omg, ikr? I hope Vanilla cries too! I don't like her either. She annoys me so much, even when I'm the one writing her. I always feel like I write her OOC for some reason. I guess she's just too much like Cream! Thank you so much for reading!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Vector avoids talking to Vanilla is this chapter, but he says he's going to break up with her in the next one. Do we believe him? xP  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Aw, thank you so much for the kind words! Your comment really made my day. Have you been reading this story for a while or are you a new reader? :) I've tried really hard to keep Esp and Veccy in character, so I'm glad you think I'm doing alright with that. Good prediction about how it will go with Miss Vanilla! You'll find out how it will go in two chapters. Why don't I write from Charmy's POV? Well, mainly because he's the hardest member of the Chaotix for me to write and because this is a Vecpio fic. I like questions though, so if you have more, feel free to ask. Thanks for commenting!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Exactly! Who cares if it doesn't go well with Vanilla? 3 God, I'm evil. Well, I'm happy to tell you that you haven't read this chapter yet, so hopefully it should be a little more interesting, right? Thanks for reading! :3****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hm, I didn't get your review for the last chapter until today! I wonder if maybe FF was updating slowly or something? Anyway, sorry for not replying to you in the last chapter. I will do that now. xD I'm glad your life is complete now that Veccy and Espy are together! Ooo, that's a good prediction about Vector breaking up with Esp over the boundaries. I guess there's one "main" boundary Esp has set up that Vector is going to hate. I'll have to check out The Walking Dead! Oh, and don't worry, I don't mind gore or heavy smut or anything like that. I swear I have no limits sometimes. ;P Nope, Vector doesn't lose it to Esp. D: He loses it to...*pauses for suspense*...Vanilla! Are you surprised? xP Mhm, Vector just so happens to lying on the other side of the bed while Esp is having his wet dream. Aw, thanks for agreeing to read my next Vecpio story! Er, I'm going to eventually write the SonJet story, so I don't really want to give the plot away. Sorry! I hope you understand. I have a hard time coming up with plot ideas myself. Thanks for the review!  
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* * *

**Chapter LIX  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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Espio and I walk side by side up to the door of Miss Vanilla's tidy little house. I feel as if nothin' can get any better right now. When Espio told me he had to think for a while after I told him I loved him, I figured he was gonna turn me down. Pretty much everyone in their right mind would turn a big ol' clumsy croc like me down, especially someone like Espio. I never seem ta have luck when it comes to the matter of love. Guess I turned out to be wrong though. When Espio uttered those three little words to me earlier, everything in my life suddenly became complete. Nothin' else seems to really matter anymore.

Love's a funny thing, ain't it? It's crazy how it can turn yer life upsi-down and then right side up again. There's a reason why so many things on this planet focus on love. It's because I believe that love is the strongest emotion in existence. The way I feel towards Esp makes every other emotion I've ever had seem small and insubstantial.

I never woulda guessed that Espio was secretly fallin' in love with me during these last two months. He did a damn good job of keeping his feelings to himself. 'Course, that's the way everything is with the little chameleon. He's always so secretive and mysterious. That's what I love about him though. Hell, I love _everything_about Espio. I wouldn't have him change for the world.

I've learned a few new things about my buddy - er, lover? - in the last few hours. First of all, I've learned that Esp ain't prim and proper all the time. He can do wicked things with that tongue of his, that's for sure. Secondly, I've learned that Espio was in a relationship before he met me. For some reason, this makes me feel a little sad. I really wish I could have been Espio's first. There's somethin' real special about yer first love. I'm not gonna be picky though. Only in my dreams did I ever think Espio would agree to datin' me.

One thing I don't get is why he doesn't wanna get too close to me though. To put it bluntly, I dunno why he won't let me make love to him. I guess maybe it's because his last relationship ended on a rocky note? I wanna ask Esp more about his previous relationship, but he doesn't seem to be willing to talk about it. He kinda clams up when I ask questions about it. What I really want to know is who was the guy Espio was in the relationship with. This unknown guy obviously took his virginity and probably gave him a reason to fear relationships. After all, Esp kept sayin' how he even surprised himself by saying yes to me. If I ever meet this guy of Espio's past, I have a feeling that I'm gonna "accidentally" slug him in the face.

It doesn't matter that much to me what happened to Esp before he met me, but it does make me feel determined to do my best to treat him like my little angel. I'm gonna make Espio glad that he agreed to entering a relationship with me. I'll love him until the end of his days and show him how much he means to me.

The two of us come to a halt outside of Miss Vanilla's doorway and turn to look at each other, realizing that our hands are still clasped. Apparently, Esp wants to keep our relationship private for now. I don't mind that too much, but I hope he gets over it eventually. I mean, I don't want him to feel embarrassed of me or anything like that.

Espio sends me a shy sort of smile that makes me want to hug him. I expect him to release my hand, but by some miracle, he doesn't. Normally, I'd just say that he's forgotten that we're holdin' hands, but I don't think that's the case in this situation. I really do think that Espio is warming up to the idea of us being a couple in public.

Using his free hand, Espio knocks firmly on the door three times before waiting for someone to open it. We only have to wait a few seconds before the door bursts open and two little faces peer out at us. Charmy is grinning from ear to ear and Cream is giggling at something or the other, probably Charmy.

"Espio! Vector! Hi!" Charmy bursts out, flying towards us and throwing his arms around my neck and then Espio's. "Cream and I had lots of fun, but I'm ready to go home now."

"Before you go, my mom said that she would like to have a word with you, Vector," Cream says in her high-pitched voice as she turns to me and adds, "She's in the kitchen."

I turn to Espio, sensing him stiffen next to me. I know this is the first real test of our relationship. Although I dunno what Miss Vanilla wants to talk to me about, it could be about another date or somethin' related to that. For Espio's sake, I suggest, "Wanna come along, Esp? I'm sure Miss Vanilla won't mind."

From the worried look in Espio's amber eyes, I can tell he really would like ta come along. Somehow or the other, he manages to suppress the look of anxiety on his face and takes a deep breath before he says in his normally calm voice, "That's alright, Vector. I trust you."

Cream and Charmy look nonplussed, but I understand Espio completely. I'm honestly surprised he's so trusting of me, but hey, I'm not complainin'. I squeeze his hand and send him a grateful look before I turn and tromp towards the kitchen, leaving the chameleon with the two kids. Am I gonna have to break up with Miss Vanilla right now? I'd rather not do it right now with Charmy, Cream, and Esp right around the corner. It would be a lot easier if I could mention it sometime when we're alone.

Feelin' a little nervous about this whole situation, I hesitantly step into the kitchen and am greeted by the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread. Miss Vanilla is standing by the oven wearing an apron and putting away clean dishes. When she sees me, she smiles one of those gorgeous smiles of hers that used to make my heart race. When she smiles at me now, I don't feel any sort of change in my emotions. Only the little flicks of Espio's tail or the small smiles and blushes he gives me can make my pulse quicken.

"Good afternoon, Vector," Miss Vanilla greets me in her whimsical voice. "How are you today?"

"Just fine, thanks for askin'. How are you, ma'am?" I ask in reply, fiddling nervously with my hands as I wait to see what Miss Vanilla really wants.

"I'm doing well," Miss Vanilla replies as she gives me her full attention and says, "I was wondering if you and your team could possibly help me out with something? I would like to plant some trees and some bushes in the yard. However, I'm not really one for hard labor like that. If you and the team would like to stop by and do some landscaping work for me and plant some of the seeds I've bought tomorrow, I would certainly appreciate it. I'll pay you double if you'd like since I know this isn't the type of work you normally do."

Miss Vanilla's got a point, but I don't really care if this is typical detective work or not if we're gonna get paid double! I need the money to pay the rent and I know that Espio needs it too. Nodding vigorously, I reply enthusiastically, "'Course we'll drop by and help ya out! That's what Team Chaotix is all about."

"You're always so kind. Thank you, dear," Miss Vanilla says, taking a step closer to me.

My inner siren goes off and I stumble backwards, not wantin' her to try and kiss me or anything like that. Espio clearly trusts me and I'm gonna show him that I can be trusted. Wanting to end the conversation before things get more awkward, I say, "So we'll see ya tomorrow morning then?"

"Yes, if that works for you," Miss Vanilla says, coming to a halt. I have a hard time reading into her emotions, but is that a sadness hidden somewhere in her deep brown eyes? I really hope I'm not gonna hurt her in any way by breaking up with her. I never felt anything from our relationship, but what if she did?

Not wanting to feel guilty right now, I push the unwanted emotions aside and give Miss Vanilla one more uneasy smile before I say, "Have a good night, ma'am."

After that, I return hastily to the other room where Charmy and Espio are waiting for me. In a hurry to leave, I push the door open and wave my arm at my two buddies, callin' after me, "C'mon boys! Let's go!"

Espio and Charmy trail after me obediently, having accepted my role as leader of Team Chaotix a long time ago. As soon as we're out on the sidewalk, I figure I should explain tomorrow's mission to my teammates. Looking first at Espio and then at Charmy, I say, "Miss Vanilla gave us some work ta do. We're gonna help her with landscapin' and plant some seeds around her house. Guess she wants to spice the place up a bit. Best part of all this is that she agreed to pay us double!"

"Wow! Double?" Charmy echoes, lookin' just as excited as me if not more excited at the idea of being paid double for our work.

"Yup!" I nod along enthusiastically. "The work should be easy. All we gotta do is plant a few seeds and tidy the place up a bit. Can't be too hard. At least, it can't be as dangerous as tryin' to find a plastic toy out in the middle of the ocean, huh, Esp?"

Espio gives me a wry smile as I elbow him and replies, "With Team Chaotix involved, you never really know."

"Espio has a point," Charmy giggles as we approach Espio's familiar little house around the corner. "We do get into trouble a lot."

"Geez, kid, don't try and jinx us!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up into the air in mock annoyance as Espio pulls his keys out of the inside of his glove and looks both ways warily before unlocking the door to the house and letting us inside. I stride inside, continuing on, "No wonder we have bad luck with yer guys' attitudes!"

"You're funny, Vector," Charmy laughs as he bounds into the living room and perches on the side of the couch, looking between Espio and myself with a sort of questioning look on his face.

Taking a deep breath, Espio steps forwards and takes my hand firmly in his before he announces in his even voice, "Charmy, Vector and I have something to tell you."

"Tell me! What is it?" Charmy asks immediately, leaning forwards and practically falling off of couch in the process.

"Vector and I are...together now," Espio says after a moment's pause. "I know we talked about this a few days ago and I remember you saying you didn't mind if I decided to date Vector."

"I don't mind! Actually, I think it's kinda cool! I always knew that you guys loved each other. It was totally obvious," Charmy blabs with a knowing look on his face.

A blush crosses my cheeks and Espio looks a little taken aback. We exchange looks, clearly wondering how Charmy realized that we were in love. I'm the first to ask since I wanna know if it's obvious to anyone else too.

"Why was it so obvious, Charm? I thought I did a damn good job keepin' my feelings in check."

"Uh, sorry, Vector, but you kept staring at Espio all the time, so that was a give way," Charmy points out. Espio gives me a satisfied smirk, clearly glad that he wasn't the one who was the give away. Charmy's not done yet though and goes on, "It's harder to tell with Espio, but he's always so much happier when you're around, Vector. It's like we're one big happy family now!"

"Yeah, I like the sound of that," I nod, liking to think that Espio is part of my family. 'Course, he'll never technically be part of my family unless I decide ta make the greatest commitment of all to him, but I don't wanna think about that right now. I like to take things easy in life.

"Does this mean that Vector gets to stay the night now?" Charmy pipes up hopefully.

"No, it doesn't," Espio says dryly as he shakes his head. He must notice the crestfallen look on my face that seems to mirror Charmy's because his expression relaxes a bit and he adds after another moment, "Perhaps someday though. I've long since learned not to try and predict the future."

"Yay! That's a future yes then. 'Maybe' always turns into 'yes' with you, Espio," Charmy says a-matter-of-factly.

"You're making me look soft, Charmy! Maybe isn't_ always _a yes!" Espio points out with a frown. He glances up at the clock, eyes widening. "Oh my, it's gotten late awfully fast. You really ought to get to bed. We're going to have a very long day tomorrow what with the landscaping and planting we're going to be doing."

"Aw!" Charmy says, looking like he wants to protest, but deciding not to since he does look kinda sleepy. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then, Vector! Goodnight, guys!"

"Night, kid," I reply, raising a hand as Charmy flies off to his bedroom and slams the door shut behind himself.

Espio and I both stare at the doorway to make sure Charmy isn't gonna come flyin' back out and interrupt us. After a few seconds, we turn back to each other. Espio has that shy little smile on his face again. I love that smile of his. Esp didn't used to smile at all. Knowing that I'm the one who got him to smile makes me feel real proud of myself.

"Sure I can't spend the night with ya, Esp?" I tease playfully even though my question is kinda serious. I really do wanna share a bed with the little chameleon and he knows it.

"Don't push," Espio says, rolling his eyes at me. He hesitates before he asks in a rush, "Did you break up with Vanilla earlier?"

"Er, not yet," I admit kinda guiltily. Maybe I shoulda broke up with her earlier for Espio's sake. Is he gonna worry about it now? I place a hand on his slender shoulder and reassure him, "That was only because you guys were right around the corner. I swear I'll do it tomorrow."

Espio nods, but he still looks a bit unsatisfied.

"Ya trusted me earlier. What's buggin' yeh now?" I ask the little chameleon, not wanting him to be unhappy.

"It's just hard for me to understand why you might want me. Compared to Vanilla, what do I have to offer?" Espio shrugs, looking like he's gettin' depressed all over again.

"_Might_ want ya?" I repeat, frowning slightly. "I _do _want yeh, Esp! More than anything. Look, if this is because of some crap yer cousin told ya, forget it already! I love ya and nothin' else matters anymore. Now start smiling again or I'm gonna have to stay the night to cheer ya up."

Surprisingly enough, my joke makes the corner of Espio's mouth tilt up. He pokes me in the chest and murmurs, "You ought to get going so you're rested for tomorrow and so I don't have to do all the work myself."

"Heh, guess yer right," I reply as Espio steps closer to me, the space between our bodies only fractions of an inch apart. I'm all too aware of the warmth coming from Espio's body as he stares up at me with those deep eyes of his. I lean down at the exact same time he leans up and I meet Espio's mouth in a kiss. We keep it sweet and simple this time. I'm sad when Esp is the first to pull away, but realize that it has gotten late and I'm probably imposing on him now. Taking a step backwards, I admit, "Alright, I'm outta here. Goodnight, Esp. Have sweet dreams."

* * *

_I don't really like to blab about my life outside of fanfiction on here, but I feel like I should mention that I'm really sick right now and that it's kind of serious. I am going to try and update daily still, but there's always a possibility that I might have to go away for a bit and if that happens, I wouldn't be able to update for a while. I'll try to give you guys some warning if that's going to happen though. For now, you can keep expecting daily updates. :3 Anyway, who thinks that there will be trouble when Team Chaotix tries to help Vanilla out with the landscaping? Review please. :)  
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	60. Cereal Calamity

**Hey guys. :3 I got some pain meds from the hospital today...I told myself I was not going to take them (I'm really anti-pills), but I started feeling really awful earlier and so I ended up taking a bunch of the pills. I didn't realize until now that they make you dead tired. I'm gonna pass out at any second here, so I can't really respond to reviews right now. I swear to Vecpio to get around to them tomorrow when I'm feeling better and am not so drowsy. I'm really sorry about this guys. D: Please do read and review this chapter though! I swear this fic is the only good thing in my life right now. x_x Hope you like the chapter and that it's not obvious I was half-asleep while writing it. =/  
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* * *

**Chapter LX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I'm in such a good mood that I can barely sleep. I keep rollin' over in bed and staring at the ceiling while thoughts of Espio spin around and around in my head. I can't believe how far he's come with me in the last few months. Although some things about him are never gonna change, the things that should've been changed have changed. Esp no longer needs his pills, I catch him smilin' from time to time, and he's lost all his coldness and disdain towards me. If we got to this point in only the time of two months, who knows where we'll be in another two months?

I finger the edge of my worn blanket and glance to my right. My bed ain't that big, but there's always room for Esp in it. Although he trusts me a lot more than he used to, I know he doesn't completely trust me. Making love with him won't just be for the physical pleasure if he ever gives into me someday. It'll be a sign of all the walls and barriers between us being destroyed once and for all. I've got nothin' to hide from my best buddy, but I've got a strange gut feeling that Espio hasn't come clean with me in everything yet. There's still a dark glimmer in his eyes even if it's been extremely reduced.

Sighing, I roll over in bed for probably the twentieth time tonight and realize that Espio_ is _right. I can't push him. I've gotta just let nature take it's course. That isn't so easy for a naturally pushy croc like myself though. Guess I'll have to work on not prodding Espio too hard in any certain directions. When he's ready, I'll be here for him. I don't doubt that Esp will come around to me at some point. I can tell he wants me, but there's something holding him back. Well, I'll let him deal with it and when he decides ta tell me about it, I'll listen.

I finally manage to snag a few hours of sleep, but they don't do me much good. When I wake up next, the sun still hasn't risen and the stars still twinkle outside. My head is too full of Esp to stay in bed, so I drop my feet onto the floor and trudge into the bathroom, yawning widely as I do so. There's nothin' like starting out the day with a nice hot shower!

Twenty minutes later, I'm outta the shower, have brushed my teeth to the point where they're almost too shiny to look at, and am back in the main room of my apartment putting my shoes on and yanking my headphones over my ears. I'm gonna go to Esp's house first instead of going to Miss Vanilla's house. I can help him with breakfast or something.

Since I'm feelin' lazy, I take the elevator down to the lobby of the apartment building and almost barrel over a small hedgehog in the dark of the lobby. Geez, you'd think whoever owns this rotting place would've gotten electricity back in the lobby by now. Then again, if the owner has as much luck as me at earning cash, then it's no surprise.

It doesn't take me long to reach Espio's house since I'm used to going there practically everyday. Hell, I betcha I could find the little chameleon's place with my eyes closed. Deciding that I'd better be quiet just to make sure I don't accidentally wake Espio up and get him in a foul mood, I crack the door open as quietly as I can and tiptoe inside. It's real dark in the living room and it doesn't look like any of the lights are on. Hm. Maybe Esp's in the bathroom?

I shut the door as silently as I can behind myself and stalk through the house. Unfortunately, the floorboards tend to make loud creaking noises under my big feet. Cringing, I come to a halt, but it doesn't look like anyone has heard me yet. I reach the door to Espio's bedroom and notice that it's slightly ajar. Too tempted not to open it, I push the door gently so it falls open.

I bite my tongue and force myself to stay put when I notice a little lump still lying in the bed. Leaning against the door, I allow myself to take a better look at the chameleon. Esp is lyin' on his side with the washed out blue blanket pulled up to his chin. He has his hands underneath his head and somehow pulls off that angelic look. I watch him affectionately, noting the way his tail is hanging off the side of the bed and the way a little trickle of drool has made it's way onto the pillow. Esp looks kinda lonely, doesn't he?

"Hey Vector," a voice whispers in my ear, practically giving me a heart attack. I whirl around to find Charmy at my shoulder. He waves at me and yawns, saying, "Espio will probably sleep for another thirty minutes. He doesn't usually get up before eight. Do you want to get some breakfast with me?"

For once, food doesn't hold my interest that much. I'd rather stay here and watch Esp. That would be kinda weird though and I'd probably freak Espio out when he wakes up. Nodding, I tromp after Charmy to the kitchen. Without any warning, Charmy flicks all the lights on, practically blinding me.

"Argh! Give a guy a moment's warning before ya do something like that!" I exclaim, shielding my eyes with one of my hands as I accidentally bang into a wall.

"Sorry," Charmy admits sheepishly before he throws the refrigerator open. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"I dunno yet. Let's take a look," I reply, joining Charmy at the fridge. While I stand there, an idea pops into my head and I find myself asking, "Say, what does Esp usually eat for breakfast? I could fix him something so he doesn't have to make his own breakfast when he wakes up."

"I'm not sure. I don't usually see him eating breakfast because I usually play my video game while he eats and reads the newspaper," Charmy admits. He thinks for a moment and then adds, "Just make him something healthy and I'm sure he'll like it. We have some cereal in the pantry."

"Lemme see it," I say, leaning against the counter, already a bit exhausted from my restless sleep last night.

Charmy, apparently feelin' the opposite of me, flies enthusiastically to the pantry and whips the door to it open before he throws a cereal box at me. I have to lunge and dive to get it before it smacks the floor. Charmy giggles, but I don't find the situation all that funny.

"Have yeh actually seen Esp eatin' this stuff before?" I ask Charmy after skimming the box. I look at the nutritional info, but I don't really give a damn about nutrition, so I've never bothered to learn how to read the nutritional info boxes. This cereal could be super healthy or really sugary for all I know.

"No, but it tastes bad," Charmy says, sticking out his tongue in distaste as he pours himself a large bowl of cocoa puffs, adding, "This stuff is way better!"

I figure that if the cereal tastes bad, it must be healthy. Grabbin' a bowl out of the cabinet, I pour a large helping of cereal into the bowl and then search the fridge for some milk. All I see is some strange sort of stuff labeled "almond milk". Opening it up, I take a sniff and wrinkle my nose. Turning to the bee, I ask, "Have ya got any normal milk in this place?"

"Nope," Charmy sighs dramatically. "Espio always insists on buying us all these crazy exotic foods that taste horrible. That's why I always eat my cereal dry."

"I gotcha," I nod, figuring that as bad as this stuff smells, Espio will probably want it in his cereal. I dump a good amount inside the bowl, return the carton of milk to the fridge, and then go through the drawers until I find one that has a spoon in it. Once I've got the spoon, I stick it in the bowl. Esp's breakfast is complete!

Feeling pretty good about myself for getting all of this prepared for my reptile buddy, I start across the room to the table right behind Charmy. Charmy grabs a handful of his dry cereal and accidentally drops a bit of cereal onto the floor.

Before I can stop myself, I've slipped on one of the circular-shaped bits of cereal. Dammit! The breakfast bowl goes flying out of my hand. A moment later, soggy cereal and milk are everywhere. The only good thing about this mess is that the bowl was plastic and not glass, so it didn't shatter all over the place. I'm not feelin' too optimistic though. Now, I've gotta clean this whole mess up and then remake Esp's breakfast before he gets up.

"Good morning, you two. What's going on?" a pleasant voice sounds from across the room. Crap! Espio is already up!

I look up from where I'm still lying face down on the floor and send the breakfast mess a glare as I struggle to get up and admit, "I was tryin' to make ya breakfast, but Charmy spilled some cereal, I tripped on it, and I'm gonna guess ya can figure out what happened from there."

"Hey! It isn't _my_fault you're so clumsy, Vector," Charmy points out in a taunting voice from where he's sitting on the sofa eating his cereal.

I grit my teeth at him and am still coming up with a good retort when Espio leans down and offers a hand to me. To my surprise, he doesn't look mad. On the contrary, he actually looks amused. As he helps me to my feet, Espio says, "Wait right here. I'll go get a towel to clean you up and then we'll be on our way to Vanilla's house."

I do as Espio tells me to and hang out sheepishly by the table. Espio returns a moment later with a towel in hand. He begins wiping the milk off of my chest and neck. He motions for me to lean down and says, "You have some on your forehead."

I lean down immediately, liking this sort of treatment from Espio. He can clean me anytime he wants. Figuring that I should offer hm an apology, I clear my throat and admit, "Sorry about the mess. I didn't mean for it to go all over the place."

"Obviously not," Espio replies, a smile flickering around the corners of his mouth as he tosses the towel on the kitchen table and murmurs, "It was very kind of you to think about making breakfast for me though. You look alright now. Charmy, are you ready to go to Vanilla's house with us to work on the landscaping and planting?"

"I sure am!" Charmy nods fervently, stuffing the last of his cereal into his cheeks before he zooms to the door. He whips it open and is the first of us outside.

"What about breakfast?" I ask sadly, never having gotten a chance to eat myself.

"I'm certain Vanilla will have some cakes of some sort at her house for you," Espio replies knowingly as he gently tugs on my wrist and adds, "Come on. We should get an early start. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day outside. It's sunny and I saw on the TV last night that the temperature is supposed to reach a record high today."

"Huh, is that so?" I ask with interest and Espio and I follow Charmy outside and start towards Miss Vanilla's house together. I glance up at the sky and realize that Esp is right as usual. "Guess we're havin' a really warm winter this year."

"Aw, don't say that!" Charmy chides me with a frown. "I love the winter! Snow is the best! We can have snowball fights, build snow forts, go sledding, and do all sorts of fun stuff!"

"Heh, I challenge ya to a snowball fight as soon as it snows. Whaddya say, kid? Think ya can beat an expert croc in a snowball fight?" I raise my eyebrows at Charmy.

"Oh yeah!" Charmy brags, grinning widely. "I can beat you any day of the year!"

"Yer gonna be eatin' those words pretty soon," I warn Charmy before glancing over at the chameleon to my right and elbowing him gently, adding, "What about you, Esp? Are ya up to the challenge of takin' on me and Charmy with a snowball fight?"

"I don't know," Espio starts out hesitantly.

"C'mon, Esp! You'll end up havin' fun. Besides, we can curl up by the fire and drink some hot cocoa afterwards. Gotta love hot cocoa, right, Charm?" I ask, turning to the bee since I know he will definitely agree with me about the hot chocolate.

"I LOVE HOT CHOCOLATE!" Charmy practically shrieks in my ear in his excitement. Even with my music blasting in my ears, I feel like I've just been deafened.

"Yeah, I guess ya do," I reply ruefully, rubbing my ear. I'm gonna have to start wearing earplugs around the hyperactive bee pretty soon here. I don't like snow all that much, but the thought of cuddling up with Esp to keep warm with a mug of steaming hot cocoa in my hands is soundin' real appealing to me. I send Espio a sideways glance and see that he looks kind of distant right now. Wanting to get him back into the conversation, I poke his shoulder gently and ask, "So how did ya sleep last night, Esp? Did ya have any good dreams?"

"Hm?" Espio asks, blinking slightly as he distracts himself from whatever he was thinking about. "Oh, as a matter of fact, I did have a nice dream."

"Really?" I ask, immediately hoping that I was the one who made Esp's dream so nice. "Tell us about it!"

"It's a bit silly actually," Espio admits, cheeks flushing slightly. "I don't think you really want to hear about it. Did you have any pleasant dreams?"

"Uh, nah, not really," I reply, not about to be diverted from the topic at hand as I insist, "'Course I wanna hear about yer dream, Esp! Tell me about it!"

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_I'm so sorry again for the lack of review responses, but I swear to get around to them the next update. Anyway, what do you think Esp's dream was about? Review please. :)  
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	61. Breaking Up

**Saints-Fan-12: The pills actually help with the pain a lot, but they totally knock you out. x_x Good prediction about the dream having to do with Vector and Charmy! Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: That would be really cute if Espio's dream was about Vector! You'll see what his dream was about in this chapter. Thanks for reading!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Do you know what I'm going to be dreaming about tonight now? Rainbows! xD Rainbows aren't at all a bad thing to dream about though. Espio's dream isn't full of rainbows though, unfortunately. =/ We should send him some rainbow dreams. Thanks for not minding that I couldn't respond to the reviews last chapter. I hope you like this one!  
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**Guest: Thank you very much. It's great to know that people care. :3 Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**PreyasRules: Thanks so much for all the get well wishes. :) I haven't really been this sick in a long time, but hey, I'm still alive and I guess I should be grateful, huh? The pills definitely make me sleep. I just took another one, so I'll probably crash right after I update this. Did you have a nice New Year's Eve, I hope? Hehe, well, Espio's dream will partially be related to Vector, but probably not in the way Vector wants. xD And to answer you in your other question, yup, Veccy loses his virginity to Vanilla. What the hell, right? ;P That's actually such a cute thought about Vector and Esp getting married. Do you think that could ever happen? *raises eyebrows* Anyway, thanks again for the get well wishes and have a great New Year!  
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**Alicia: Okay. :3 I'll talk to you more on skype since I don't really like talking about this sort of thing on reviews. Kinda like to keep them related to the story, you know?  
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**LuluCalliope: Thanks, you're so sweet to say that! *huggles* And yes, hopefully that will work out okay! :D  
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**Ersiffa Narman: You'll get to know all the details about Espio's dream in this chappie! I actually had a dream about Vector and Espio once. *blushes* Thanks so much for the get well wishes. I hope you have a wonder New Year's Day!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Aw, don't feel bad about me! I don't want to make you worry! I'm still alive over here, so I guess that's good. xD I know, Espio likes really disgusting food, doesn't he? I shuddered writing about what he likes to eat for breakfast. Hehe, my favorite part of the last chapter was writing about Espio cleaning Vector up. I had a fangirl moment there. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! It really made my day to hear that. :3 Hehe, you're clumsy too? So am I! I bang into everything and then apologize to it. I even apologized to the couch when I ran into it the other day. That was embarrassing! Pills suck, don't they? I'm grateful for them though because at least they take the edge off the pain. Good prediction about Espio's dream! Vector will certainly be in it. Thank you so much for the kind review! :D  
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**ShadowChaotix: A Vecpio dream would be nice! I'd die for one of those. xD A dream about Bryce getting beat up would be nice as well though. Thanks so much, I want to get over this, but it's taking forever. *cries* I miss you too! ****  
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**Chapter LXI  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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Even though I'm mostly glad to be goin' to Miss Vanilla's place to do the landscaping and planting, part of me is a little nervous. I'm gonna have to break up with Miss Vanilla at some point today. It wouldn't be fair to Espio or Miss Vanilla not to. I guess that's why I keep tryin' to distract myself by asking Esp a lot of questions. That and the fact that I also really wanna know what Espio's dream was about. My perverted side hopes that Esp was having some sort of sexual fantasy about me even though I know that's less than likely.

"I suppose I can tell you what my dream was about," Espio admits after a moment's pause. He shrugs his shoulders and goes on to say, "I dreamed I was going camping with the two of you. I haven't been camping for years. I went a very long time ago with my mother's side of the family before my cousin moved in. We had a very nice time. I liked getting away from the busyness of the town and enjoyed having a chance to experience the beauty of nature firsthand. Have you been camping before, Vector?"

I have to admit that my heart falls when Espio starts goin' on about camping. I guess camping is a nice enough thing, but I was still hoping that Espio had dreamed some sort of erotic dream that would convince him to share my bed tonight. Guess that didn't happen though.

"Camping?" I repeat distractedly, trying to obscure my disappointment. Espio looks over at me with his intelligent amber eyes and nods, able to tell that I'm distracted. Shaking my head, I reply, "Nah, I've never been campin' before. It sounds like fun though. How 'bout you, Charmy? Have ya ever been camping before?"

"No, but now I want to go," Charmy states firmly. His eyes suddenly light up and he exclaims, "I know! All three of us should go camping together!"

"Y'know, that's actually a pretty good idea," I reply, realizing that camping with Espio could be a lot of fun. Turning to the little chameleon, I ask, "Whaddya think, Esp?"

"The idea does have potential," Espio admits after a moment's thought. He thinks things through a bit more before nodding and adding, "That's actually avery good idea. I would enjoy camping quite a bit. I have an old tent I kept from when I was younger. I'm quite sure I have a sleeping bag somewhere as well. All we would have to do is get one for Charmy."

"I have a sleeping bag too," I pipe up before sending Espio a sideways glance and continuing, "If ya want to save money, we could just give yer sleeping bag to Charmy and we could share mine..."

"_Or we could just buy one for Charmy_," Espio emphasizes, giving me a look that says I'm pressing my luck with him. "They're relatively inexpensive. Of course, we ought to wait to go camping until the spring or the summer. Today is turning out to be a very nice day, but it's typically cold and snowy in December. You never know when a blizzard might sweep in."

I nod and look up to see that we've already reached Miss Vanilla's house. Gulping, I feel my stomach flip flop as the three of us step into her yard. What am I gonna tell Miss Vanilla? I've never broken up with anyone before and I'm not really sure how to break up with her in a nice way. I should have asked Espio about this. He seems ta be the love expert. Then again, asking Esp how I should break up with the woman I have been dating doesn't seem quite right. I've gotta do this on my own.

To make matters worse for me, Miss Vanilla is standing right outside the house with a large sheet of paper in her hands. Next to her are several small palm trees, some large packages of dirt, shovels, and seedling packets. Guess she's gotten everything prepared for us.

Once the three of us have approached, Miss Vanilla turns to us with a smile, but I notice that her eyes are directly on me as she greets us, "Hello, you three. Thank you very much for coming over and agreeing to help me out with this little project. I've wanted to decorate the lawn for a while now, but I've just never gotten around to it. If you take a look at this sketch of the lawn I drew up, you'll see where I'd like everything to be planted. The flower seeds go right up here by the house and I'd like the pine trees clumped in groups of three at either end of the house. I've set out some shovels and some dirt for you. The hose is in the backyard if you need it. Is there anything else you might need?"

"Nope! We'll get to it right away!" I exclaim in a false cheery voice that sounds fake even to my own ears.

I start to walk away to put some space between myself and Miss Vanilla, but Espio grabs my hand and points out the obvious, "You can't start planting until you look at the plan, Vector."

"Er, right," I admit, realizing that I'm being an idiot.

Miss Vanilla hands the plan over to Espio and the three of us look it over. It's pretty simple for the most part. The trees should be planted by the sides of the house and the flower seeds should be planted right up next to the doorway. We'll be done with this job in no time and then I can get the hell outta here and...wait. I can't get outta here until I break up with Miss Vanilla. I promised Esp I would do it and Vector the croc always keeps his promises no matter how hard they are to keep.

"I'll be inside the house if you three need anything," Miss Vanilla tells us in her pleasant voice. "I've baked some pastries, so feel free to come in for a snack whenever you like. Good luck with the planting."

"Thanks, ma'am," I reply uneasily, watching the beautiful rabbit sashay into the house.

When I turn away from her, I catch Esp lookin' nervous and fiddling with his hands as he looks from Miss Vanilla to me. He probably thinks I'm havin' second thoughts about him. I open my mouth to reassure him of my affection towards him, but Charmy interrupts me by trying to haul a pine tree up from the ground, complaining, "Wow, this sure is heavy!"

"Charmy, wait!" Espio protests, holding up a hand to get Charmy to stop what he's doing. "Those are too heavy for you to carry. I don't want you to hurt yourself. Besides, carrying the trees around isn't going to do us any good until we've dug some holes for them first. Let's start with the digging. We'll dig first and then plant second."

"Oh, okay, that works!" Charmy nods enthusiastically as he flies to the ground, picks up the smallest shovel lying there, and then goes to the front of Miss Vanilla's house. Without delay, he digs right on into the soil by the doorway and starts overturnin' the grass.

Espio grabs a shovel and dashes off to the side of the house to start digging a patch of dirt for the pine trees to go in. Figuring I should tackle the opposite side of the house, I throw the largest shovel over my shoulder and tromp over to the other end of the house before slamming my shovel into the ground. I'm gonna do my work as quickly as possible so I can go over and talk to Esp. I can tell by the stiff line of his mouth and the crease in his forehead that he's worrying about Miss Vanilla and me.

The day is warm and sunny, which causes me to start sweating after only ten minutes of work. Luckily, I dig real fast and I've unearthed a large area of grass in fifteen minutes. There's enough space for all three of the pine trees to be planted here. Thrusting the shovel over my shoulder again, I tromp off to where Espio is meticulously digging at his patch of land. He's only made about half the progress I've made, but that's because he's so much smaller.

I'm standin' behind Esp and am opening my mouth to say something when he says without bothering to turn around, "If you've changed your mind, I understand."

I guess I must make a lot of noise when I walk if Esp sensed my presence without actually seeing me. Giving him a frown, I reply emphatically, "'Course I haven't changed my mind. I'm gonna go in the house soon for some of those pastries and break up with her then."

"If that's what you want to do," Espio replies, still sounding a little wary.

"Oy! Relax a bit, won't ya?" I plead Espio, not liking to see him so stressed. This close to him, I can smell the sweat as well as the natural scent of his body really easily. The aroma wafts to my nose and I find that I actually like the smell. Leaning a little closer to the unsuspecting chameleon, I kiss the side of his neck and run my tongue along his throat, covering the smooth chameleon scales with saliva. Espio doesn't stop his work, but turns his head at an angle to give me better access to his neck, a muffled moan somehow managing to escape his lips.

"Hey guys, I finished my digging!" Charmy suddenly exclaims, causing Espio and myself to jerk apart like criminals caught red-handed at the scene of a crime. Looking proud of himself Charmy flies over to us and asks cheerfully, "What's next? Wow, Espio, you're sweating a _lot_!"

"Well, it is a rather warm day outside. Let's go take a look at those seedling packets and figure out what to do with them," Espio says, cheeks flushing slightly. He turns and starts to follow Charmy to where the seed packets are lying before he turns and smacks my arm playfully with the coil at the tip of his tail.

I resist following Esp and grabbing his tail like I really want to and instead send a dubious look over to the door. I really should go and get the break up with Miss Vanilla over with. It's gonna keep bothering me until I get it done. Taking a deep breath, I suppose now is as good of a time as any to do this and start reluctantly up to the door of the house. Taking a deep breath, I stare at the door as if I'm approaching my doom before opening it ever so slowly. Lavender greets my nose, but I find that I like the smell of Espio's sweaty body better than it.

Each step towards Miss Vanilla's kitchen feels like a step closer to my grave. I chew my tongue until I taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. Once I reach the kitchen, I come to a sudden halt when I see Miss Vanilla standing there gazing out of the window. Damn, I still haven't decided what to say to her yet!

"Hello, Vector," Miss Vanilla says, obviously having heard me approach. She turns to see me standin' as still as a statue and murmurs, "Come in. There's no need to be shy."

Despite the fact that I'd like to do what Miss Vanilla wants me to do right now, I can't make my feet move. They seem to be glued to the ground. Taking a deep breath, I say all in a rush, "There's sumthin' I gotta tell ya. It's kind of important."

"Oh?" Miss Vanilla asks, raising an eyebrow and taking a step towards me since I'm immobile. "What is it? May I help with it in any way?"

"Er, no," I reply, feeling my stomach performing uneasy somersaults within me. I'm not sure how to say this the right way, but I don't wanna prolong the situation any longer, so I look at the floor and say as quickly as I can, "I'm, uh, gonna have to break up our relationship. I'm real sorry, ma'am. I just...um..."

I trail off like an idiot, not even sure what to say at this point. Glancing up fearfully, I meet Miss Vanilla's eyes and notice that she doesn't really look all that upset. She nods understandingly and replies in an even voice, "That's just fine, dear. I only want what's best for you and if you don't wish to continue dating me, I understand. May I ask if there is someone else in your life now?"

"Yeah," I say guiltily, lookin' at the ground again. I can't lie and tell Miss Vanilla that there's not anyone else when there is.

"I assumed so," Miss Vanilla nods, not looking all that surprised. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, she asks, "Would it be Espio by any chance?"

"Espio?" I stammer, not sure what ta do in this situation. Esp told me that he didn't want me to tell anyone about our relationship, but I can't exactly lie to Miss Vanilla. Still fiddling with my hands, I admit, "Er, yeah, it is Espio. How'd ya know that?"

"Women have good intuitions, Vector," Miss Vanilla tells me with a small smile. "I always noticed that there was something between the two of you just from the way you look at one another. I wish you and Espio the best of luck."

"Thank you, ma'am," I reply, glad that Miss Vanilla seems to be understanding of all this. "Would ya mind keepin' this between us though? Esp isn't ready to come out in public yet."

"Of course I can keep a secret," Miss Vanilla nods as she steps closer to me and takes my hand. She squeezes it gently before stepping away and adding, "I'm not at all upset, dear. I hope we can still remain very good friends. Thank you for telling me about you and Espio. I'm sure that couldn't have been easy."

"Thanks again for understanding," I tell Miss Vanilla, suddenly feeling as if a large weight has just been lifted off of my back. "We'll definitely stay friends."

Feelin' a lot happier than I've felt all day, I stride out of the house and realize that the sky looks a lot bluer, the grass looks a lot greener, and the sun seems a lot brighter than earlier. When I step back out into the yard, I notice that the seeds have been planted and that now Espio is struggling to try and lift one of the pine tree pots into the air to bring it to the patch of dirt we unearthed earlier. His face is all screwed up in concentration and I notice little streams of sweat running off of his forehead as he fights to lift the heavy pot into the air.

I stride up to Esp and gently push him aside before easily pickin' up the pot as if it were as light as a feather. In a cheerful voice, I call over my shoulder to my two buddies, "Leave this to me, boys!"

After dumping the pot by the side of the yard, I return to the cluster of pine trees to bring two more over to the same side of the yard. As I pick up another tree, I catch Esp sendin' me an envious glance. Catching my eye, he admits resignedly, "I've always wished I was stronger."

"You've got a lotta other talents. Strength just happens ta be mine," I admit happily before adding, "By the way, I talked to Miss Vanilla. Everything is over now."

Espio immediately relaxes and I can literally feel the tension released from his body. He reaches out to take my hand, but then realizes that I'm holding a pot. Instead, he places a light hand on my wrist and whispers in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Vector. I still don't understand why you chose me over her, but I appreciate what you did with Miss Vanilla just now. I only hope that you don't come to regret your decision."

"Don't be stupid. I'm not gonna regret my decision. I'd be the stupid one to do that," I reply, wishing Espio would stop being so paranoid all the time.

A look of sudden sorrow flashes through Espio's amber eyes and he hesitates a moment before he says, "I may not be everything you think I am..."

I roll my eyes at him to dismiss the subject. In my mind, all I know is that I love Esp. Guess I'm gonna have to work harder to show him how much he means to me.

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_Sorry again about not responding to review replies yesterday. I feel so bad about that. =/ Anyway, who thinks Vector might later regret his decision? Review please. :) Oh, and happy New Year! Dammit, I forgot it was 2013 until someone's skype status reminded me of it. xD  
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	62. Landscaping Laughs

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks! I'm with you there - let's hope that Vector doesn't regret his decision! Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: I'm glad you liked it! Hm...well, there are fights in every relationship unfortunately, so Esp and Vector might have one at some point. *hints* Happy New Year to you as well! :D  
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**Chibi-Guest: Ikr? Rainbows are just so awesome! Let's hope that Vector will be happy with his decision! It would be mean of him to go back on it! Using capital letters is fun! I always do that when I'm hyper too. Thanks for hoping that I feel better soon! I had a really bad morning...great way to start the New Year, huh? =/ Oh well. Magic would be so awesome! I wish you had magical powers, hehe. Thank you for the review!  
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**Cosmictruffle: Well, things haven't gotten ugly...yet. xD We haven't seen the last of Vanilla unfortunately. Thanks for reading!  
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**Guest: That's pretty much true. xD Vector will definitely regret his decision when the sexual tension becomes too much. Do you think that will happen soon? Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**PreyasRules: I'm glad you had an alright New Year. At least you got to spend it with a nice guy! I spent it over here alone with my Esp and Vector figures. They kept me company. ;P Ooo, I wish you luck with the guy! I hope he breaks up with him girlfriend because I'm mean like that. 3 Eh...actually if/when Vector and Espio have sex, Vector's dominant. xD Of course we can dream! What's life without fantasies? I love the idea of Charmy being the ring bearer and Cream being the flower girl. That's so cute! You were surprised at Vanilla's reaction? I've always thought that she's a pretty even-tempered rabbit. Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Alicia: *huggles* Ooo, good prediction! I could definitely see Espio getting jealous of Vector spending time with Vanilla and I could also see Vector getting jealous if Espio ever spends time with Amy, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**LuluCalliope: Vanilla was super nice about the breakup, wasn't she? I wish everyone could react like her as well. Omg, that would be soooooooo awkward if Bryce randomly showed up. It does seem like Espio is about to tell Vector about Bryce. He just needs a little more time. Happy New Year to you as well! *huggles* I hope you have a fabulous 2013! You totally deserve it.  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Lol, can you even imagine camping with the Chaotix? xD That would be total chaos! My dream was super random. Espio and Vector were taking a walk and Vector was complaining about the rent. I want a smutty Vecpio dream, dammit! xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yeah, being sick really does suck, doesn't it? I hate those sickness that last a long time. D: I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! I loved the part where Vector dumped Vanilla too. It's about time! Hehe, yeah, Vector might regret his decision since he wants to sleep with Esp so much and Espio clearly won't have any of that. xD They might get into a big fight over it, don't you think? Yay, we both forgot about the New Year! *high fives you* Lol, anyway, thank you so much for the great review!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thanks so much for liking the chapter! :D That's a good prediction about Vector. He is pretty obsessed with Espio. Maybe a little _too_ obsessed with Espio! What do you think? And yes, Vanilla did take the break up very well. Maybe too well? Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I'm glad that they broke up too. Nobody likes Vanilla! I swear I have no clue how anyone could ever write a Vectilla fic. *shudders* Anyway, yeah, Vanilla isn't one to make a huge deal over anything. I was on skype for like two minutes at around 1 am my time, I think? I must have just missed you. D:****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Don't worry about it. :) Everyone gets busy on the holidays unless you're me, haha. I totally agree that Espio is more than good enough than Vector. They're soul mates after all. Glad you didn't mind me replying by PM to the last review. I was passing out that night and couldn't respond to reviews until morning. Hm, you predict it will be a whole month before Vector breaks the no sex rule? You think he can hold out that long? ;P Oh yeah, there's going to be lots of drama later on in this fic. Let's just say that a certain "someone" threatens to hurt Vector unless Espio does exactly what he wants him to do. *hint hint* Omg, yes, the whole ARK thing does make Sonadow plots hard to come up with! I tried to write a fic about Shadow and omg, that was so hard! I love writing Espio and Vector the most because their personalities are pretty easy to get down, you know? Good luck with your Sonadow plot! Thanks for hoping I get better. Today hasn't been so great for me, but your review made me smile! :) Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter LXII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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The afternoon slowly progresses and although I'm in a good mood since things happen to be goin' my way at the moment, I'm starting to feel tired. Espio, Charmy, and I have been working on the landscaping business since early this morning. Now it's afternoon and although we've made good progress, there are still four more trees to be planted. I'm sick of hauling around pine trees, but I do my work without complaint. It ain't exactly hard work. It's more just bothersome and time consuming. I'm finding it even harder to work when all I really feel like doin' is grabbing Esp by the wrist, pushing him up against the back of one of the pine trees, and making out with him in the great outdoors. 'Course, Espio probably wouldn't like that too much. He's loosened up a bit, but he's definitely not gonna approve showing our affection for each other in public just yet. Someday though, things will be be different and I'll have that little chameleon wrapped around my finger.

"Hm. I think you need to move the tree just a few inches to the right," Espio, who is helping me decide where to plant the trees, says as he scrutinizes the place where I just plopped down the pot with the pine tree in it. Sighing since we've been at this for the last ten minutes, I move the tree a few inches in the direction Espio is pointing in. Espio squints and shakes his head, adding, "Now it's too much to the right. Just move it a tad to the left and then I think you've got it."

"Esp, it's just a tree!" I exclaim as I shift the tree to the left, not seeing why we've gotta be so picky about where we plant the damn tree. "It doesn't matter too much where we plant it because it's gonna grow."

I end up shifting the tree to the left so carelessly that the pot wobbles precariously and threatens to fall over. I try to save the tree, but it's too late. Thud! The tree tips over and sprays soil on both Espio and me as it topples to the ground. Argh! If Esp hadn't been botherin' me about where to plant the tree, it wouldn't have fallen over!

"Vector! You have to be more careful!" Espio chides, wringing his hands together nervously as he steps forwards and inspects the tree as if he thinks it might've died just from fallin' over.

"I was bein' careful! Yer the picky one who keeps telling me to move the tree this way and that!" I complain, hauling the tree back to an upright position before pushing it back to where I originally had it. Brushing dirt off of my hands, I add, "'Sides, it's not like it's gonna die just from falling over."

"Yes, it could," Espio replies in a dry voice. "Plants are very particular! They can easily die from the shock of falling over."

"Alright, alright, I'll be more careful," I sigh, glancing over my shoulder to find Espio looking at the dirt covering his body with disgust written all over his face. He tries to brush it off, but his sweat soaked skin makes the dirt leave long brown smudges all over his usually shiny scales.

"We're almost done," Espio tries to reassure either himself or me. I'm thinking he's tryin' more to reassure himself since he's sending the dirt smeared across his scales a murderous look. "All we have to do is plant that last tree and then water the trees and the seeds we just planted to help their roots become stable in the soil."

"Ya mean that all_ I _have to do is all that," I reply grumpily as I shovel dirt around the base of the newly planted tree and then pack the dirt down around it.

"I'm helping you," Espio replies stiffly, straightening up and attempting to pull off a disdainful look, which really just ain't working when he's covered in dirt and sweat. "I'm not strong enough to move the pine trees around, but I will certainly help you water the plants. I will go turn on the hose right now."

With that said, Espio flicks his tail in the air and stalks off towards the side of the cozy light yellow house to go find the hose. I roll my eyes and try not to watch Espio's tail and instead keep my eyes on my work as he rounds the corner of the house. I don't think it's necessary to water all the plants, but sometimes it's just not worth it to argue with Esp.

Finally, after what seems like a century of digging, shoveling, and getting my hands dirty, the last tree is planted. I'm starving and am thinking that going back to the house, ordering a pizza, and watching some TV sounds like a good plan right now. As soon as Espio gets the hose working and waters the plants, we are outta here. Charmy, who is currently playing with Cream in the backyard, isn't exactly being helpful. Espio gave him permission to go play about an hour ago. Speaking of Esp, what's takin' him so long? He's been monkeying around with that hose for ten minutes now. Folding my arms, I tap my foot impatiently and resist going to find out what he's up to.

"Vector? Could you come over here for a moment please?" I hear Espio's familiar voice calling my name a moment later.

Geez, lemme guess, he's having problems with the hose. Go figure. Feeling crabby, I tromp around to the side of the house and find Espio frowning at the hose. When he sees me, he explains, "I can't seem to get the hose to turn on. I've tried a few different things, but nothings seems to be working."

"Hand it over," I say, grabbing the hose out of Espio's hands and getting a strong whiff of his strong scent as I start scanning the house for leaks or other problems.

Espio stands over my shoulder and watches my every move. Normally, this would bother me, but since this is Esp, I don't mind it too much. I watch him out of the corner of my eye and notice another bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. My mind goes to the gutter like usual and I wonder just how much I could make Esp sweat if he'd let me. I love everything about the rigid chameleon folding his arms from next to me. I love his scent, his touch, his taste...wait. I haven't tasted Esp yet, but I'm sure he tastes pretty damn good...

"Have you found out what's wrong with the hose?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow and jerking me out of my thoughts. "You've been staring at the same part of the hose for the last few minutes."

"Er, no, not yet," I admit, blushing slightly as the scorching heat from the sun beats down on us. "I'm still lookin'."

Espio gives me an annoyed look, which I intentionally avoid. He knows I'm thinkin' about him. Esp ain't stupid by any means. Forcing myself to keep my mind on the task at hand, I search the hose more carefully and finally notice the source of the problem. A leak is visible right by my hand. Whipping off one of my gloves, I tie it over the leak and wait to see what will happen now.

Whoosh! Water comes streaming out of the hose, drenching Espio in it completely. Oops. Guess I should have told him to move out of the way after all. Espio looks down at himself and sighs loudly before admitting wryly, "I suppose that's one way to get clean although now I'm going to freeze."

"If ya water the plants fast enough, you'll be warm in no time," I reply before Espio can get too mad and also because I want him to hurry up and finish the job so we can get out of here.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Espio murmurs, picking up the hose and lugging it along to the front yard. Turning over his shoulder, he calls to me, "If you're in so much of a hurry, why don't you tell Charmy that we'll be leaving in a few minutes and ask him if he will be ready to leave by then?"

"I'm on it," I reply, immediately turning towards the backyard. Charmy and Cream are there playing in Cream's sandbox. Without bothering to approach them, I yell, "CHARMY, WE'RE LEAVIN'!"

Charmy jerks up from the sandcastle he's building and nods, yelling, "I'll be there in a minute!"

I nod and stride back to the front yard. Espio is still busy meticulously watering the plants. Y'know, any normal person would have been done with waterin' the plants an hour ago. Not Esp though. He has to carefully water each plant and then look over it to make sure he didn't miss a spot. At this rate, we're gonna be here for another few hours. Sighing, I turn to look at the street and wait for Espio and Charmy.

Five minutes later, I turn around again to see if Esp has made any more progress. Funny thing is that I don't see Espio anywhere. Where could he be? Frowning, I scan the yard more carefully, but still can't find any trace of the purple chameleon. Hm, it looks like maybe I'm gonna have to put my detective skills to use here!

Without any warning, icy cold water goes pouring down my back. I let out a growl of annoyance and leap forwards before spinning around and noticing the hose extended in midair, still spraying water at me. What the hell? Am I seeing things or is this some sort of joke I'm not up to date on?

A peal of giggles sounds from behind me. I grab the hose and point it downwards to make the ground its new victim before turning to my right to see Charmy laughing at me. I send him an annoyed look, not too happy that my back has been drenched with freezing cold water. Motioning towards the hose, I ask Charmy, "Did ya know that hoses can float in midair?"

"Hoses can't float in midair, silly!" Charmy exclaims between giggles. "That was just Espio!"

"Huh?" I ask in confusion as the slender figure of a smirking chameleon appears in front of me. I smack my forehead and state, "Oh right, I forget ya can go invisible on me. Do yeh wanna tell me what that was all about? Look at me! I'm all wet, no thanks to ya."

"You deserved it," Espio says in a perfectly even voice. "Now are we ready to go?"

"Hmph. Guess so although I'm all soppin' wet," I complain as I follow Espio and Charmy onto the sidewalk.

As we start on our way back to Espio's place, I notice that I'm the only one who's a mess. Charmy never got dirty to begin with and Espio's scales have long since dried off from the heat of the sun and are now shimmering irresistibly from next to me. We walk most of the way to Esp's house in silence since we're all exhausted. Once we get to the house, Charmy is the first to fly inside, calling to us that he needs to go play his video game and grab a snack. I start after him, but Espio holds up an arm, barring my way to the living room.

"I've gotten better about letting you track dirt from your shoes into the house, but if you walk into the house right now, I'm going to be cleaning for the next five hours. You still have dirt all over your chest and I'm not about to have that in my house," Espio says stubbornly.

Looking down, I realize that Esp is right. Although he got water all down my back earlier, I still have dirt all over the rest of me. Giving him a wink, I say, "Guess ya should have gotten me wetter with that hose earlier. Ya could still get me wet, y'know, even if yeh don't have the hose with ya."

Espio looks at me in confusion before he blushes poppy red and exclaims, "Don't be vulgar!"

"Heh, it was only a suggestion," I reply, having fun making Espio squirm at my dirty comments. I turn serious and say, "I've been meanin' to ask ya something. Remember earlier when ya said yer not who I think ya are and all that? Well, I just want yeh to know that I'm never going to change my mind about ya. It's over with Miss Vanilla and me for good."

Espio tilts his head at me and a curious look enters his eyes as he admits, "I still don't understand what you see in me. Vanilla is a very nice woman."

"Yeah, but she ain't _you_, Esp," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "I used ta like her; I really did! Then one day, the spark just wasn't there anymore. I dunno what happened to be honest. I guess I just got tired of her or something. That or maybe everything just changed when I met ya."

Instead of looking reassured, Espio frowns at my words and looks even more worried than before.

"Oy! What's with the glum expression?" I ask, pinching his cheek lightly. "Shouldn't we be celebratin', not moping around?"

"Yes, but Vector, I..." Espio looks like he wants to explain something, but ends up trailing off. He decides not to finish his sentence and instead says, "I suppose you ought to be getting back to your apartment to wash off. I will see you sometime soon again, won't I?"

"'Course!" I reply before realizing I'm still covered in dirt and Espio probably won't want to get near me. My face falls and I ask, "No hug?"

Espio hesitates and eyes me up and down. I take advantage of his hesitation and throw my arms around him tightly. We hug for a minute before I figure I should let the smaller reptile go before I suffocate him. Espio gives me a half-annoyed, half-amused look as he mutters, "Now it looks as if I'm going to have to take a shower too."

"Want me to come in the shower with ya? I could help yeh clean up," I smirk, unable to keep my thoughts to myself.

Espio slaps my side hard with the coil at the tip of his tail and says in a bit of a flustered voice, "No more dirty comments please! I'm beginning to think that all you want is to get between my legs."

"Ya know that's not all I want," I reply, rolling my eyes at the blushing chameleon.

"Hm," Espio says, not looking like he's buying it. "I do hope so or else you shouldn't pursue a relationship with me. Goodbye, Vector."

With that said, Espio shuts the door. I can't help but feel a little guilty as I start towards home. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed Esp quite so hard today. I'm just tryin' ta get him used to the idea of sharing a bed with me eventually though. That ain't so bad, is it?

* * *

_Oh Vector. *shakes head* Who thinks Espio is right in thinking that Vector is more interested in his body than in anything else? xP Review please. :) Oh, and sorry about the early update. I'm on the pills again and I'm passing out. xP  
_


	63. Prurient Plans

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks for the get well wishes! :) I agree with you about Espio being right. xD Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: Thanks for hoping I get better soon! And lol, ikr? Espio will get mad if Vector keeps this up! Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Chibi-Guest: I'm sorry you had a boring day, but I'm glad that you liked the chapter! Gardening is a lot of hard work! My dad had a garden once, but he ended up thinking it was too much work, so he let weeds take it over! xD Aw, your bro is a lot of work? I'm glad to be an only child. Wow, that medicine sounds weird! Medicines do such weird things to us! I wish I was feeling better, but not yet, unfortunately. Thank you for the review!  
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**Guest: Lol, yeah, that was a stupid thing of Vector to say, wasn't it? Now Espio thinks that he's going to have to keep Vector "entertained" so the crocodile doesn't lose interest in him. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Guest: Thanks! And lol, ikr? Vector is too obsessed with Espio's body for his own good. Esp better watch out before Vector does him without his permission, lol. No, don't kill the pills! xD I need 'em for the pain. Don't worry though, I'll keep updating regularly. Thanks for reading and guess what? I'm actually semi-awake tonight!  
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**Alicia: Probably not for a bit since I still don't feel that well. And yeah, when will Vector ever learn that pushing Espio is a bad thing? =/ Thanks for reading!  
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**LuluCalliope: Yeah, poor Esp. D: Vector really needs to stop bothering him! Aw, thank you so much! I hope we both have an awesome 2013! Wow, that is nice to hear. I'm surprised that this fic is popular tbh. Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Ersiffa Narman: Veccy does have a dirty mind! He's Espio's opposite through and through. I don't think Espio will take offense unless Vector starts trying to touch him. What do you think? xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked the chapter! Espio totally got revenge on Vector with the hose thing! I love writing Vector's dirty thoughts (I must have a dirty mind or something). xD Mhm, I'm with you on that one! Vector is acting like all he wants is Espio in his bed, which is kind of true. What do you bet Vector is going to get a smack from a certain chameleon soon? Hope you like this chapter!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yes, Vector does need to stop! He's going to make Esp feel like a slut in the next few chapters. *hints* Well, I'm not doing that great, but I'm still alive, so I guess that's good, right? How have you been? Thanks for reading. ^^****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I agree, Vector does not seem like he's going to be able to hold out a month by the way things are looking right now. What do you think will happen when he can't hold back anymore? Can you see him forcing himself on Esp? Oh my god, I am so sorry about your wrist! I'm really clumsy too. I bang into anything and everything! I broke my leg back in April and was given some pills like those. They were so strong and I'd get dizzy and start seeing spots. *shudders* Yay for drama! You have to admit that Bryce is smart to use threatening Vector to get Espio wrapped around his finger though, don't you think? xD Mhm, Esp and Vector are pretty easy to write. I really do want to explore writing some other certain characters someday though. What characters would like you to explore in your writing? I hope you feel better soon and thank you for the get well wishes! Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

The next morning I wake tangled up in my sheets with a headache throbbing at the forefront of my head. Geez, I haven't had a headache in forever! I roll over in bed and consider hidin' out under the covers all day until I think of Esp. As soon as the little chameleon enters my mind, staying in bed all day doesn't sound so good. I won't try to sleep off my headache. Instead, I'll go see what Esp and Charmy are up to. 'Course, I sort of need a reason to stop by Espio's house, don't I? I can't just drop by and be a nuisance.

I force myself to sit up in bed and massage my forehead roughly with one hand before noticing the calendar hangin' on the wall opposite the bed. It's one of those cheap calendars ya can buy from the store for a buck, but hey, it gets the job done. I don't need some fancy calendar. I've got better things to spend my cash on.

As I continue rubbing my forehead, I notice that today's date is circled in red. Huh. Why did I circle the date in red? There's gotta be a reason for it. I stare blankly at the calendar for another few minutes before I suddenly realize that today is my birthday of all days! Argh, I'm so slow when I'm tryin' to deal with a headache.

Now that I think of it, my pressing dilemma is now solved. I can drop by Espio's house with the excuse of not having anywhere else to go for my birthday. Pleased with myself for coming up with such a brilliant excuse, I leap out of the bed, almost trip on a pile of magazines lying next to the bed, and stumble to the door. I took a shower last night after getting covered in dirt, so I don't think I need to take another one this morning. Besides, the sooner I leave, the sooner I can be with Esp.

My mind stays blank besides for the pain pulsing through my head as I take the elevator down to the apartment entrance and then step outside. It sure is chilly out, a hell of a lot different than it was yesterday. We sure are havin' a strange winter. Maybe the weather is the cause of my headache. Yeah, that would make sense. Snowball fights and sledding are fun, but now I'm starting to wish I lived somewhere tropical.

As I stride down the sidewalk to Espio's house, I notice the grocery store to my left. I'm in a hurry to see Esp, but my headache seems to be a more pressing matter at the moment. Coming to a halt, I make up my mind and kick the door to the grocery store open before tromping inside. I might as well get some aspirin for my headache so I'm not a grouch all day. I proceed to the very back of the store where the medicine is kept and feel my head start spinning as I look at all the bottles of pills that all look the same to me besides for the labels on them.

"Good morning, sir," a quiet voice comes from behind me. "Maybe I help you with something?"

I turn to see a small hedgehog with curly brown hair and green eyes smiling up at me. I'm able to return her smile since I do kinda need her help. Nodding, I reply, "Yeah. Can ya find me a bottle of aspirin? It seems like yeh have enough pills for every disease on the planet in here."

"No problem!" the hedgehog replies enthusiastically. She takes two steps forwards and pulls a bottle of aspirin off of the shelf from right in front of me. Smiling, she hands it to me and says, "Here you go. Would you like me to check you out now? I'm just about to open a cash register."

Feeling like an idiot for not seeing the bottle of aspirin right in front of my nose, I nod sheepishly and reply, "Yeah, that would be great."

The hedgehog starts through the store with me trailing after her with my bottle of aspirin in one hand. As we walk, I keep noticing tasty things on the shelves surrounding me. When I find a frozen raspberry pie, I can't help but come to a stop. Sending the hedgehog, a sideways look, I say, "Can ya wait just a second, ma'am?"

The hedgehog waits politely while I grab the box with the frozen raspberry pie in it. I deserve a treat on my birthday, don't I? As I start back to the hedgehog, I notice a bottle of eggnog. That stuff's pretty damn good. I pick up the bottle and look at the back of it. Hm, it has alcohol in it. I could buy this and see if I can get Esp to drink some of it...

Trying not to feel guilty over my ulterior motives for buyin' the eggnog, I return to the female hedgehog with the eggnog and pie in hand. Finally, we reach the cash register and I drop the items I'm purchasing onto the counter, tapping my food impatiently while I wait for the hedgehog to ring up the total cost of the items.

"Sir? I think you forgot your aspirin," the hedgehog tells me politely after a few minutes.

Looking down at the counter, I realize that she's right. Damn. I must have set down the aspirin while I was lookin' at the eggnog. Ya know, I think my headache has gone away though! My forehead no longer hurts and I'm in a good mood. Hm, guess pie and eggnog are a better cure for a headache than aspirin.

"Er, it's alright. I'll just take these two things," I tell the hedgehog before exchanging a few bills for the pie and eggnog. After that, I'm off once again. Humming along to my music, I push open the door of the grocery store and feel a chill run down my spine. It's even colder than earlier. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing soon!

In a hurry to see Espio and also in a hurry to get out of the cold, I crank up the volume of my music and walk even faster along the sidewalk. Unfortunately, my progress is stopped once again as I notice another small house to my left with a big grand piano sitting out in the driveway. Yer probably surprised to hear this, but I know how to play the piano. My father taught me how to play when I was just a little croc. When we moved, he decided not to bring the piano with me and I wasn't able to pursue my musical talent. Seein' this piano brings back old memories and I suddenly feel the need to have this piano.

Striding over to the fox standing in front of the piano, I jerk a finger at it and ask, "Say, is this thing for sale?"

The fox looks up at me in says in a deep voice, "Yes, it is. My wife and I are moving and we can't take it with us. It's a shame really, but we can't afford to move it to our new home. Are you interested in it? We'll sell it to you for five hundred if you really want it. It was originally a couple thousand, but we really want to get rid of it."

Five hundred dollars? I gulp knowing that I ain't got that kind of money right now. Still though, that big, shiny grand piano seems to have my name on it! I really gotta have it! Frowning, I ask, "Can I pay ya for it gradually? Y'know, like can I make monthly payments to ya or something like that?"

"I suppose that would be alright," the fox says after a few moments of consideration. "It's all yours. I'll have the movers transferring our furniture to our new house drop the piano off to your place tomorrow. Can you please write me your address down here?"

The hedgehog gives me a piece of paper and a pen. I take it hesitantly. I didn't exactly say yes to the hedgehog's offer. He just sorta assumed I'd want the piano if I could make gradual payments on it. I do want it and the gradual payments thing ain't so bad. There's only one problem now. Where am I gonna put a big fancy grand piano? It's not gonna fit in my apartment, that's for sure. My only option is Espio's house. He has room in his living room for a grand piano.

Hoping that the purple reptile isn't going to kill me for this, I write down Espio's address onto the piece of paper, thank the fox for his help, and then start back down the street to Espio's house feeling satisfied and a little nervous all at once. I probably should have asked Espio about whether or not he would mind a grand piano in his living room before I went ahead and bought one. Too late now though. I'm just gonna have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I reach Espio's house in just a few minutes and raise a fist before knocking on the door. A familiar even voice calls from within the doorway, "Come in."

I burst through the door and find Espio and Charmy in their usual positions. Charmy is sittin' on the couch playing his video game and Espio is at the table with the newspaper in his hands. Kicking the door shut behind me, I dump my pie and eggnog on the kitchen counter and wave sheepishly at the smaller reptile, saying, "Hiya, Esp!"

"Hello, Vector," Espio says pleasantly before raising his eyebrows at me and nodding at the food and drink, asking, "Is today some sort of special occasion?"

"Er, yeah. It's kinda my birthday and I don't have anyone ta celebrate it with, so I thought I'd buy some stuff and celebrate it here with you and Charmy," I explain, blushing slightly before a black and yellow whiz comes flying at me and knocks me against the counter.

"VECTOR!" Charmy yells as he slams me against the counter and wraps his arms around my neck in one of his usual overly enthusiastic hugs. "I was hoping you would come over!"

"Charmy! Yer suffocating me!" I croak, trying to get Charmy's asphyxiating grip off of my throat.

"Sorry," Charmy says sheepishly, removing his arms before bubbling on, "I'm just so happy you're here. I'm sure_ Espio _is glad you're here too."

Espio flushes when Charmy puts emphasis on his name. He gets up and enters the kitchen. Picking up the frozen pie box, he flips it over and skims it for a moment before preheating the oven and saying, "You know you're always welcome here, Vector. Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday earlier? I'm afraid I haven't gotten you anything."

I watch Espio take the pie out of the box and take advantage of the situation, replying, "It's okay, Esp. It kinda slipped my mind actually. Anyway, I sorta bought my own birthday present, but I need to ask ya something about it. Why don't ya sit down, have a drink, and I'll tell yeh about it?"

Reaching forwards, I wrap a forceful arm around Espio's neck and walk him to the table before lightly pushing him down in one of the chairs. I want him out of the kitchen so I can pour the eggnog without him lookin' at the ingredients in it. Charmy takes a seat across from Espio and pipes up, "What are we going to drink? Juice? I love juice!"

"Um, not exactly. I got us some eggnog," I say, returning to the kitchen and grabbing two big glasses out of the cupboard, one for me and one for Esp.

"There's not any alcohol in that, is there, Vector?" Espio asks, looking worried. "I don't drink anything with alcohol in it."

"'Course there's no alcohol in it," I reply in a false cheery voice, not liking to lie to Espio even though I kinda have to in this situation.

"I want to try some too!" Charmy pouts as I fill two big glasses of eggnog and then set one down in front of Espio. Espio sniffs it cautiously before taking a little sip.

"I don't think you'd like it much," I tell Charmy, figuring that he shouldn't have any alcohol even though I'm tryin' to load Esp up on it. Damn, I'm such a hypocrite, but Charmy is just a little kid and he doesn't need to be tastin' alcohol just yet.

Charmy pouts and crosses his arms, whining, "But I want to try it anyways!"

"Charmy can try some. After all, you did say there wasn't any alcohol in this, _right_?" Espio asks, shooting me a hard look out from under his eyelids.

"Right!" I say a little too quickly. Espio doesn't seem to be too suspicious yet, but my guilty conscious is really starting to bother me. Sighing, I grab a smaller glass out of the cupboard for Charmy and fill it with just a little bit of eggnog. Charmy already seems to constantly be on a sugar high and the last thing he needs is more sugar and alcohol. After the glass is just slightly filled, I return to the table and notice that Espio really seems to like his eggnog. In fact, he's already drained half of his glass, which is a bit of a surprise for the normally conservative chameleon.

"This is actually quite good," Espio points out, his lips a bit whitish from the eggnog.

"I'm glad ya like it," I reply guiltily as I sit down next to him. It's not right of me to try and get Espio drunk. I only want him drunk for one reason and it ain't exactly a good one. I want the little chameleon so drunk that he'll let down his guard and allow me in his bed tonight. It's wrong of me, yeah, but Esp is so damn protective of his body and I'm never gonna get it on with him unless he's drunk out of his mind.

"I do," Espio says trustingly to my previous statement before he tilts his head at me curiously and says, "Tell us about the birthday present you bought for yourself."

"Yeah, tell us about it, Vector!" Charmy nods enthusiastically before taking a sip of his eggnog and making a face as he pushes his glass across the table and complains, "Yuck! This stuff is gross!"

I'm glad that Charmy doesn't like the eggnog and inconspicuously let out a sigh of relief. Before I can open my mouth, the oven starts beeping, letting us know that the oven is preheated. Espio starts to stand up to put the pie in the oven. I stand up faster though and push him back down. I don't want him in the kitchen looking at the eggnog label! At Espio's confused look, I give him an uncomfortable smile and say, "I can get that. Just stay here and relax."

Espio gives me a suspicious look, but stays where he is. I tromp into the kitchen and throw the pie into the oven before hurrying back to the table. Espio sends me a dubious look as I sit back down and notice he's finished his eggnog glass already. Folding his arms, Espio asks dryly, "You aren't hiding anything from us, are you?"

"'Course not! Ya act like yeh don't know me at all, Esp! I would never do anything like that," I exclaim, feeling guiltier by the moment as I continue lying to Espio over and over again. "Now lemme tell ya about my deal of the day..."

* * *

_Uh oh. xD I smell trouble! Who thinks Vector is going to get Espio drunk? If you're thinking yes, how drunk do you think Espio will get? Review please! :)  
_


	64. Drunken Doubts

**Saints-Fan-12: I think that Vector has gotten himself into a whole lot of trouble! xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Yay, I'm glad you thought it was a good chapter! Let's just say that a drunk Espio will do things a normal Espio will not do. ;) Haha, I know what you're saying there. I went to an electronics store once and I had three different people come up to me to ask if they could help. I'm glad you're not killing the pills because I just took two. It's okay about the guest review! Sorry I didn't recognize you. *blushes* I might be able to after a while though! And omg, I got logged out after typing up my chapter on here so I had to redo the whole thing. Ugh. Hope you like this chappie!  
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**Mormar1: Espio will definitely know that Vector is up to something! And omg! That's funny about Vector getting trouble for a present. Esp might give him a better present than that in the next chappie though. *hints* Thanks for reading. :)  
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**PreyasRules: Yay, you're back! I missed you! Damn the last holiday park for not having wi-fi! Every place on the planet should have wi-fi if you ask me. xD Ugh, I hate the smell of food in general, but rotten eggs? *insert puke face here* That sounds so horrible! I hope you get out of Rottarooa soon. I do finally have my Esp and Vector figures! I make them do cute stuff together. Like right now, Vector has his arm around Espio...er, actually it looks more like he's touching his ass. I swear I did not make Vector do that on purpose! xD Me too, if I had a boyfriend or girlfriend (I'm bi) who broke up with me, I would be so upset because I'm just a sentimental person in general, lol. Vector totally wants a piece of Espio and I'd say it's pretty clear what piece that is at the moment. Wow, I feel so special that my story is the first one you reviewed! *parties* Thanks so much! I hope you like this next chapter!  
**

**Guest: Lol, yup, Vector just tried to get Espio really drunk for the obvious reason. ;P Well...let's just say that you'll find out whether or not Esp will get drunk or not in this chapter! xD Let me know what you think of it!  
**

**Alicia: Can't decide if I like the pills or hate them. At least when I sleep, I don't feel anything, you know? And yeah! I bet Espio will get drunk super easy too. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**LuluCalliope: That would be great! Espio needs to tell Vector about Bryce. Ugh, school already? I hope it went okay for you. Sorry for not getting online today, I've had a really awful day...=/ Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Gamerprincess13: Yup, there can be alcohol in eggnog! I actually looked that up for the purpose of this story, lol. We definitely learn something new everyday! You'll see how drunk Espio gets in this chapter. He's only sixteen - you're right. And aw! What a nice compliment! Thank you so much. ^^ I hope you like this next chapter.  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Vector did give alcohol to a kid! Vector must really want Espio drunk. ;P Oh Vector, what are we ever going to do with you? *shakes head* Vector should be feeling guilty. He's being so awful to Espio. I agree though, Espio will get drunk fast because he's not used to alcohol. I hope you like this chapter! :)  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, Vector totally wants a drunk Esp. Drunk Espy ftw! :D Thanks. Things went from bad to worse over here. D: Yeah, you can note me if you want, but I feel so terrible that I haven't finished your story. *cries* I swear I'll finish it as soon as I get better, okay? I've not been writing at all lately. These are just old updates I wrote way back in December. I miss you. D:****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, yeah, that definitely wasn't a month. That was more like...a few days. Vector has no self control! xD Espio will definitely get the wrong idea if he figures out that Vector is trying to get him drunk. Poor guy, he's been abused and now it looks like Vector just wants to sleep with him. -_- Random question, but do you think it's even possible for Vector to have sex with Espio without hurting him? I mean, their size differences are pretty big. xP Hehe, I thought about the bar idea as well, but couldn't see Espio willingly going to one. I have a bar scene in my next Vecpio fic though. ^^ I kind of like that numb feeling I get from pills. What about you? At least it takes the pain away for a bit. Yup, Bryce is smart, but also a druggie and a drunk. xP Knuckles would be fun to explore! I actually am going to use him as a main character for one of my future Vecpio fics. I'm a little nervous to see how that goes. LOL, the joke made me laugh. xD I can't come up with jokes to save my life. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I sit at the table framed on either side by Vector and Charmy and wait for Vector's "deal of the day" as he called it. Vector is acting a bit odd right now. He's a little too willing to do things for me such as baking the raspberry pie and filling my glass up with eggnog. Vector seems to go in mood streaks though. I remember the night I came back from stealing the jewel detector from the store. Vector was here waiting to greet me with open arms. He spoiled me with a warm blanket and a steaming cup of tea. Needless to say, he's a very unpredictable crocodile.

I feel bad that Vector didn't tell me it was his birthday. I gladly would have bought him something if he had told me about the occasion. Even now, I'm trying to think if I can scrap together a gift for him in the next few hours. Unfortunately, no quick gift ideas come to mind. It looks like as if Vector is going to get a belated birthday present from me unless I come up with something soon.

Vector opens his mouth to start blabbing about his deal of the day, but then glances over at me. He notices my empty glass and immediately bolts up from his chair in his enthusiasm to stand up, almost knocking over the chair in the process. I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering why he's acting so strange.

"Yer glass is empty, Esp! Lemme fill that up for ya!" Vector exclaims, seizing my glass and tromping off to the kitchen.

"That's really not necessary, Vector," I reply as Vector disappears around the corner to the kitchen. I feel as if Vector is trying to get on my good side for some reason. Glancing across the table, I lock eyes with Charmy. The little bee sends me a nonplussed look and shrugs his shoulders to tell me that he's just as clueless as I am.

A moment later, the crocodile reappears with a full glass of eggnog. Humming to himself, he hurries over to me with a grin a little too big. There's something going on - I can just feel it. As Vector slams the glass down before me with his usual unnecessary extra force, I give him a hard look and ask, "What's going on?"

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Vector asks, laughing unnaturally loud as he plops down and almost misses his chair. Still laughing awkwardly, he asks, "Er, what were we talkin' about again?"

I continue giving Vector a doubtful look. I know he's up to something. One thing that crocodile detective is not good at is secrecy. When he's keeping something from me, it's very obvious. Crossing my arms, I tap my foot and wait for him to spill the truth. Unfortunately, Charmy interrupts me and reminds Vector, "You were going to tell us about the birthday present you bought for yourself!"

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Vector nods, intentionally looking at Charmy so he can avoid my intense stare. Going on before I can interject and demand to know his secret, Vector says, "I dunno if I told either of yeh this before, but I used to play the piano. I was pretty damn good at it if I do say so myself."

"Ooo, you can play the piano?!" Charmy exclaims, eyes immediately lighting up. He's wanted to learn how to play an instrument for a while now, but I really just don't have the money to buy him one.

"Sure can, kid. I could teach ya how to play if yeh want," Vector replies, eyes glittering excitedly. Before I can point out that we have no piano, Vector goes on, "I was walkin' over here and I met a guy who was sellin' his grand piano. Apparently, he was moving with his wife and didn't wanna haul the piano to his new home. He gave me a real good deal on the piano. I just couldn't pass it up, so I bought it for myself as a birthday present. There's just one problem though."

"I think I know _exactly _where this is going," I cut in dryly, knowing that Vector certainly does not have space for a grand piano in his messy apartment room.

Vector sends me a sheepish smile as I take a sip of my eggnog and replies, "I don't exactly have the room for the piano in my apartment, so I told the fox I bought it from that he could drop it off here tomorrow. Ya have a lot of space here in the livin' room. Yeh don't mind a piano going in here, do ya?"

I hesitate, not particularly wanting a large grand piano taking up half the space in my already small house. However, Charmy's eyes have already lit up and he's practically bouncing up and down in his chair as he begs, "Please let us keep it, Espio! Vector will teach me how to play the piano and I'll be able to play an instrument like I've always wanted to!"

My resolve softens as I look from Charmy to Vector. I take another sip of my eggnog to make sure I'm making the right decision before I sigh and admit, "Alright, you may keep the piano here, Vector. Please make sure you are here tomorrow when the piano is delivered though. I'd prefer not to have to deal with the delivery on my own if you don't mind."

"Nope, I don't mind at all! Thanks a million, Esp! Yer the best," Vector exclaims, giving me a wide grin just as the timer on the raspberry pie goes off in the other room. Just as before, Vector is immediately on his feet as he hears the timer beeping. He grabs my glass again and calls over his shoulder, "I'll go get us some pie and I'll fill yer glass up while I'm in the other room, Esp."

I open my mouth to tell Vector that filling my glass up isn't necessary, but he's already gone. I now know why he's being so nice to me. He just wanted to get my approval for keeping his new piano in my living room. It seems that with Vector there's always something he wants from me if he's being nice to me. Otherwise, we argue almost constantly. Suddenly feeling a bit insecure, I wonder if Vector really does love me or if he just says he does to try and take advantage of me. I love him with all my heart, but what if he's just trying to take advantage of me?

"Espio? Are you alright? You're turning really pale," Charmy asks, jerking me out of my troublesome thoughts.

Trying not to act too depressed for Charmy's sake, I put a smile on my face and reply, "I'm just fine, thank you, Charmy."

Vector returns to the table a moment later with his arms full of plates and napkins. He puts my full glass in front of me and then places the plates of pie on the table. His piece is ginormous, Charmy's is good-sized, and mine is much bigger than it should be. Frowning, I start to open my mouth to protest, but Vector rolls his eyes at me and talks instead.

"Oh, just eat up, won't ya? Yer already too skinny as it is," Vector says before grabbing his fork and shoving a big bite of pie into his mouth.

As Charmy and Vector start gobbling down their pie, my stomach flip flops and a bitter taste fills my mouth. At first, Vector told me that he loved me just for being me. Now I'm wondering if that was all a lie. He seems to want favors from me all the time and now I'm too skinny for him. I dislike it greatly when anyone makes fun of my body. After Bryce jeering at every part of me, I've become quite self conscious about my figure.

No longer hungry, I drink more of the eggnog to rid myself of the foul taste in my mouth. Vector and Charmy are blabbing about something I've not been listening to. I find I'm content just to stay quiet with my own thoughts in my little corner. I need to speak to Vector alone soon though. This extreme paranoia is starting to get to me, and in a few minutes, I'll have myself convinced that Vector doesn't love me at all. For some reason, this thought scares me. I feel as if I cannot live without him at this point even though we've only been together for a few days. Vector and Charmy are my lifelines. Without then, I don't know where I would be right now.

Vector and Charmy continue to chat and devour their pie. Vector has raspberry smudges all over his snout and Charmy's face isn't much better. I drain my glass of eggnog even though I told myself I wasn't going to drink the whole thing earlier and then wait impatiently for the two to finish. Finally, the crocodile and the bee finish and I immediately take advantage of the situation to get Charmy out of the room.

"I see that you two have finished. Charmy, you really ought to wash those raspberry smudges off of your mouth before they leave a stain," I point out.

"Okay," Charmy giggles, flying right into my plan as he turns and disappears from the room.

I stand up so I can look down at Vector and feel a bit more dominate as I confront him about the matter on my mind. Unfortunately, Vector struggles to his feet as soon as I stand up and reassures me in a much too helpful voice, "Don't ya worry, I'll take care of these dishes! Yeh can just sit down and relax yerself."

A bit annoyed that Vector is now towering over me and that I have to look up at him, I fold my arms and point out, "You can drop the act at this point. I've already said that you can keep the piano and I'm not going to change my mind."

"Huh? What are ya talkin' about?" Vector asks, avoiding my eyes again. "I'm not actin'. I'm just bein' nice to ya! Is that a crime?"

"No, of course not. I know something is up though. I do know you well enough by now to tell when you're lying to me," I reply, biting my lip as I try to think about how to phrase my next question. Vector cringes at my comment and laughs awkward. All in a rush, I ask, "Do you really love me or is that just an act too? Did you tell me that because you wanted a favor from me? I...understand if that was the case, but I would like to know now versus later."

"Is _that _what this is all about?" Vector asks, looking surprised. He shakes his head vigorously and replies, "You've got nothin' ta worry about, Esp. I love ya to pieces."

"Yes, but-" I start out, but am immediately cut off as Vector pushes me roughly up against the table. I can feel the edge of the table push into my back, but ignore the pain as I look up at meet Vector's vermilion eyes. He leans down, cups my face in both hands and cuts off my next words as he slams his mouth onto mine in a frenzied, lust-driven kiss.

Strange sparks and tingling sensations run through my veins, but I can't enjoy the kiss as Vector insists on shoving his wet tongue down my throat. Despite the moan rising up from somewhere deep inside me, I feel like this is wrong. Our kiss is hot and heavy, not loving and tender like it was before. Vector's eyes glow with pure desire and nothing more. Pinned against the table with Vector's slippery tongue in my mouth, I can't voice my concerns. All I can do is let Vector do what he wants with me.

Little knives of fear prick my heart. Vector has complete power over me. What if he loses control and hurts me?

Luckily, Charmy enters the room at this moment and Vector breaks away from me before Charmy can find us interlocked. Charmy starts to say something about the pie, but then notices my expression. Frowning, he asks, "Are you sure you're okay, Espio? You don't look good."

"I'm f-fine," I stammer breathlessly as I fight to regain my breath since Vector just sucked it all away. My stomach does somersaults inside me and I feel as if I'm going to get sick.

"How about we go watch some TV this afternoon?" Vector suggests, wrapping his strong arm around me, completely oblivious to my tumultuous emotions. "There's a football game I wanna catch."

"Okay!" Charmy replies readily, already flying onto the couch.

A few minutes later, the three of us are crammed onto the couch watching TV. Vector is in the middle of the sofa and keeps making loud remarks about every move the football players make. He seems to like showing off his knowledge of football. I just smile and nod along since my thoughts are elsewhere. What if Vector doesn't really love me? I've already given him my heart and it's too late to take it back. Sighing, I realize I'm just going to have to wait and have a nice long chat with Vector about this matter another time.

As seconds turn into minutes and minutes turn into hours, I feel my body strangely relaxing in a way in normally doesn't. A thick cloud of fatigue engulfs my mind, making it harder than usual for me to think. Sleepiness causes my eyelids to droop and I find myself leaning into Vector. The large crocodile grins and suddenly reaches over to slip his arm around me. His hand wraps around the curve of my hip and starts stroking the area possessively. I can't decide if I like the attention or not, so I decide to go with it for now.

A few minutes later, I realize I have to use the bathroom after all the eggnog I drank earlier. Standing up, I point out, "I'll be right back."

Vector and Charmy nod to my statement absentmindedly, both of their eyes glued to the TV. I stumble along and try to get myself to wake up. As I walk past the kitchen, I notice the almost empty eggnog container sitting on the counter. I start to walk by it, but there's just something suspicious about it. Frowning, I start over to the it and pick up the almost empty container of eggnog. I skim the front of it and then look at the ingredients on the back. That's when I see it.

_ Alcohol._

My heart skips a beat and I realize that Vector's been lying to me all night. All the pieces of the puzzle finally fit into place. Vector has been trying to get me drunk and has clearly succeeded as I'm having a hard time keeping my thoughts straight right now. It doesn't take a genius to realize why Vector's been trying to get me drunk. He wants to spend the night with me. Once again, there's an ulterior motive behind his kindness towards me.

Suddenly, I feel as if I have to breakdown as my heart starts to shatter inside of me. Vector doesn't love me - he wants my body. He's just like Bryce although he would never downright abuse me. It's too late for me to get out of this relationship as I love Vector with all my heart now. I can't give him what he wants though. I'm not ready for it nor will I ever be ready for it. Somehow or the other, I have to find a way to sate Vector. He will certainly leave me for someone like Vanilla if I don't give him what he wants.

I take a shuddering breath as I suddenly realize what I'm going to have to do to keep Vector with me. It's degrading and nothing I want to do, but I have no choice. I _need_ Vector. If I don't find a way to satisfy him, he'll break off our relationship without looking back and then where will I be? I don't think I can survive without him.

* * *

_I'm on the pills again (I had a really tough day), so here's another early update! What do you guys think Espio is planning to do to "satisfy" Vector? ;P Review please! :)  
_


	65. Sleazy Sacrifices

_A/N: This chapter contains some sexual content...dunno if that bothers any of you guys or not, but I don't want to get into trouble, so here's your warning. If you don't like that sort of thing, skip this chapter. xD_**  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Hehe, I could do that, but then I dunno what my mom would say when she notices that they're missing. And hm, well, horny Vector might let Espio do whatever it is Esp is planning on doing. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Thanks so much! I'm always so surprised when my internet buddies care about how I'm feeling. It makes me feel special. xD Anyway, that sounds so awkward about when you were at the video game store! Guys will be guys! *rolls eyes* Nobody ever checks me out when I walk into a store. I guess that's a good thing? I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And yes, Vector needs to stop trying to use Esp. It's like he just wants to have sex with him and that's all he wants from the poor guy! *rolls eyes at Vector* Oh my god, I hate the piano so much too! I had to take eight fricking years of it and I hated every minute of it. *shudders* Thanks for the review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: You like pianos? xD Do you play any instruments? Hehe, yeah, Vector is a total perv! Bad Veccy! *shakes finger at him* Don't worry, you're definitely not fat. You're perfect just the way you are! I won't tell anyone - your secret is safe with me! Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to celebrate when I feel better. We should throw a party, don't you think? ^^  
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**Mormar1: That's a really good prediction. I'd definitely say that you're right about Espio. He's going to try something sexual and hate every minute of it, poor thing. Thanks for reading. :)  
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**PreyasRules: Hehe, I think Vector also likes the sound of a drunk Espio! Actually, who doesn't like a drunk Esp? ;P Anyway, I'd say your prediction is spot on. Espio is at the last resorts point! You'll have to let me know how the Maori show is! I'm about to call up Holiday Park and demand them to get wi-fi. xD Bi people are awesome! *high fives you* I've been bi for a few years now. I think I lean towards girls actually. I dunno why, I just feel more comfortable around them. Lol, well, I guess it does take some getting used to, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I'm so glad you liked the chapter! You were grinning the whole time? :D That makes me grin! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**Guest: I just love your predictions because they're pretty much always right! xD You have an awesome mind. I do have to admit that I don't see Vector stopping Esp if he's giving him oral though, just saying. ;P Thanks for the review!  
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**Alicia: Well, I leave skype up all the time pretty much, but I'm never around at six because that's the official dinner time and you know what would happen if I skipped that. =/ And ikr? Poor Espio is feeling so worthless right now. Thanks for reading!  
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**LuluCalliope: You're right; six months isn't that long, I guess. It just seems like forever sometimes. I'm glad school went okay for you. I am definitely not looking forwards to going back, lol. And aw, that was sweet of your parents to say! I agree with you about Espio. You should never feel forced into having sex with someone. That's just...wrong. D: Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I am totally with you on that one! Horny Vector is always insensitive though. That's just how he is! Poor Espio is definitely going to regret what he does and will feel awful about it for a while afterwards. I think he needs some hugs! Yeah, I've been having a few bad days...I'll tell you more about it in our PM. :) I hope you like this chappie!  
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**ShadowChaotix: I'll go check my notes right now then! I haven't been online until now. =/ I will finish your storyat some point! I really do feel so bad about not finishing it already, but I just can't write very well right now. x_x Hehe, yeah, you already know what Espy is going to do because I blabbed the plot of this whole story to you, didn't I? God, I need to stop doing that. Oh well. ;P I forget if you've already read this chapter or not. You'll have to let me know. Ugh, school, I'm not looking forwards to it, but I guess routine is sort of nice? Maybe? lol I'm off to check my notes now! :D****  
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* * *

**Chapter LXV  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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My head is spinning slightly as I unsteadily pad back into the living room where Vector is still making loud, crass comments about the football game. Charmy has long since gotten bored with the game and is now lying against the back of the sofa with his head tilted back and his mouth open as he snores softly. I hesitate before returning to my original spot on the couch. I'm still having a hard time believing that Vector's main goal for tonight is getting me drunk. I feel so taken advantage of. Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but I feel as if he's turning into a less severe form of Bryce.

I slip quietly onto the couch next to Vector again and pretend to pay attention to the TV even though my head is a tumult of muddled thoughts and my stomach continues doing somersaults within me. Vector grins when I return to his side and nudges a full glass of eggnog on the coffee table towards me, asking, "Thirsty, Esp?"

"Vector, I..." I start out in a croaking voice, not sure how to confront him about what he's been trying to do to me all night.

Before I can tell Vector what's on my mind, Charmy's snores come to a halt and he jerks his head up. Looking around with bleary eyes, he yawns sleepily and asks, "What time is it? Are you guys still watching the football game? This has to be one of the longest games in history!"

I'll admit I'm with Charmy on this one. The game certainly is taking quite a while. It could have ended an hour ago if you ask me. Not wanting the little bee to get sleep deprived, I don't even bother looking at the clock as I announce in a firm voice, "It's time for you to go to bed, Charmy. It's been a long day."

"I guess I am a little tired," Charmy admits, mid-yawn. He rubs his eyes and then gives Vector a sleepy smile as he says, "Goodnight, Vector! Happy birthday!"

"'Night, kid," Vector chuckles, raising a hand as Charmy disappears from the room, leaving Vector and myself alone together.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changes dramatically. I'm feeling a bit nervous around Vector tonight. What can I expect from someone who's willing to trick his best friend just to get into his bed? My heartbeats increase and I immediately tense up despite the foggy numbness trying to slip through my entire body.

"Say, Esp, do ya mind if I change the channel? This is gettin' real boring," Vector says, nudging my shoulder as he reaches across me to grab the remote controller from my side of the couch.

"No, I don't mind at all," I reply, my voice sounding strange and hollow to my own ears. The strong, spicy scent of Vector floats to my nose as he leans across me. I can't help but inhale his natural aroma as he settles back on the couch besides me and sends me a look out of the corner of his eye. What is he looking for? Is he trying to see if I'm drunk enough to take advantage of? I involuntarily shudder at the thought and think about what I'm planning to do in just a few moments. It's more than a little degrading and I never before would have even considered sinking to something this low. Unfortunately, I have just begun to find out that I'm going to have to constantly give in order to keep Vector in this relationship with me. I really ought to break it off since I feel so uncomfortable, but - it shames me to admit to this - I love him too much to do so.

"Are ya cold over there?" Vector asks me in what appears to be a concerned tone of voice as he casually flicks through TV channels. "Want me to get yeh a blanket?"

"No, I'm fine, but thank you," I say in the same stiff tone of voice from earlier.

"You sure?" Vector asks, setting down the remote controller and turning to fix me with a more direct look. I blush under his stare and look at the floor as if I suddenly find the design of the carpet very interesting. Vector leans forwards so he's staring into my eyes and asks, "How are ya feelin'? Yeh look really tired."

"I...I'm not particularly tired," I reply, thinking I know _exactly _why Vector is asking me whether or not I'm tired.

Figuring that I really ought to get what I'm planning to do over with so I can stop fretting over it, I slip off of the couch and start over towards the hallway that leads to my bedroom. Vector, bored by the television at this point, immediately follows my lead and trails after me to the hallway. My stomach twists and churns inside of me and all I can do is look at Vector for a moment, not even sure what to say to him. Unable to speak, I suddenly reach out and grab his wrist before I lead him down the dark path to my bedroom.

"Um, where are we goin'?" Vector asks, a glint of excitement in his bright vermilion eyes as I tow him along, my heart pounding in my chest as I do so.

Realizing that I need to change the way I'm acting and fake a more seductive approach to this, I thrust my true emotions deep inside of me and cock my head to the side as I reply as evenly as I can, "To my bedroom. I never gave you your birthday present earlier."

"Oh really?" Vector asks, following behind me at a faster pace, his voice laced with anticipation. "I thought ya said yeh didn't have a present for me?"

"It's nothing you can buy, but I think you'll still enjoy this," I reply as I silently open the bedroom door with my free hand and usher Vector inside.

I don't bother to turn on the lights and simply shut the door behind me. Moonlight streaks in through the window and sends a faint glow dancing on the back wall of the room. It's better in here with the lights off. I don't need Vector to see my face. Without hesitation, I lead Vector to the wall and push him up lightly against it. I meet his eyes for a moment and can see undeniable lust within them. Without another thought, I place my hands on Vector's hard, scaly chest.

"Er, Esp? What are ya-" Vector starts to ask.

"Shh," I whisper, brushing a fingertip across his lips to quiet him down, "We don't want to wake Charmy now, do we? Just let me do this..."

I fall to my knees in front of Vector and prepare to play the role Bryce convinced me is the only role I'm meant to play in this life. After tugging off my gloves, I throw them somewhere behind me before I start trailing my fingertips up Vector's leg. I don't bother to look up to see the expression on Vector's face as I work. My fingertips glide up Vector's thigh before I lean forwards and press my lips against the inside of his leg. I brush light, open mouthed kisses steadily upwards until I hear a muffled groan from Vector. I've turned him on already it seems.

Deciding not to torture him, I flick my eyes to the left and gulp as I notice for the first time just how huge Vector is. Anyone who sees Vector automatically assumes he's big, but he's _more _than big up close like this! Trying not to feel intimidated, I reach out and cup him in one hand as I lightly run my index finger along his length with my other hand. It doesn't surprise me that Vector is already scorching hot under my delicate touch. I allow my finger to caress the throbbing bit of flesh from base to tip several more times before I curl my hand around Vector and start stroking and massaging him with a firmer grip.

"My god, Esp..." Vector lets out a spontaneous moan as I lightly squeeze him between my palms.

After a moment or two, a little bit of clear liquid appears at his tip. Tilting my head to the side for a better angle, I flick my tongue out and lap up the bit of leakage before swirling my tongue along the pulsating flesh. Vector lets out another low growl as I coat his erection with wet, sticky saliva. Wishing I didn't have to do this, I gulp in air before parting my lips and taking Vector into the heat of my mouth. Careful not to make myself choke, I begin lightly sucking up and down the crocodile's length, taking more and more of him between my lips as I work. Trying to give Vector the most pleasure I can offer him, I wrap my tongue around him in addition to my lips as I urge him towards a dizzying peak.

Abruptly, I feel Vector's hands grab at the back of my head. He thrusts his hips forwards, accidentally choking me in the process. Oh god, I knew something like this was going to happen! Vector continues pushing himself to the very back of my throat, completely cutting off my air supply and making my eyes water from the uncomfortable feeling of being at Vector's mercy. The crocodile shoves my head forwards, choking me further. My tongue frantically flicks out and discovers a small slit. Wanting to hurry up and bring Vector to a peak before I pass out from drunkenness and lack of oxygen, I press my tongue against the slit and hope that this will end my little display of affection.

"Argh, _Esp_!" Vector groans, releasing my head almost violently.

I jerk back immediately before I can get a mouthful of something I'd prefer not to swallow between my lips. I cup Vector between my bare palms to keep him from making a mess all over my mostly clean bedroom. A warm, whitish substance spurts onto my hands as Vector tilts his head back and squeezes his eyes shut.

After a few moments, Vector slowly opens his eyes once more and I ease myself to my unsteady legs, looking up at the crocodile with seductive eyes since I don't dare drop my act just yet. I bring one of my slick fingertips to my lips and twirl my tongue around it before whispering, "Happy birthday, Vector."

"Er...thanks?" Vector replies, looking at me in downright confusion. His eyes automatically travel to the bed and he presses, "Can I stay the night?"

I drop my enticing demeanor and give Vector a firm look as I say, "No."

"Heh, okay," Vector says before he stumbles over to the door of the bedroom and states, "Guess yer gonna kick me out now then, huh? Thanks fer the birthday present, Esp. That was better than anything ya could have gotten me. See ya tomorrow morning."

With that said, Vector disappears down the hallway. A moment later, I hear the front door of the house open and close. I'm all alone once more with my own tattered soul. My stomach lurches and I feel like I need to get sick. I make a line straight for the bathroom and lean over the toilet before vomiting up everything I ate in the last twenty-four hours. My mouth is full of a foul substance that I simply can't stand. After vigorously washing my hands until they're sparkling clean, I gulp down mouthwash and then spit it out. Nothing helps the feeling of dirtiness that weighs me down.

_ Why? _I ask myself, not understanding my actions from tonight. _ Why did you just do that? _

The answer comes to me without a second thought. I did it to satisfy Vector and to keep him as my partner. Vector is extremely impatient and pushy. If I hadn't pleasured him, he would have moved on to someone else. By doing what I just did, I secured our relationship temporarily. How long will it last though? How long will it be until Vector wants more from me? How much more will he want?

I collapse on the floor in a tight ball of exhaustion and misery. Why do I feel so dirty? If I love Vector, what I did was not wrong. I did it of my own choice; he didn't force me to do a thing. I don't feel like I'm in a loving relationship anymore though. What I did for Vector was not done under the intention of pleasuring him. The only reason I did it was to keep him with me. Everything I do always seems to be for the wrong reasons, but I cannot help this. It isn't my fault is it? An abrupt thought suddenly smacks me in the face and causes me to cringe.

_ You're becoming Vector's whore just like you were Bryce's whore_, a voice in the back of my mind tells me. _Bryce was right; this is the role you were always meant to play. You don't have a life outside of this. Nobody cares about you or your feelings._

A choked sob forms in the back of my throat. Before I know it, silent tears are running down my cheeks and are creating little puddles on the tile floor. It's freezing cold in the bathroom and I'm forced to wrap my arms around myself in an attempt to keep warm while I sob for what I lost tonight...my dignity. I try to be a leader and attempt to be resolute in my ways and show others that I will take orders from no one. Yet, deep down inside, I know I am never treated as an equal. I doubt Vector knows this, but he has me wrapped around his finger. I love him too much to let him go and I will resort to doing whatever it takes to keep him with me, even things that disgust and degrade me. The only thing I will not let Vector have is my body. It's the only thing I cannot give him. I pray that he will be satisfied with the things I can offer him and not leave me. I'm too attached to him to lose him now. How did this happen? I do not know. All I can say is that fate has never been kind to me.

I eventually cry myself to sleep right here on the bathroom floor. The next morning, I'm still sleeping heavily when I hear a voice from what seems like miles away, calling, "Espio? Espio! Wake up! Vector's going to be here any minute and so are the people with the piano!"

Charmy's words process very slowly through my head and it takes me a good few minutes before I'm able to register what he's saying. Damn, I need to get up right now and prepare myself for Vector and the piano deliverers. Why am I so soft and why did I have to agree to let Vector put his piano here?

Pushing my heavy eyelids open, I stagger to my feet and throw a hand to my forehead as I feel a horrible spasm of pain at the forefront of my head.

"Um, Espio? Why are you sleeping in the bathroom?" Charmy asks me curiously.

"Why indeed?" I comment wryly, asking the question mainly to myself. I get an answer almost immediately.

_ Because you're an idiot - a worthless, brainless idiot._

* * *

_Eh, crappy chapter, I know. Sorry guys, but I've just been kind of distracted lately. D: Anyway, do you think things are going to get tense between Veccy and Espy in the next chappie? Review please! :)  
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	66. Thick Tension

**Saints-Fan-12: Oh yes, it's definitely going to be complete chaos! Well, at least for Espio anyway. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Fangirltime: Hey! *waves* I know you from Tumblr. xD Thanks for taking the time to review the chapter! I love getting reviews. :D I agree with you; this is not the way for Espio to be happy! This chapter is a little less sad, but still kind of tense.  
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**Chibi-Guest: I'm definitely with you there - Espio needs a nice long vacation without Vector around to bother him! I think we all like vacations. It's fun to go somewhere we haven't been before. :3 I'm also mad at Vector for lying to Esp! He owes Espio a big apology, doesn't he? Omg! That's so funny about your sister doing the waltz. Thanks for hoping I feel better. I had an awful day today, so let's just hope tomorrow gets better. =/  
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**Mormar1: It was a sad chappie! Do you think Vector realizes how much Espy loves him? It seems like Vector is just in their relationship for the sex, lol. Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Duskii: Aw, thank you so much for the nice compliment! I'm so glad that you like this story. I absolutely love meeting new readers! Have you been following this story for a while or did you just start reading it not too long ago? Omg, that's so funny about the chairs and your dad! xD Nothing gets through dads. ;P Hope you keep reading!  
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**Guest: Hehe, that is so true. If Espio keeps this up, he's just going to get himself into more and more trouble. Then when it gets to a point where he actually wants to say no to Vector, Veccy might think he's just playing hard to get. Tough situation to be in, right? Thanks for the review!  
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**Alicia: Wow, everyone is so nice. I feel so ugly, especially right now. =/ And yeah, poor Espy! Vector isn't treating him nicely. Thanks for reading!  
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**LuluCalliope: It's okay, I totally agree that Espio should tell Vector about Bryce. I mean, why keep all the pain and misery to himself, right? Ugh, parents! My mom is nice to me one second and she yells at me the next. I know the feeling. I start school on Monday. I'm trying to to think about it, lol. Good luck with the swamp retreat! I'm gonna miss you! D: Yeah, I'm sure...things have just been kind of difficult for me right now and I'm having a hard time reading fics, you know? Thanks for the review. :)  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Ikr? Vector got a little too carried away, didn't he? You're totally right - things are not looking up for their relationship. I'm so glad you liked the drama in the last chapter! I have so much fun writing drama. Let's hope that Vector realizes all the pain he just put poor Espy through very soon and apologizes for it. Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, yeah, I liked writing the last chapter even if I felt bad for Esp the whole time. Of course Vector is huge. ;P At least he didn't completely choke Esp. xD And so true, Esp would only give Vector oral, so he's definitely not a whore. Yes, I got it! I will reply to you again tomorrow. I have more bad news. *cries*****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It's okay about not reviewing the last chapter. I totally understand! I hope you feel better soon. I know what you're going through though. My mom called the doctor today to give her an update on me and the doctor thinks I should go to the hospital for a bit. Ugh, I do so _not_ want to go. My mom still wants to keep me at home and my dad wants to send me to a clinic, so I have no idea what the hell they're going to do. I guess I'll just be grateful to still be here for the moment. =/ Anyway! Yes, poor Espy in the last chapter. Hehe, yeah, Vector wants to have sex with Esp already after just three days. xD I can see Vector as the type who would go out, get drunk, and have a fling. What about you? ;P Oh yes, things will be awkward now! Well, for Espio at least. Vector will probably act normal. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter LXVI  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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My head keeps on swimming as I place a hand against the bathroom wall to steady myself. What Bryce and his gang of friends see in alcohol is something I do not know. My agonizing headache continues pounding against my forehead, making it about impossible for me to concentrate on anything. Charmy is sending me a very peculiar look from across the room. I suppose I must be quite a sight. After all, I barely slept last night, I have a terrible hangover, and I'm not even sure who I am anymore. Am I just Espio or am I Vector's Espio?

"Why don't you have your gloves on, Espio?" Charmy asks, trying to ask a question that I'll actually answer.

"I left them in the bedroom last night," I reply automatically as I release the wall and take an unsteady step towards the door. I need to hurry up and get a hold of myself before Vector gets here. The very last thing I want is for him to know just how much last night is bothering me.

"Why did you leave them in there?" Charmy questions, starting to irritate me with his nosiness. I don't normally get upset this easily, but it's hard to act normal when everything is a blur.

"It's a long story," I reply weakly as I stagger out of the bathroom and out into the hallway. "Will you please go and wait for Vector in the living room? I will be there in just a few moments. I have to do a few things first. If the piano delivery people arrive, call for me. Don't open the door for them without me around."

"What do you think they're going to try to do? Kidnap me?" Charmy asks, rolling his eyes at my paranoia. I frown and give him a hard look. Charmy throws up his hands in the air in mock defeat and says, "Okay, okay, I'll only open the door if it's Vector. Otherwise, I'll call for you first."

I nod at the little bee before making my way to my bedroom. It would be nice if I had some pills left to ease the depression that seems to have wrapped itself around me overnight, but Vector has tossed all of them out. Sighing dramatically, I step inside my bedroom, kick the door shut, and lean heavily against it. I still feel very dirty after last night despite meticulously washing my hands several times. Only now am I realizing that what I did last night will only make things worse for me. Vector will realize that he can manipulate me and will be pressing me for more very soon.

I cannot think of "soon" right now though. All I can think of is "now" and getting through this day. Telling myself to be strong, I square my shoulders and walk to my bed. I stop my fingertips from trembling as I pick up my gloves and slip them onto my hands and over my wrists to keep the faded scars from view. Even though I'd like to stay in the bedroom all day and curl up underneath my thin comforter, I know I can't do that. I need to be around to supervise Charmy while the piano delivers are here and I really do need to see Vector.

"ESPIO, GUESS WHAT?!" Charmy's loud, enthusiastic voice yells from the living room.

I hurry out of the bedroom in case the delivery people are here already. Stepping nimbly through the hallway and determinedly ignoring the throbbing in my head and the weakness in my legs, I approach the living room. Instead of finding Charmy at the door, I see find hovering at the window. When he sees me, he grins at points towards the window.

"What's going on?" I ask the little bee in a flat tone, no excitement in my voice today.

"It snowed!" Charmy exclaims, doing a somersault in the air as he zips over to me. "Can I go outside and play in the snow? Please?"

"It snowed last night?" I ask blankly as I cross the room and go to peer out the window. Sure enough, the ground is coated with a thick layer of snow. Who would have guessed it would snow so much last night? Finally registering Charmy's earlier question, I say, "Alright, you may go out and play in the snow if you like. Keep to the backyard though. The piano delivery people will be here soon. Oh, and be sure to wear your hat and your scarf. They're in the closet."

"Okay!" Charmy replies readily. He whizzes off to the closet, wraps his scarf around his neck, haphazardly throws his hat on his head, and zips out of the door sooner than you can say one-two-three.

Left all alone, I go to the living room and perch on the edge of the couch. I don't particularly like the snow. It's cold and I usually freeze in the winter and end up with pneumonia. Wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm, I stare blankly across the room and wait for Vector or the piano delivery people to arrive at the front door.

Bang! The front door slams open, letting me know that it can only be one certain crocodile standing in the doorway. Without bothering to look up, I gulp and state as evenly as I can, "Hello, Vector."

"Hey there, Esp!" Vector greets me, sounding as enthusiastic as Charmy as he kicks the door shut with a loud, cringe-worthy thud. I can hear his heavy footsteps crossing the floor before I feel the couch sink to my right as Vector plops down next to me. He wraps a casual arm around my shoulders and echoes Charmy's thoughts from earlier, "Can ya believe it snowed outside?"

"Well, seeing as the ground is covered in it, I believe it snowed outside, yes," I reply dryly with no amusement in my voice.

"Say, what's wrong?" Vector asks me, immediately reading into my mood. I shake my head to let him know that nothing is wrong and keep my eyes planted firmly on the floor. Vector places a gently fingertip under my chin and tries to turn my face towards him, but I continue to keep my eyes lowered. "Espio, tell me what's wrong! Yer a bad liar and yeh know it."

"If you really wish to know, I have a terrible headache and I spent last night throwing up," I tell Vector a bit touchily. "So if I'm not acting pleasant and cheerful, you know why."

"Geez, I'm sorry 'bout that," Vector apologizes in what appears to be a genuine tone of voice as he tightens his arm around my shoulders.

"_Are _you though?" I ask, glancing up at Vector with unguarded eyes for the first time since last night. I'm trying to discover whether his concern for me is genuine or if he just doesn't want his little plaything to get too sick and wither away to nothing because then I won't be able to do him any more "favors".

"'Course I am! I love ya, why wouldn't I be sorry?" Vector asks, actually looking hurt at my accusation. "Look, at least let me try to make yeh feel better."

"Unless you have some aspirin, I don't see how you're going to help me," I reply stiffly, refusing to look at Vector. I'm so ashamed of what I did last night. My drunkenness took me to an insane level of desperation. Just who's fault was it that I was drunk out of my mind? Oh yes, that would be Vector's fault.

"Sometimes a little crocodile lovin' can do the trick," Vector winks at me as he leans closer to me and brushes tender fingertips across my cheek, murmuring, "Yer so beautiful, Esp..."

"W-what?" I stammer out, looking at Vector as if he's lost his mind. "I'm a dirty, worthless thing, Vector. That's what I am."

"Shaddap already! I hate hearin' ya diss yerself like this. Yer beautiful to me and that's what matters," Vector replies, continuing to stroke my cheek with gentle fingertips. He leans closer to me and breaths on my neck, sending a tremor down my spine. "I wanted yeh from the beginning, ya know that? I dunno what I would've done if you had rejected me."

"Did you_ really _want me from the beginning?" I ask, trying to figure out if all this sweet talking is just a joke or if Vector is actually being serious. If he's being serious, then perhaps I'm being paranoid and Vector isn't just using me. My heart lifts just slightly and I dare to hope that he truly loves me.

"Why are ya askin' me all these stupid questions today? I'm not gonna lie to yeh," Vector says, leaning down and gently kissing my neck.

At first, I try not to let Vector touch me, but the gentle brush of his lips against my flesh is enough to spark nerves within me. I close my eyes, stop resisting, and allow Vector to press agonizing slow kisses up and down the slender column of my neck. A warm, wet tongue glides to hollow of my throat, bathing my scales in wet saliva. I wish this wasn't exciting me, but it is. I prefer it when Vector moves slow with me like this. Gentle caresses and soft touches are what I long for. Fast, forceful displays of passion remind me of Bryce. What Vector is doing now is making me feel loved and is slowly wiping my mind clean of the paranoia I felt earlier.

Knock, knock, knock! I practically have a heart attack and jerk my head towards the door in alarm at the loud banging noise. Vector, on the other hand, keeps his arm around me and lazily glances over at the door, telling me in a casual voice, "It's probably just the delivery people."

"Yes, but we ought to get the door for them, don't you think?" I ask, hurrying across the room. I hesitate with my hand on the doorknob and glance back at Vector, who is still sprawled across the couch, and state, "You're going to handle the delivery since this is your piano. Just don't tell the deliverers to put the piano somewhere where it's going to be in the way."

"Yeah, yeah," Vector replies as he gets up and strides across the room to join me at the door.

Not liking strangers inside my safe haven, I take a deep breath before opening the door and taking a few steps backwards to let Vector handle the piano delivery. My eyes immediately fly open when I notice a group of four hedgehogs carrying a massive piano just outside the doorway. How are they going to fit that enormous instrument into the house? I start wringing my hands together nervously and shift from foot to foot.

"Hey there, guys!" Vector greets the hedgehogs, eyes lighting up as he sees his beloved piano. "C'mon in! Ya can put the piano wherever yeh like."

I frown at Vector, remembering that I distinctly told him a few minutes ago not to let the piano delivery hedgehogs put the piano anywhere where it might be in the way. Unfortunately, the hedgehogs holding the piano are already through the doorway and are blocking my view of Vector.

Smash, thud, boom! I wince as the piano bangs up against the walls of my neatly painted living room. You would think that the hedgehogs could display a bit more care towards my home. If there are indentations in the wall after this, I'm going to make Vector pay for them. This is his piano and his mess, not mine!

"How about we put the piano down right here?" one of the hedgehogs suggests to Vector as he and the other five hedgehogs move to the center of the room.

"Yeah, that's good," Vector nods along without even glancing over at where the hedgehogs are standing.

Forgetting I have a headache, I smack my forehead with my palm. The only thing I asked Vector not to do was allow the hedgehogs to put the piano in the middle of the room! Guess where the piano is now? Smack in the middle of the room. I sigh and shake my head, wondering why even the little things can never go right for me.

"Is there anything else we can do for you? If not, we should probably get going," the hedgehog who asked Vector about where they could set the piano down says. He appears to be the leader of the group from the looks of things, just like how Vector is the leader of Team Chaotix.

"Nah, this is great! Thanks for yer help!" Vector says enthusiastically, eyes now zoned in on the piano as he absentmindedly waves to the hedgehogs while they file out the door.

I watch my only hope of moving the piano to a more decent place in the room walk into the cold December morning. Once the door finally falls shut behind the last hedgehog, I whirl around to face Vector, about to ask him why he couldn't have followed my request. However, Vector is grinning from ear-to-ear like a kid left all alone at a candy store and I don't have the heart to chastise him right now. My shoulders slump and I lean against the wall as I watch Vector stare at the piano as if it's his long lost lover.

"Look at this thing, Esp!" Vector waves me over to the piano frantically. "Ain't it beautiful?"

"It's very nice, Vector, but perhaps you've failed to notice that it's smack in the middle of the room?" I point out wryly. "We can't even see the TV from the couch anymore."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess that could be a bit of a problem," Vector agrees as he turns around to notice that the piano is right in between the couch and the TV. His face lights back up within the second and he gives me a reassuring look as he adds, "Don't yeh worry 'bout a thing. Ol' Vector will move the couch so we can still watch TV."

I stand back and watch in surprise as Vector strides over and picks up the sofa as if it's as light as a feather. I've tried to budge the couch to the left a few times, but have failed to move it even a millimeter. Vector's strength is always shocking to me. I would offer him help, but he doesn't seem to need it. Vector strides to his right, judging the distance between himself and the TV, and then plops the couch down before stepping aside and looking to me for approval. The couch is now in front of the piano and is only a few feet from the TV. It's almost _too _close to the TV, but I suppose this is better than before.

"That will work," I admit with a curt nod as the door to the house goes flying open for perhaps the seventh time today.

"Hi Vector! Oh boy, you got the piano!" Charmy yells excitedly before zooming straight towards the new instrument. He hovers in front of it and starts pressing random keys, creating all sorts of awful noises.

"Er, maybe I should give ya a few lessons before yeh have a go at the piano," Vector suggests, wincing as the terrible racket reverberates throughout the room.

"Okay!" Charmy replies cheerfully before he hesitates and adds, "Let's go outside now though! I want to have that snowball fight we've been talking about."

"Sure, kid," Vector shrugs nonchalantly before sending Charmy a snarky smile and adding, "Ya better be prepared to lose then! Yeh up for some snowball fightin', Esp?"

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_My updates keep getting earlier and earlier and I keep taking more and more pills. x_x Hope you guys don't mind the early updates. Anyway, do you guys think Esp and Vector will talk about what happened between them the previous night or not? Review please! :)  
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	67. Muddled Miscommunications

**Saints-Fan-12: That's so true. Espio will probably let it slide, but if Vector realizes it's bothering Esp, he'll want to talk about it. Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
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**zgirl16: Yay, you're back! I missed you! I'm so glad you loved all the chapters though. :3 How have you been? And hm, I'm not sure really. I'm only suppose to take one, but they knock you out faster if you take more than one. xD  
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**MFG: Thanks! I'm glad you've made an exception with this story. Maybe I can turn you into a Vecpio fan by the end of this fic. ;P Have you been reading it for long? Just curious! I hope you keep reading.  
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**Mormar1: I'm glad you're excited for the next chapter! I think you'll like this one even more than the previous one! Thanks for reading. :)  
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**andypandy123: I'm with you on that one! Nobody likes seeing a depressed Espio. Don't worry though; the two will work things out in this chapter. Thank you for the review!  
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**Guest: Besides for his headache, Espio did take it all pretty well! I guess he doesn't really have a choice though. Esp thinks that if he gets into a big fight with Vector that the crocodile will end up leaving him for Vanilla or someone else. =/ Thanks for the review!  
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**Alicia: Thanks. *huggles* I need them to pass out though or else I'm up worrying all night, lol. I definitely think that Charmy would win in a snowball fight too! xD Thanks for reading!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: That's okay about the last chapter! I'm glad you're back though. ^^ You should definitely come to Michigan (where I live) if you want to see snow. It's been snowing on and off a lot the last few days and I'm sick of it, lol. Espio is one to keep things bottled up, isn't he? And yeah, screw Vector! I don't think he intentionally meant to make Espio feel bad, but you know how Veccy is. Hehe, I'd place my bets on Charmy regarding who will win the snowball fight. Little kids are always good at that sort of thing. xD God, yes, being sick sucks so much! I've spent the last four years being sick on and off a lot. I wish I was someone else most of the time, lol. Thanks for catching up on the chapters!  
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**LuluCalliope: Same with your parents! I swear they think their jobs are to make us feel miserable. *rolls eyes* Aw, really? Thanks so much! That's so nice of you! *hugs* Lol, maybe you're a morning person. I'm definitely a night person. I stay up late and then get all cranky in the mornings. xD Poor Espio does have a lot of inner conflict going on. It's just going to get worse for him in the future chapters. The snowball fight will actually be in the next chapter. This one covers other stuff. I wish I could send you some real snow! It snowed here today actually.  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I think this chapter will make you hate Vector a little less. I agree with you though, he definitely isn't treating Espio right! The piano should not have to go in the middle of Espio's living room out of all places! *rolls eyes* It's likely that the two of them will finally talk in this chapter. I'm usually pretty against medication as well, but these pills get me out of the pain sooner, so more are better. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Lol, the horror of the early updates! *sarcasm* And aw, thanks. :) I think they should definitely talk about what happened the previous night as well. Of course, Vector is probably going to have a hard time realizing anything is wrong at first. ;P That croccy is a little on the selfish side sometimes!****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol about the piano! We actually do have one here, but it's tucked away in the corner of the room collecting dust. Espy would have a heart attack. ;P I don't really see Vector as the piano playing type either, but there's an episode of Sonic X with the Chaotix running a bar that has Vector playing the piano in it, so that's where that came from. Hospitals REALLY suck. One time I went there, I felt like I was dying and they gave me morphine. I was like "I need more of this stuff!" xD That's the only time I was okay with a needle in my vein. How are you feeling today? And hehe, yeah, I agree. That's how one of my next Vecpio fics is going to start out. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter LXVII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Espio hesitates at the suggestion of snowball fighting. I roll my eyes and cross my arms knowin' that he'll relent if I just give him a moment or two. Esp has definitely been letting his guard down around me more and more lately, that's for sure. I've gotta admit that something is kinda bugging me though. The whole situation last night didn't seem right. My scheme to get Esp drunk wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I didn't get in his bed, but I did get him to give me oral. I didn't even have ta ask for it!

Something just ain't right though. I can feel a sort of strained tension in the air between the two of us today. Now that Espio isn't drunk anymore, he's probably embarrassed about what he did last night. I sure as hell don't think it's anything to be embarrassed over. I'd repay him for the favor faster than yeh can say one-two-three if he'd only let me.

The main question I'm askin' myself right now is whether or not I should talk to Esp about last night. Although he's trying hard not to act weird around me, I can tell that he feels things are awkward between us. I'm starting to wish I hadn't shoved all that eggnog in Espio's face. What if...oh. Dammit! What if Esp saw the eggnog container after I left his house and figured out what I was up to last night? Espio is anything_ but _stupid. He probably looked at the eggnog carton and realized that it was my intention to get him drunk. No wonder I'm feelin' a strange tension between us.

I've answered my own question and now know that I've gotta talk to Esp and that it's gonna have to be sooner rather than later. I wait impatiently for him to make up his mind about the snowball fightin' so I can interject and tell him that we need to talk and that it's gonna be right now whether he likes it or not.

"Please, Espio?" Charmy begs, giving Espio puppy dog eyes. "Snowball fighting won't be the same without you!"

"Oh, I don't know..." Espio starts out, looking unsure. "It's rather chilly outside. I might catch a cold."

"Yer not goin' to catch a cold if ya dress warmly. Just put yer scarf, yer hat, and yer mittens on and everything will be fine," I point out, wishing Espio would just say yes already so I can get Charmy to go wait for us outside while I pull Espio aside and apologize. Apologizin' isn't easy for me, but Esp deserves an apology from me. I didn't even enjoy Esp pleasuring me all that much last night since I knew it was sumthin' he never would have done if he wasn't drunk. The poor guy has had a hard enough life and I'm turning out to be a crappy lover to him.

"I suppose one snowball fight couldn't hurt," Espio replies reluctantly after taking one more look at Charmy's face.

A wave of jealousy flows through me. Even though I know Espio is my lover, I get envious of the bond between him and the little bee. There's clearly something real strong between the two of them. Their bond is definitely stronger than the bond between Espio and myself. More guilt rips at my insides as I think about how I tried to trick the chameleon last night. Geez, what was I thinkin'? Was I drunk? I dunno, but I've probably just lost Espio's trust. He could leave me at any moment and never look back. Hell, if I don't watch out, he could end up dating Amy Rose tomorrow!

Shuddering at the thought of Espio and Amy together, I suddenly reach forwards and grab Espio's slender forearm to keep him from going outside. Waving Charmy out the door, I reply in a gruff voice full of anger towards myself, "You go ahead and meet us outside, Charmy. I've gotta talk to Esp for a sec. Ya can start gettin' some snowballs ready for our big fight."

"Okay! I'll have way more snowballs than you!" Charmy giggles before turning and whizzing towards the door. He pushes it open and disappears outside, letting the strong wind slam the door shut behind him. A few white flakes of snow flutter into the house and turn to water droplets on the floor.

Now that I have Espio all alone, I pull him towards the bedroom, wanting to have this conversation somewhere other than the living room in case Charmy comes back inside. I don't look at Espio until we're inside the bedroom. I tug the door open, drag us both inside of it, and then thrust the door shut and release Espio's arm. To my surprise, he takes several steps backwards so he's pressed up against the wall furthest from me. Is that a frightened expression I see on his face?

"Vector, please don't hurt me. I'm sure we can talk through whatever you're upset about," Espio says immediately, telling me that he's read into my current mood.

Shocked and hurt, I tilt my head towards Espio and ask in surprise, "Why do ya think I'd hurt yeh? Espio, look at me."

The little chameleon is staring resolutely at the ground and I can tell that he's lost in some sort of memory he's kept repressed for a while. As much as I'd like to say that Espio has told me every little thing about himself, I know he still has his secrets and that they continue to eat away at him day after day.

Finally, Espio takes the initiative and bravely looks up and meets my eyes with his amber ones, saying in a rush, "Last night-"

"Was stupid," I cut him off and finish his sentence, knowin' that I need to be the one to apologize to him before he tells me he found out about my master plan. He needs ta know that I really am sorry for it. Taking a few steps forwards, I start out hesitantly, "Look, I lied to ya. There was alcohol in that eggnog and yeah, I was tryin' to get ya drunk. I admit it. I'm real sorry though, Esp. I swear to yeh that I'll never do it again. I've felt bad ever since last night."

"I knew what you were trying to do," Espio admits in that calm, collected voice of his. I stiffen and brace myself for rejection. Esp won't want to stay with me now, not after the crappy way I treated him. Espio takes a deep breath and asks me one simple question, "Why?"

"I dunno why," I lie even though both of us know exactly why I did what I did. Figuring I should get all the lies out, I take a deep breath and admit, "Guess I just wanted to have some fun with yeh last night. I don't mean ta hurt ya, Esp. I would never rape yeh or anything. I just though ya might need a little convincing. It was wrong of me to do what I did though. I swear on my crocodile soul that I'll never make that same mistake again."

"Yes, don't do it ever again. I hate being taken advantage of," Espio replies, a little tremor running through his body at his last sentence, making me think that he's definitely been taken advantage of before. Espio gulps and I wait for the fateful sentence to fall from his lips...

I interrupt, unable to hear about how he wants to break up with me. Dropping to my knees in front of the chameleon, I swear, "Esp, I'll never ever do it again! Just don't leave me! I swear I'll do whatever damn thing ya want me to do to make it up to ya. Just name yer price."

Espio looks surprised and says, "I wasn't going to break up with you."

"Ya weren't?" I ask in bewilderment, suddenly feeling stupid kneeling in front of Espio with my hands clasped. Struggling back up to my feet, I chuckle awkwardly and say, "That's good to hear."

The little chameleon looks blankly at something behind me and goes on as if he didn't hear me as he says, "I need to be able to trust you though, Vector. A relationship is nothing without trust. If I can't trust you and you can't trust me, then where does that put us? There cannot be love without trust."

"I swear to god that yeh can trust me," I say fervently, hating the doubt written all over Espio's face. Goddammit, why did I have to be so stupid and screw things up between us? Sighing loudly, I throw my hands up into the air in defeat and admit, "Look, what's it gonna take for ya to realize yeh can trust me?"

Espio hesitates for a moment before he says slowly, "Just your word. If you say I can trust you, then I believe you." Espio says, making me feel even more guilty. I hang my head, completely ashamed of myself as the smaller reptile waves me towards the bed and continues on, "Sit with me a moment. I want to explain something to you."

"Anything ya want," I reply, head still hanging as I trudge across the bedroom floor and plop down on the bed next to Espio.

"I want to explain to you how I feel," Espio states once we're both sittin' on the bed together. "With the way you've behaved, I feel as if you don't care about me. I feel as if all you want is to sleep with me. I told you at the beginning of our relationship that I can't give you that. Pushing me isn't going to help. I felt pressured into doing what I did last night. You pushed me to believe that if I didn't give you what you wanted, then you would break up with me."

"Huh?" I ask, completely confused at this point. Is Esp really tryin' to say that he thought I was gonna break up with him if he didn't agree to sleeping with me? Yeah, I wanna be intimate with him and take down the last walls that stand between us, but I'd never break up with him over it. Shaking my head slowly, I state, "That's really screwed logic."

"Are you _sure _about that?" Espio asks, placing emphasis on certain words as he looks up to search my face, still thinking that I'm lying.

This time, I'm able to look him straight in the face because not for a second have I considered breaking up with Espio over the fact that he refuses to sleep with me. Nodding vigorously, I reply, "I'm sure as hell positive about it! I'd never do somthin' like that. Who put that thought into yer head? Whoever it was musta been on drugs or some other crap."

"It was my cousin," Espio says in a barely audible voice, that strange sad, haunted look returning to his eyes.

"Yer cousin? Ya mean Bryce, the one who used to beat up on yeh?" I ask, remembering the pitch black chameleon with the flaming red eyes. Espio nods ever so slightly, sorrow still embedded in his gaze. I don't quite get this. I mean, why would Bryce be enforcing ideas about romantic relationships in Espio's head? I voice this aloud and ask, "What were ya doin' asking yer cousin for dating advice anyway? Didn't ya have someone else to ask about that sort of thing?"

"I wasn't asking him about dating advice," Espio says slowly, eyes on the ground.

"Er, what was he doin' telling ya that sort of thing then?" I press, feeling like I'm about to uncover something big although I dunno what it is yet.

"You're a detective, Vector. Do the math," Espio replies, raising his eyes to me.

My head spins as I try to figure out what Esp wants me to realize. I think and think, but nothin' comes to my mind. Wouldn't it be a lot easier if Espio just told me? I shoot him a sideways look, but his expression is stony and cold. Suddenly, a really sick thought enters my head.

"Geez, ya don't mean to tell me that yeh were in a relationship with yer cousin, do ya?!" I exclaim in shock, turning disgusted eyes on the chameleon next to me. "Cuz that's just real sick, Esp! That's like incest!"

Espio flinches as if I just hit him and asks quietly, "What if I didn't have a choice though?"

"Whaddya mean?" I press, not getting where this conversation is goin'. "Of course ya had a damn choice about it! Do ya mean to tell me that yeh willing slept with yer cousin?!"

"No! That is not at _all _what I'm trying to say!" Espio snaps, finally losing his temper. Fire surges into his dark amber irises as he waves his hand in a jerky manner and says, "I was asking him for dating advice. That's what happened, nothing more."

"But ya just told me that's not what happened-" I start out, trying to figure out Espio's dirty little secret.

"Forget it. I don't want to talk about it any more," Espio snaps again as he folds his arms protectively over his chest.

I normally would try to push him into telling me what really happened between him and his cousin, but I've gotta keep my quiet today. After all, Esp might be real close to breaking up with me right now. Taking a deep breath, I reach over and take his hand, changing the subject as I ask, "Are we good then? Everything is okay between us now?"

There's a short silence before Espio nods slowly and returns to his normal calm demeanor, replying, "Yes. Everything is fine now."

"Great!" I exclaim, feeling the awkward tension between us disappear, The only bad thing is that now there's the bothersome matter of Espio's cousin on my mind. Oh well, I'll think about that later. I help Esp off of the bed and add excitedly, "Let's go have a hell of a snowball fight!"

* * *

_Well, Veccy and Espy worked things out for the time being anyway. How long do you think it will be before Vector starts pushing Esp again? xD Review please! :)  
_


	68. Snowball Fun

**Saints-Fan-12: That's a good prediction! I think Vector will try to lay low for a few chapters, but knowing Veccy, the pushy attitude will come back! Let me know what you think of this chapter. :3  
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**Fangirltime: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I don't want to spoil too much for you, but Vector might hurt Espio on accident again in the future. You'll have to keep reading to find out! Thanks for the review!  
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**MFG: Thank you so much for all the nice reviews! I really enjoyed reading all of them. It's great to see that you're making so much progress with this fic. I would LOVE it if you drew a picture from it. That would be amazing. Nobody has done that for me yet. =/ Hope you like the next chapters!  
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**Mormar1: Yes, the two are finally happy for now! *throws a party for them* I think you're right about Espio telling Vector about Bryce. He almost did in the last chapter. Thanks for reading. :)  
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**Guest: Yeah, I'd say Espio is pretty frustrated with Vector right now. Some detective he is. *rolls eyes* It is good progress that Esp tried to tell Vector the truth. Do you think Esp is getting more comfortable around Vector? Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: *hugs more* Kind of sick and nervous. I'm updating this to distract myself, lol. xD  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Omg, I want to go to Britain really bad! I've wanted to go there for a long time now. The US is kind of overrated in my opinion, but if you ever visit it, come to Michigan! :D Hehe, you think you're crazy? I guarantee you that I'm a hundred times worse. I definitely think you're right that the peace between Espy and Veccy will only last temporarily. Espio is still keeping secrets and Vector remains a perv. xD Your dream is so funny! I'll try and send some of the snow your way, alright? If dreams were real, I'd be in heaven right now I think. I've had a few dreams about Vector and Espio. I know, I know, I'm so obsessed with them. xD Anyway, good luck with school! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**LuluCalliope: Yes, Vector is probably the biggest idiot on the planet right now! He really just can't put the pieces of the puzzle together, can he? Espio practically had it spelled out for him and he misinterpreted the whole thing. *facepalms* Aw, thanks for the concern. *hugs* Don't worry though, I don't think I can overdose on these pills. Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: I know! It's awesome that they talked things out even though the peace may only be temporary. I love the idea of Vector on his knees in front of Esp (and no, I didn't mean that in a dirty way...or did I? ;P). So cute! Anyway, I think you're right that Vector will be nice to Espy for a little while. It seems like their relationship is getting stronger since Esp almost told Vector about his past, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, a job well done, Veccy! *joins you in sarcasm* He has good intentions, but he always says all the wrong things, you know? ;P At least they're back together though! Oh, and this is random as hell, but I found a Vector T-shirt and an Espio T-shirt! I told my mom I have to have them. Dunno if she'll buy them for me or not though. =/ Thanks for the review!****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, I know, Vector should feel bad, shouldn't he? xD He deserves to feel bad for a little while! His ignorance is really annoying and I'm sure Esp is very frustrated with it. What do you bet that Vector won't be able to figure out about Bryce on his own until Espio flat out tells him about it? Oh, and this is really random, but I have a question for you. I hope I haven't asked this before. If I did, sorry! I have a horrible memory. What do you think of EspioxMighty and EspioxKnuckles? Yup, Vector was playing jazz in the bar. I have plans for that piano in my next fic. It will be used for more than music, hehe. Omg, same! When the medicine actually words, I end up begging for more! Your day sounds awful. I'm so sorry! Your teachers are not understanding at all. I hope tomorrow is better for you. Your name is Briana? That's such a pretty name. :) My day wasn't much better, lol. I basically took a lot of pills, worried about going to the doctor tomorrow, and felt like crap all day. ;P Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXVIII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

It's great that the tension between Espio and myself has finally dissolved. Whenever things aren't quite right between us, I feel so off. I've never felt like this before in all my life. Guess this is what bein' in love does to yeh. If Espio is miserable, then I'm beating myself up over it. When Espio is happy, I feel on top of the world. It's as if our emotions are directly linked to one another.

My normal crocodile grin slides across my face as Espio slips a smaller hand into one of my big ones as we approach the living room. Things are gonna be okay between us. I pause absentmindedly and wait as Espio take his worn scarf from the back of a chair and meticulously wraps it around his slender neck several times. After that, we stride hand-in-hand to the doorway. I'm lookin' forwards to this snowball fight. Espio looks a little apprehensive of it. I can pick up from his body language that he doesn't like the cold. I'll have to make sure I get him warm and toasty when we come back inside the house later. I won't throw _too _many snowballs at him. Most of mine will be directed at Charmy.

A sharp blast of wind smacks the two of us in the face. It's continuing to snow outside and I'm wonderin' just how much snow we're gonna have by the end of the day. I wouldn't be shocked if there is a whole foot of snow on the ground by tomorrow morning. Wouldn't it be ironic if we had a blizzard by Christmas after our strangely warm November and early December?

Smack! Something icy cold slaps against the side of my neck. A sharp chill runs down my spine as I turn to hear the sound of childish giggling to my left. Charmy is cracking up and is practically doubling over in his amusement of catching me off guard.

"Yer gonna regret that one, Charm!" I warn him, reaching down and shoving a whole bunch of snow together into a giant snowball.

"Oh yeah? I bet you can't hit me!" Charmy taunts in a teasing voice as he sends me an impish smile and then sticks his tongue out in my direction.

I give him a smirk and grab my gigantic snowball before sending it flying in Charmy's direction. Even though my throw is pretty darn powerful, Charmy easily dodges it and continues sticking his tongue out at me. Reaching down, he makes another snowball in about two second and sends it whizzing right towards me. I see the snowball comin' in my direction, but I don't have enough time to avoid it. Frigid cold snow smacks me in the forehead, and this time, I hear Charmy giggling as and Espio chuckling.

"That's two for Charmy and zero for you so far," Espio informs me, taking on the roll of keeping track of the hits and misses of our snowball fight. Esp may think that this role is gonna save him from gettin' hit by any snowballs, but if that's what he's thinking, he's outta luck.

"Geez, did ya really need to remind me about that?" I ask, rolling my eyes at Espio before making a much smaller snowball and sending it flying in Espio's direction. He dodges it easily.

"Hey! No fair!" Charmy calls out, crossing his arms and sticking his lip out in a pout. "The snowballs you throw at me are five times bigger than the one you just threw at Espio!"

"Yeah, well..." I trail off and try to come up with a good reason for this as I reach down and start forming another gigantic snowball to throw at Charmy. Since no good reason comes to my mind, I just shrug my shoulders and send Espio an affectionate look out of the corner of my eye as I add, "Guess bein' my partner gives Esp certain crocodile privileges."

"Huh? Oh, right. I forgot. You two are in_ love_," Charmy emphasizes the last word of his sentence before he mockingly bats his eyelashes at us and dissolves into giggles again.

I can't help but chuckle when a little snowball catches Charmy off guard and hits him on the shoulder. Looking up in surprise, Charmy looks from Espio to me to figure out who hit him with the snowball . Blushing, Espio admits, "That was me."

"Snowball attack time!" Charmy yells, flying to the ground and wadding the fresh, crisp snow into balls as quickly as he can before sending them flying at Espio and myself. I join in and make lots of huge snowballs as fast as I can before sending them flying in all different directions. Try as I might, I can't seem to get one damn snowball to hit the little bee. Either my aim is real off or Charmy's an expert at dodging snowballs. One of my snowballs accidentally hits Espio and actually knocks him over into the snow.

"Esp! Are ya alright?" I call out as I shuffle through the snow to where Espio is lying a bit stunned in the snow. At first, he doesn't move and I start to panic. This is the problem with Esp - he's so fragile!. I swear yeh teasingly knock into him and he falls over and breaks somethin'! I lean down, about to help Espio up with his eyes flick open and he moves so fast that I don't have time to process anything as a small snowball hits me right between the eyes. Dusting the snow off of my head, I smirk and say, "You've done it now, ya little ninja! Better watch out!"

"Better watch out for what, Vector?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow curiously as he continues to lie on the snow before me. "Are you going to pelt me with snowballs right now?"

I consider this for a moment before I haul little Espio to his feet and tenderly brush the snow off of his body, shaking my head as I reply, "Nah. I'm a damn fool for yeh and ya know I'm not gonna do that."

Espio smiles one of those smiles that makes my pulse race. He looks so happy right now and happy isn't exactly a word I'd use to describe the purple chameleon in general. Serious? Yup. Intelligent? For sure. But happy? Eh, not so much. It's during times like this that I realize how much meeting the smaller reptile has changed me for the better and for the worse.

A series of snowballs are tossed through the air and are launched in our direction as Charmy calls out, "Uh, hello? Earth to Vector and Espio! You two should be on a soap opera or something. Just the way you guys look at each other is better than the acting they do in those types of shows."

"'Course we look at each other differently than the people in the soaps!" I exclaim defensively as I whip up my biggest snowball yet, throwing an arm around Espio's shoulder when I'm done. Pulling him against my side, I say, "All that actin' in the soaps is staged. Nobody is really in love like we are!"

Before Charmy has a chance to respond, I send my gigantic snowball at him. This time, it hits its target. The massive snowball slams right into Charmy and he sort of disappears in it. Looking concerned, Espio hurries over to him and starts digging at the snow to try and get Charmy out of the snow. I take my time reaching him before lending a hand in uncoverin' the bee. I'm pretty sure that my snowball hasn't fazed him too much. Knowing Charmy, he probably likes being buried in snow.

A moment later, Charmy's head appears from out of the mound of snow. Espio lifts him out of the snow pile like a worried parent and asks in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I'm totally fine, just a little cold. Want to go inside now?" Charmy asks as he shakes off his wings, sending bits of snow flying in all directions.

"That sounds good. I'm starting to get a little cold myself," Espio admits as the three of us start back towards the house. The right side of his mouth tilts up in an amused smile as he admits, "You still won the snowball fight though, Charmy. I think you hit Vector close to twenty times."

"Twenty times?!" I exclaim in horror as Espio smiles serenely and Charmy starts giggling again. "Say, I didn't think I was _that _bad at snowball fightin'! Guess we're gonna have to have a rematch!"

"Okay! Bring it on!" Charmy replies, coming to a halt and reaching down to make another snowball.

"Vector means he wants to have a rematch on a different day," Espio quickly interjects before a second snowball fray can break out. "If we stay out here much longer, you're going to have to melt my frozen body once we get inside."

The three of us reach the front door of Espio's cozy little house and tramp inside, bringing bits of snow into the house with us. Espio doesn't seem to notice it, which is probably a good thing. As I pull the door firmly shut behind us to keep the wind out, I suddenly realize that Espio is shivering kinda violently. His teeth chatter and he wraps his arms around his slender chest to try and keep himself warm. Guess that's the problem with bein' so skinny; you've got nothin' to keep yerself warm with.

"Are ya alright over there, Esp?" I ask him, unable not to be concerned about my buddy.

"Y-yes, just f-fine," Espio chatters to me, his teeth clunking together as he tries to force himself not to shiver.

"No, yer not. Yer shiverin'!" I exclaim, having learned a long time ago not to trust Espio over things like this. He has a habit of pretending he's fine even when it's real clear that he's not. I hurry over to him and say, "Lemme help. A big crocodile hug can always warm yeh up."

Espio doesn't protest and allows me to tuck him into a tight embrace. I pull Esp against my chest and rub large hands up and down his scaly back to try and warm him up. The snow on my body has long since melted, but it seems to be clinging to Espio's scales. I move a hand to his chest and brush the snow off of the smooth expanse of scales there, finding it curious how soft Espio's flesh is. He's not covered with rock hard scales like me. His body is so different than mine in just about every way possible.

I hold Esp until he finally stops shivering and then gently release him, asking, "Better now?"

Espio nods and steps only one pace away from me. I wonder if he wanted me to keep on huggin' him. I'm still trying to figure this out when Charmy, who left to grab a snack from the kitchen, reenters the room and states, "I have a really good idea, you guys! Why don't we go get a cup of hot chocolate at the new coffee shop just around the corner? It's only two seconds from here!"

"There's a new coffee shop around the corner?" Espio asks, anxiety written all over his face as he jerks his head in Charmy's direction. "I do hope the cafe I work at won't go out of business because of it."

"I'm sure you've got nothin' to worry about. Yer cafe is the best one in town," I say firmly to try and get Espio to stop worrying before I add, "'Course, it probably wouldn't hurt to check out this new coffee place just to see what it's like. A cup of hot cocoa sounds good to me right now."

"Vector, my cafe was the only one in town before this new one was built," Espio points out wryly as he wraps his scarf around his neck once more and follows Charmy and myself to the door. Charmy is about to whiz out of it when Espio stops him and says, "You're forgetting your hat. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Sighing melodramatically, Charmy turns and flies back into the living room to grab his hat. Espio turns his eyes on me and frowns as he looks me up and down and asks, "Don't you have anything to keep yourself warm with, Vector? A hat, a pair of mittens, or a scarf perhaps? It's very chilly outside."

"Nah, I'm good. I've got thick scales so I ain't gonna catch a cold," I reply, getting a warm, tingly feeling inside just from knowing how concerned Espio is over my health. I give him a gentle poke and remind him, "I was out for hours earlier and didn't even get chilled. Ya didn't notice that I wasn't bundled up then?"

"I suppose not," Espio admits, frowning and thinking back to our snowball fight from earlier. "I was a bit distracted then."

"Oh yeah? Distracted by what? The good lookin' croc standin' a few feet away from yeh?" I tease Espio with a toothy smirk in his direction.

Espio rolls his eyes at me as Charmy flies back into the room, now bundled up in his red and white striped mittens, hat, and scarf. Unlike Espio's worn, battered scarf, Charmy's winter gear looks relatively new. I'll betcha Espio bought new gear for Charmy this year and neglected getting himself anything new for the last decade or so. The chameleon is so selfless.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go get some hot cocoa!" Charmy exclaims in a muffled voice because his scarf is covering his mouth. Flinging open the door, Charmy is the first out the door with me tromping after him and Espio trailing after me. I'm hopin' to try and shield Esp's small figure from the snow by walking in front of him. Despite the howling wind biting at my scales and trying to chill me to the bone, I find that there is nowhere in the world I'd rather be right now. I've got a best friend and a lover in one. What more could I possibly want?

Little do I know that I'm gonna forget all this sooner rather than later. I'm Espio's direct opposite. He's selfless and I'm selfish. It's only too easy for me to push his buttons without thinking about what I'm sayin'. It's gonna take more than crocodile charm to keep me on good terms with the younger reptile.

* * *

_I have to go to the doctor tomorrow and I'm really nervous, so please wish me luck everyone! I'm really nervous right now. =/ Anyway, how do you think the trip to the cafe will go? Do you think there will be trouble? xD Review please! :)  
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	69. Cafe Complications

**Saints-Fan-12: Thank you! *hugs back* Ooo, good prediction! Vector will definitely want to protect Esp if the hedgehog harasses him. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: The snow is a lot of fun, isn't it? Have you gotten much snow where you live this year? We've had a pretty decent amount here. I didn't really get good news or bad news from the doctor. I guess it could be worse though, so I'll keep my chin up for now. xD  
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**andypandy123: Thank you! :) And hehe, that's actually a really good prediction. That annoying hedgehog tends to show up a lot, doesn't he? Thanks for reading!  
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**Mormar1: Thank you for wishing me luck! I think your predictions are great, especially the one about Amy. Vector will just hate it if she happens to show up. xD Thank you for reading!  
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**Guest: Thanks for wishing me luck! :3 That would be ironic if that troublesome hedgehog showed up. You'll find out what happens in this chapter. Mhm, Vector needs to watch it now that Esp is starting to trust him more. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: Yeah, I'll tell you more about it on skype. *hugs*  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Ikr? Everyone hates the doctor! Thanks for wishing me luck though. :) Yay, we can relate to each other! *high fives you back* Not many people can relate to me. xD I'm so glad you liked the snowball fight part. That was fun to write. Omg! Great prediction about Amy. She's going to show up in this chapter. I'll cross my fingers that you can visit the US someday. I dunno where we'd be without dreams. I think I daydream more than I do anything else. I hate the dentist too! And the orthodontist (I got my braces off a year ago - finally!). Thank you for reading. :3  
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**LuluCalliope: Aw, you're both like sisters to me too! Sisters forever, right? That sounds like a good plan! I want all three of us to hang out! Of course, I need to figure out how to get to an airport first. I think the nearest one is a good thirty minutes away from my house or more. =/ Guess I could take a bus maybe? Yes, doctors are crazy people! They know nothing. Charmy is growing up! You know what that means, right? More Chaream moments! *squee* Thanks for reading!  
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**Regular Sonic Fan: Yay, I'm so glad that you thought the chapter was so cute! Not too much cuteness in this chapter, but I promise you that there are more cute moments in the near future. Hehe, yeah, with the Chaotix involved, there is bound to be trouble. Thank you for wishing me luck! I really hope you like this chapter!  
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**Gamerprincess13: Thanks for wishing me luck! :) I'm so glad that this is different from all the other yaoi stories you've read. I tried to make it unique and give each character lots of personality. I'm kind of a "slow" writer, meaning I describe things way too much and drag out stories, hehe. Er, well, there will be some dirty parts later just as a warning, but I'm glad you like the sweet moments for now. ^^ Espio and Charmy are good with the snowballs! Vector is just too big and clumsy, lol. Aw! Well, if you want to have a snowball fight, come to Michigan! We usually get a lot of snow here. I'm sick of it at this point. That would be trouble if the three met up with Bryce in the cafe. You'll find out what happens in this chapter! Hm, how long is this fic going to be? I'd say just over 180 chapters (told you I drag things out xD). Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Thank you! And I totally agree, that would be so horrible if Esp lost his job! I mean, how else would he make money? God, my mind just went to dirty places. Ahem. ;P I'm glad you liked the hugging and all that! Hope you like this chapter. ****  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, yes, getting hit by a snowball does burn, doesn't it? It makes my face sting. Are you a snow fan? I don't like it much. I'm ready for summer already and we have such a long way until then. *sighs* Vector is a detective, but not such a bright one. I've always thought that Espio is the brains behind Team Chaotix and Vector is the muscle. xD Omg, I love stories where people get saved from abusive relationships! They make me squee for some reason. I must have a weird taste in fics. I might use a little EspxMighty and EspxKnux in future fics to get Veccy jealous and eventually I'll turn the fic into Vecpio. xD Hehe, that's exactly where I was going with the piano thing. Vector loves his piano, but he'd love it even more if he could get Esp down on it. ;P Hehe, my saying is that when life gives you lemons, squirt juice in the enemies' eye. Hm, I sound violent now. I didn't realize how that sounded before. Oh well. I think Briana is a really pretty name and it has a great meaning! Do you go by Briana or Bri for a nickname? My name is Jenna (I go by Jen though). It means "white". Considering the fact that my favorite color is black, I think I was named wrong. xD Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXIX  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

We're only two steps out of the door when Espio reaches forwards, grabs my wrist, and pulls me to a stop. Unaware that the two of us have stopped walking, Charmy flies ahead of us, singing some sort of Christmas tune. Wonderin' what the problem is, I turn and send Espio a curious look, not sure why he stopped.

"Charmy, wait," Espio calls out to the little bee. Charmy immediately turns at the sound of Espio's voice and looks at him with a quizzical expression that mirrors the one on my face. Frowning, Espio states, "Vector isn't going out in the cold without bundling up. It's far too cold for any decent person to walk outside without mittens or a scarf at the very least."

"I'm fine, Esp! Really, ya don't have to worry about me," I try to convince the stubborn chameleon in front of me that I'm just fine. I've gotta admit that it's pretty darn cute the way Espio is so protective of me. Even my own mother was never this guarding of me. She never gave a damn whether or not I bundled up when I played outside in the snow when I was just a little croc. The only thing she'd ever complain about was the snow I'd track all through the house after a long day of snowball fightin', snow fort building, and sledding.

"If you get sick, then we're all going to get sick. Colds are very contagious," Espio states resolutely, not budging an inch on the subject.

The cuteness of the situation is starting to fade and I give Espio a helpless look, not sure what exactly he wants me to do. Shrugging my shoulders, I ask, "So whaddya want me to do then?"

"Hm. Stand still for a moment," Espio tells me as he unwraps his scarf from around his own neck. Standing up on his tiptoes, Espio twines the scarf around both of our necks. We look a little odd both wrapped up in the same scarf, but I've gotta admit that my neck is a bit warmer. Espio finishes his work and says wryly, "This would work much better if you were about a head shorter, Vector."

"You guys look so funny sharing a scarf like that!" Charmy points out, grinning from ear-to-ear.

The three of us start off to the coffee shop, Espio and I practically attached because of the scarf winding around our necks, keepin' us close together. Since Charmy is a little ways ahead of us I decide to tease Esp and point out, "Say, I know where all this is coming from. Ya don't really care that much about me gettin' sick. Yeh just wanted to be close to me."

"Don't be silly," Espio replies immediately as he sends me a little frown. "My mind doesn't work like yours. I don't have ulterior motives for everything I do."

That comment shuts me up since I know Espio is referring to the little mishap we had the other night where I tried to get him drunk. Thinking that I'd better not press my luck with the chameleon, I keep the rest of my thoughts to myself and just enjoy walkin' side-by-side with my lover. As we approach the cafe, I notice a bright pink figure walkin' towards us. Crap. It's Sonic's wannabe girlfriend, Amy Rose. I've never liked Amy, but I like her less and less every time I see her. She seems to be Espio's only "friend" other than Charmy and myself. I don't like those two around each other.

"Oh look, Esp, the glass shop is open," I point out randomly, wanting to get the chameleon out of Amy's way. I could care less about the glass shop, but it's the first thing I see and so I use it to my advantage, adding, "Wanna go take a look inside it? I know how much yeh love yer glass bowl."

Espio actually perks up at my remark and glances over at the glass shop. Unfortunately, he takes too long in deciding whether or not he actually wants to go in the glass shop. Amy Rose comes running up to us and waves vigorously at my best buddy, exclaiming, "Hey Espio! I haven't seen you around lately. How have you been?"

"Hello Amy," Espio says with a smile, no longer looking in the direction of the glass shop. "I've been just fine. What about yourself? Are you looking forwards to the holidays?"

"I am!" Amy nods enthusiastically before leaning in way too close to Espio and adding, "Want to hear a secret? I'm planning a surprise Christmas party for Sonic! He's going to love it! I've gotten everything ready for the party. All I need to do is buy Sonic a few more presents. I'm having a hard time figuring out what to buy him though. Guys are so difficult to buy for. Hey, I have an idea! Would you like to come to my Christmas party? I'm having all my friends over and you're definitely my friend."

I'm feelin' extremely slighted because of the way Amy is speaking only to Espio and is clearly ignoring me. I don't really care that she's ignoring me all that much, but I do mind the way she's lookin' at Esp. To my horror, Espio looks thoughtful before saying, "I would love to come to your Christmas party if Vector is welcome there as well."

"Oh, um..." Amy trails off, shooting a look of distaste towards me before giggling as she notices Espio and me all wrapped up in the scarf together. "Sure, why not? You two look really cute sharing a scarf like that! It's almost looks like you're a couple."

Espio's cheeks turn slightly pink and I break out loudly, "Actually, we are a coup-"

"What Vector means to say is that the two of us are very grateful for the offer to join your Christmas party and we will certainly see you there," Espio says politely to Amy while he lashes out at me inconspicuously by kicking my ankle with those ninja quick reflexes of his. I chew my lip to keep from groaning. Esp kicks real hard.

"Would you like to hear about my Christmas present ideas for Sonic?" Amy asks Espio hopefully.

"I can listen to them," Espio nods, looking at Amy in polite interest.

Amy starts talkin' and all I hear is blah, blah, blah. She rambles on and on about Sonic and I find myself thinking more about Christmas. It's in a few weeks and I haven't even thought about my Christmas shopping yet. I don't have much dough at the moment. Hell, I dunno if I even have enough cash to pay the rent this month. I scratch my forehead and try to think of how much money I've got saved and how much the rent costs. The numbers get all screwy in my head so I stop thinkin' about them for now.

...I've _gotta _get Espio somethin' for Christmas though! I'm positive the little guy will get something fer me and I'm not about to look thoughtless by not getting him anything. I probably only need to buy two Christmas presents this year; one for the kid and one for Espio. That ain't too bad...

I look up and notice that Amy is still rambling on to Espio about Sonic. Geez, that girl could write a novel about the blue speedster! Feeling like enough is enough, I interrupt her loudly and say to Espio, "I thought ya were worried about catchin' a cold. We've been just standing out here for a good half hour now."

"It is kind of chilly out," Amy admits in her girlish voice, not noticing the glare I'm sendin' in her direction. "I'm going to go home now and do some Christmas wrapping in front of my heater. Have a good evening, Espio! Oh, and I hope you're not going to the new coffee shop just around the corner because it's been closed for the last hour."

With that said, Amy turns and skips off through the snow. I groan and am joined by Charmy who is the first to moan, "So we've been standing out here in the cold for nothing?!"

"What a waste of time," I complain, thinking about how stupid it was that we came all the way out here just to listen to Amy yammer on and on about her Sonic fantasies.

"Look on the bright side," Espio says, trying to be optimistic as we turn and trudge through the thickly falling snow back to Espio's house. "At least you get to go to a Christmas party with me."

I think this through and realize that Esp does have a point. Goin' to a Christmas party with the chameleon should be a blast even if it is Amy Rose's Christmas party. I've never been to a big Christmas party before. There's a first time for everything though, huh?

The three of us approach Espio's little house in the winter wonderland. Even though we've only been gone for a little under an hour, the house looks a lot different. There's a blanket of snow covering the walkway to the house and there's also a thick sheet of snow on the roof. I see white everywhere I look.

"Are you going to go back to your apartment now, Vector? It is rather late," Espio says, looking towards the sky.

I follow his gaze, having a hard time judging the time by the sky since it's mostly white. I guess I probably should go home though since Espio is right about it being evening at this point. Even though I don't want to leave, I know better than to press my luck with Esp right now. Nodding, I admit, "Yeah, I guess I should get goin'. So I'll see ya tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow?" Espio asks in surprise.

"Sure, why not?" I reply, shrugging my shoulders sheepishly and leaning down to plant a quick smooch on Espio's pink cheek. "Do I really gotta have a reason to see my best bud?"

"I suppose not," Espio blushes slightly at the kiss while Charmy makes a face at us and flies into the house, muttering something about too much mushiness as he goes. Espio sends an amused glance in his direction before he quickly ducks out from under the scarf and stands on his tiptoes to wrap it more securely around my neck. Standing back, he regards his work with scrutinizing amber eyes and then nods in satisfaction before telling me, "Take my scarf for now, Vector. I can't have you getting sick."

"But Esp-" I start to protest, not wanting to take his only scarf.

"Don't argue with me," Espio says, brushing a soft fingertip against my lips, immediately shutting me up. He sends me an affectionate smile before following Charmy into the house and calling, "Have a nice evening, Vector."

I stare after Espio for a moment, thinkin' that I would have a better evening if it was spent with him. Guess I can't complain too much though. He did give me his scarf and at least the two of us are on good terms again. Telling myself not to be selfish, I turn and start stomping through the snow. It seems to be fallin' more thickly now and I have to squint to see where I'm going. This could definitely turn into a blizzard, that's for sure.

About ten minutes later, I tromp through the door leading to the lobby of the apartment building I'm stayin' in. The lobby seems even darker than usual since it's so white outside. I stomp my feet on the tattered rug just inside of the doorway and practically run over a female hedgehog as she dashes in front of me and asks, "Are you Mister Vector?"

"Er, I dunno about 'Mister', but I am Vector, yeah," I chuckle before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Whaddya want?"

"I'm just here to remind you that your monthly payment is due by the end of next week. If you can't pay it, I'm afraid you're going to have to make other arrangements," the hedgehog tells me in an ominous voice before she turns and steps briskly over to the desk across the room from me. I glare after her, not wanting to think about the rent right now. Why does my life always seem to revolve around the goddamn rent?!

More ticked off than anything else, I stomp loudly to the elevator and slam my finger forcefully into the button that will bring me to my floor. As much as I don't wanna think about it, I've gotta admit that the hedgehog did bring up a good point. What if I can't pay the rent this month? Team Chaotix hasn't been hired for any new jobs lately and we probably won't get hired for any more missions before the end of next week. If I don't have the cash by then, I'll get kicked out.

What then? What the hell am I gonna do with myself? The last thing I wanna do is go crawlin' back to my parents. Think of just how embarrassing that would be! I'm twenty-one years old and do not wanna spend the rest of my life in my parents' house! My thoughts immediately move to Espio. There's his place, but I know he won't let me stay with him. He probably thinks I'll sneak into bed with him if I move in. Can't say I blame him for thinkin' that after the way I tried to trick him the other day.

By now, I've reached my apartment room. I kick the door open irritably and practically fall on my face after slipping on scattered magazines littered all over the floor. Crap just keeps on building up in here. I'll clean it someday, but not tonight. I've got other more pressing issues to deal with right now like where I'm gonna go after I get kicked out of here next week. Gettin' kicked out is kind of an inevitable truth at this point. I need a lot more dough in order to reach half of the money I need to pay the rent.

I collapse on the bed and stare miserably out the window. No matter how hard I think, I can't come up with any good plans for what I'm gonna do after I'm forced out of the apartment. I don't wanna live on the streets and beg for food, but I'm startin' to think that's gonna be my only option.

Feeling depressed, I flop onto my belly and decide to call it a night. My eyelids immediately droop, but then I realize that there's an unfamiliar object around my neck. Oh yeah, I'm still wearin' Esp's scarf. I yank it off of my neck and get a strong whiff of Espio as I do so. His scent is so unique and enticing. I bury my nose in the thin fabric and tuck it under my head as I prepare to fall asleep. Just before I pass out, it occurs to me that Esp could really use a pair of mittens and a hat to keep himself warm. Hm. Those sound like good Christmas gift ideas to me!

* * *

_Thanks so much to everyone who wished me luck at the doctor's office! I haven't gotten any better or worse apparently, but I have to go back next Tuesday. =/ Anyway, do you guys think Vector will manage to pay the rent or not? xD Review please! :)  
_


	70. Snow Shoveling

**Saints-Fan-12: Hm, good question! Honestly, I don't hate Amy. I just always write about her from Vector's POV and he seems to hate her from the clips I've seen from Sonic Heroes, so that's where all that comes from. The Sonic female I like the least would definitely be Vanilla. ;P Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
**

**zgirl16: Hehe, "eventually" is a good prediction. Vector likes to take his time with things. xD Aw, no snow? It's actually been really warm here the last two days. What's it been like by you? :)  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Thanks for wishing me luck! I'm pretty sick, yeah. =/ That's okay about not reviewing the chapters until now. I'm so glad that you liked them though! Hehe, Espio is such a girl, isn't he? You're right; things are finally okay between Vector and Esp again. *parties* I love baby animals too. They're so cute! Thanks for reading. :3  
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**Mormar1: I agree with you; I don't think Espio would have agreed to go to the party if Amy hadn't decided to let Vector come along too. xD I would say that Vector will eventually tell Esp about his problem with the rent. *hints* Thank you for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: Yay, you're back home! *throws you a party* I missed you a lot! I officially hate Holiday Parks now. It's crazy that they don't have wi-fi. I mean, every place needs to have wi-fi! That sounds awesome about the pics. xD Btw, you should tell me your inkbunny username so I can friend you on there. :) The rest of your trip sounds like a lot of fun! I wish I could have seen the Maori show and walked through the shire! You're so lucky. xD I'm so glad that you liked all the chapters! I just wrote another Vecpio smutty scene for a later chapter. I actually didn't mean to write it, but it just sort of...came out. I guess I was in a smut mood. xD Vector is so stupid sometimes! He won't put the rape thing together for a long time. Do you think he'll figure out what happened on his own or do you think Espio will have to tell him about it? Omg, that is so funny about your snowman with the head falling off! I think I made a snowman when I was seven, but the nose (I used a carrot) kept falling off, so he was like a noseless snowman. xD Same thoughts about Amy and Sonamy! I swear Sonamy is like the most popular Sonic pairing. *cries* We need some more Vecpio fans! *waves around a "Go Vecpio" flag* I'm glad you liked the scarf moments. There will be a few more scarf moments in this chapter. Veccy loves Espy's scarf! Ooo, good prediction, but it's not quite right, so I'll have to PM you, but I'll do it tomorrow because I'm all druggy from the pills right now. xP Thanks so much for such an awesome review! I love long reviews! You're the best. :D  
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**Guest: That's a really good prediction about Vector moving in with Esp! Do you think Vector will stay out of Esp's bed if he does move in? ;P Espio definitely isn't ready to let anyone know that he's in a relationship with Veccy yet, lol. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**MFG: Yes, poor Esp is hurt! D: And ikr? It's like evil hedgehogs follow Espy and Veccy around or something, lol. I'm glad you're still reading!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Thanks for wishing me luck for next Tuesday! I'm definitely going to need it. Woo for psychic powers! xD You might be a psychic and not know it since your last prediction was right on! Haha, ikr? Vector deserves to be annoyed after harassing poor Esp all the time. Daydreaming is so much fun! I end up imagining romantic scenes for Veccy and Espy while I try to write, so instead of writing, I end up staring blankly at the wall with this stupid grin on my face. *rolls eyes* I agree, I definitely think that Vector will be moving in with Esp soon. How do you think _that_ will end up going? ;P I swear that's just how things always go! If I'm in a hurry, someone wants to stop and chat with me for a LONG time and I'm too polite to tell them I have to be somewhere, so then I end up being late. Thanks so much for reading! :3  
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**LuluCalliope: Yup, I have a week. The week will probably go by fast since I'm dreading going back to the doctor though, lol. Yeah, I bet Amy could write a whole novel on Sonic! Wait, passports? I thought you only needed one of those if you're moving out of the country. Maybe I'm wrong though. God, I don't have any of that stuff together yet! *cries* Maybe I should just working on getting my driver's license. Good luck with the retreat and I hope you have a nice time at the symphony. *hugs* I love you too, little sis! Hehe, I've never had a little sister before. ^^ Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, neutral is good, I guess. xD I kind of hope Veccy can't pay the rent so he can move in with Esp and they can share the bed. Uh...I didn't just say that last part. ;P I know, Esp is like a natural seducer - the innocent, but sexy kind. Thanks for reading! Can't wait to talk to you more tonight! :D****  
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**RegularSonicFan: I know! Poor Vector is having the worst luck at the best time of the year. D: You are so right though. If he gets any money, he'll use it to buy Espio a Christmas present instead of using it to pay the rent because that's just how he is. xD I'm sure Vector will find somewhere to stay. *hints* I'm glad you liked the scarf parts! More about the scarf in this chappie. Thanks so much, I hope I can feel better soon too. :3 Thank you for the great review!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: That's true! Vector really should talk things through with Espio about his rent problem. Do you think Espio would let him move in with him if they talked things through? My thoughts exactly about the snow! I really hate January, February, and March. I can't wait until summer. Hehe, definitely a legit detective group. xD Omg, that is so awesome how we have the same taste in fics! *high fives you* I bet yours is great! Don't sell yourself short! I know what you mean about characterization though. I feel like a lot of the later abusive or smutty chapters in this fic get OOC. Oh well, we do our best, right? Yup! I think that's gonna be in the next Vecpio fic I write. I have two different Vecpio fics I'm debating about starting. I can tell you the titles of them if you want? Hehe, I'm glad you like the piano idea! I swear that the idea of Esp and Vector on the piano together was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the Sonic X episode with them at the bar. ;P Oh my god, I have that same thing! My mom always calls me Jenna unless she's mad at me. Otherwise, I get called Jen. xD I honestly like going by Enna, but nobody calls me that. x_x What do you like going by most? Thank you for reading! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

The next morning I wake up shivering in my bed despite the fact that I have the blankets wrapped tightly around myself. Blinking sleepily, I yawn widely without bothering to cover my mouth and wonder why it's so damn cold in here. Espio's exotic scent fills my nose and I realize I still have my chin resting on his scarf. I'm starting to get tempted to buy Esp a new scarf and keep this one as a little souvenir from my best bud. Unfortunately, I've got no extra cash right now to go around buyin' extra scarves for people.

Already in a grouchy mood despite bein' awake for only two minutes, I force myself to sit up in bed and absentmindedly look out the window. I do a double take and press my snout against the glass in shock. There's snow everywhere! It must've been snowin' all last night because it looks like there's an entire foot and a half of snow on the ground. It's even snowing right now! Maybe we _are_in for a hell of a winter this year! Kinda odd considering the fact that it was warm and sunny only a few days ago.

I decide to get out of bed because any time wasted lounging about could be time spent with Espio. I'm careful not to slip on scattered magazines or trip on soda bottles as I cross the room to the mirror. While I'm inspecting my teeth, a thought occurs to me. I know I had a little bit of spare cash in one of the drawers of my desk a little while back. Problem is that I can't remember if I spent it or not. If I haven't spent it, I can use that money to buy Espio a Christmas present.

Crossing my fingers that I didn't already use the money, I tromp across the room and plop down in my desk chair before eagerly yanking the top drawer of the desk open. My heart drops as I skim the drawer and find nothin' but candy wrappers, more magazines, and a few half-eaten power bars inside it. Just in case I have the wrong drawer, I spend the next five minutes goin' through all the rest of my desk drawers just in case the money is hiding in one of them. At the end of five minutes, I haven't found a single buck for Espio's Christmas present.

Sighing hopelessly, I let my head fall onto the desk dejectedly. How am I supposed ta pay the rent at the end of next week and buy Charmy and Espio presents? If I don't buy 'em anything, I'm gonna look like the worst friend ever! Espio, bein' the paranoid little guy that he is, will immediately assume that I don't love him just because I didn't buy him anything. Argh! What's a croc supposed to do in this world? It ain't easy making money, and believe me, I've tried real hard to earn some cash lately.

My head is still on the desk and I'm staring blankly at the stained wall across the room from me when the telephone suddenly rings. I perk up, hoping that someone is calling me to ask for Team Chaotix's help on a mission. My hand whizzes across the desk and knocks over a sports drink bottle in the process. Bright red liquid spills out of it and immediately trickles all over my desk.

Cursing to myself, I rescue the phone and pick it up before the red drink can get to it, muttering into the phone, "Yeah?"

"Hello, Vector. This is Vanilla speaking," a gentle, female voice says into the phone.

Realizing that I had better get a grip on my manners despite my huge mess on the desk, I take a calming breath before speaking in as polite of a tone as I can, "Good morning, ma'am! It's been a while since we last spoke. How's it goin'?"

"Just fine, thank you. I hope that all is well with you," Miss Vanilla replies courteously before going on, "I'm calling in regards to some help I need. You and your team did a lovely job planting the pine trees in my front yard. I really appreciate it. I know that you're detectives, but if you could use a little extra money, would one of you mind dropping by and shoveling my driveway for me?"

I resist jumping up and down and whooping aloud at Miss Vanilla's offer. I bet she's got no idea just how badly I need some extra dough right now. Replying enthusiastically, I exclaim, "That's no problem at all, ma'am! I'll be right on over. I was just gettin' up anyway."

"Thank you very much. I'll pay you well. See you very soon, dear," Miss Vanilla says sweetly before hanging up her phone.

In a much better mood now that I'm gonna go out and get some cash by shovelin' Miss Vanilla's driveway, I crank up the volume of my music in my excitement before shoving my feet into my shoes and wrapping Espio's worn scarf tightly around my neck. Heh, I'll be able to smell Esp whenever I wear this thing.

Wasting no time, I fly out of the door to my apartment and decide to take the stairs because I'm too impatient to wait for the elevator. Once I've reached the apartment lobby, I tramp across the room as quickly as I can, mainly because I don't wanna get stuck by any annoying hedgehogs nagging me about the rent. Luckily, I manage to get out the door without anyone sendin' a look in my direction.

Whoosh! A gust of sharp, bone-chilling air smacks me in the face as well as several swirling flakes of snow as I step out into the snowy day. I might not be too far off with my blizzard prediction - it's brutal out here in the snow and cold if ya ask me! Putting my head down in determination, I fight the snow and stride resolutely to Miss Vanilla's house. Nothin' is gonna get in the way of me and my cash!

It takes about twenty minutes to reach Miss Vanilla's house because of the snow. Usually, the walk only takes me ten minutes. Sighing with relief when I reach the familiar little yellow house, I rush to the door and knock on it, wishin' that Miss Vanilla's job for me was inside of the house instead of outside in the cold. Oh well, whaddya do when yer in my situation? You've just gotta do whatever is asked of ya without complain'.

The door to the house opens a crack and Miss Vanilla smiles out at me, a hand in front of her face as she tries to shield herself from the fierce snow whipping about outside her doorway. She speaks in her quiet, whimsical voice, "I left the snow shovel just outside of the door there. Are you certain you want to do this? I didn't realize it was so cold outside!"

"Don't worry about it. I'm a tough croc. I can handle it," I nod firmly, not sure if I'm tryin' to convince myself or Miss Vanilla of this. Trying to motivate myself, I add, "Besides, I'm gonna use this money to buy Espio a Christmas present!"

"Alright then," Miss Vanilla says, still looking worried as she hides from the snow behind her door. "If you want a break, feel free to come inside. Also, if you change your mind halfway through, that's fine as well. I wouldn't have called you if I knew it was snowing so hard outside."

"I'll keep that in mind," I tell Miss Vanilla before steppin' away from the doorway and squinting through the snow to try and find the snow shovel. Ah, there it is! I find the large shovel inches in front of my nose and pick it up with ease before stepping down to the driveway. I dig the snow shovel deep into the snow before flinging a large clump of snow to my right. It takes another large shovel full of snow before I'm able to see the driveway. Geez, this is gonna take a lot longer than I thought it would.

Sighing, I try to keep my head down and my mind focused on somethin' else other than my work. My thoughts automatically go to Esp and the Christmas presents I'm gonna buy for him. I guess what I buy him is gonna depend on how much money I get from Miss Vanilla. I'm for sure gonna get him another scarf, but if I get a lot of cash, I'll buy him a hat and mittens as well. The poor guy always starts shivering and looking like he's gonna freeze to death in the cold.

Alright, so now that I know what to get Espio, I've gotta figure out what to buy Charmy. I dunno what the little bee likes other than his videos games. I shrug my shoulders and decide just to get him another discounted game. He'll never know if it was on the clearance rack or not and I'm sure he'll love it just the same.

By the time, I come up with both of these brilliant ideas, I realize that half of the driveway has been cleared. I'm makin' good progress! Now there's only one more half of the driveway to go. To keep myself going, I flip to my favorite song on my music player and sing along with the lyrics as I fling snow this way and that. As I work, I find myself wondering what Espio is doin' right now. Maybe he's thinking about me!

As I move to the base of the driveway, my thoughts trail to a conversation Espio and I had just the other day. It was that convo about Esp's cousin giving him dating advice. I don't buy that for a second. That evil black chameleon wouldn't have given Esp advice on dating. The way Espio worded things made if sound like he had been in some sort of relationship with his cousin, but it was kinda hard to tell since he was bein' real vague about the whole thing.

I know Esp pretty well by now and the Espio I know wouldn't have gotten himself into a relationship with his cousin, certainly not one like Bryce anyway. Anyone who isn't screwed in the mind knows that incest is wrong. I just can't seem to shake off the feeling that there was some sort of relationship between the two chameleons though. There's a reason why Espio wrinkles his nose and shudders when he talks about his cousin. What if he loved Bryce and the black chameleon decided he didn't love Espio back? This is an even worse idea, but what if the two slept together and then Bryce started beating Espio up?

My mind is now on a runaway train track, but one of my theories could be true, right? They sound possible to my own ears even though they're sick, twisted ideas. At least they makes sense anyway. I shudder as an unwanted image of the dark chameleon inside of Espio passes through my head. Esp is _mine_. If he's gonna be with anyone in that way, it's gonna be with me and that's all there is to it.

Looking up, I realize that I've finished the driveway and that my work here is done. I hurry up to the front door, prop the snow shovel up to the left of it, and tap on the door, shifting from foot to foot impatiently as I wait for Miss Vanilla to open the door. My fingers are frozen, but I'm feelin' good because I know I'm gonna get paid really well for this.

Creak! The door opens a moment later and Miss Vanilla peeks out at me, looking impressed as she exclaims, "That was very quick, Vector! You did a wonderful job. Thank you."

"It was no problem," I reply, unable not to look at her hopefully since I need my cash and I need it now.

"Here you go," Miss Vanilla says, placing several twenty dollar bills into my hand. "I hope you'll find this adequate."

My eyes bulge. I wasn't expectin' this much! With this kind of dough, I'll be able to buy Espio the hat, scarf, and the mittens. Giving Miss Vanilla a grateful look, I nod vigorously and say, "It's more than adequate. Thank you very much, ma'am! Guess I'm gonna be off now. Gotta buy Esp his Christmas present."

"Alright, dear," Miss Vanilla replies, her eyes shining kindly at me. "I hope you find what you're looking for. Have a good afternoon."

I wave to Miss Vanilla and then turn and eagerly start down the street. I don't mind the cold so much at this point since my body is warmed up from all the snow shoveling. I'm mostly just happy that I've earned so much money. Now I can spoil my lover for Christmas and he won't think I'm trying to skimp on him. Espio deserves so much more than what I can give him.

My mind flicks back to what I was thinkin' about earlier with him and his cousin. I decide to ignore the whole thing for now. Even if Espio was in a relationship with his cousin, I'm gonna let bygones be bygones and not think of it. Everyone makes mistakes, even seemingly perfect little chameleons. I love Esp, and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters, right?

I reach the grocery store in five minutes and kick the door open since my hands are still numb. The grocery store has everything inside it, even things like winter gear. The only problem with the store is that it's so big that I dunno where I'm going half the time when I'm inside it. Frowning, I pause in the entrance and ignore the hedgehogs and rabbits scurrying this way and that.

Suddenly, a sign pointing to the back of the store marked, "winter gear" catches my attention. These signs are real helpful things. I follow the arrow the sign points me in, wishin' that all stores had these helpful signs. I bet it would save a lot of people time wanderin' around in stores while they aimlessly search for things.

Just like the sign said, there's a huge isle full of winter gear at the very back of the store. Hats, mittens, boots, scarves, and more can be seen on all sides of me in different styles and patterns. I look around myself impressed. This is winter gear paradise! All I've gotta do now is decide what pattern and color I should get Esp's stuff in. Shouldn't be too difficult, huh?

* * *

_ I know this update is REALLY early, but I'm just so tired tonight. *sighs* Anyway, for being a detective, Vector is not the brightest. xD What do you guys think Espio will get Veccy for Christmas? Review please! :)  
_


	71. Shopping Stew

**Saints-Fan-12: That's a really good prediction! Espio does do a lot of cooking for Vector. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: Winter is your favorite time of year then? :) I think I'm ready for summer at this point. xP Hehe, yeah, Vector isn't the brightest bulb in the box, but hey, it's common knowledge! Thanks for reading!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Hehe, I bet Vector would love it if Esp got him the candy store for Christmas! I hate hospitals for lots of reasons too. They're evil places, aren't they? *shudders* D'awww, that is so nice of you to give me your manga to read! You're so sweet! I promise to give it all back to you as soon as I finish it! :D I mentally talk with myself too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does it! Thanks for reading. :3  
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**Mormar1: It is sweet of Vector to do all that work just for Espio's and Charmy's Christmas presents. He's such a sweetie, isn't he? xD Thank you for reading!  
**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Thanks for reading this! I hope you're liking it so far. :) No, it wasn't that movie although I really want to see that one. Have you seen it? I was actually thinking about The Last House on the Left (older version) when I wrote that chappie. It was the first rape movie I ever saw.  
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**Guest: Ooo, that's a good prediction! :D You're always so good at predicting things in this story. Hehe, I know, only idiot Vector would come to the conclusion that Espio wanted an incestual (not a real word, but whatever, you know what I mean, lol) relationship with Bryce. Nice going, detective Vector! Hope you like this chappie!**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Oh god, I totally agree with you there. I always get paranoid about Christmas shopping because I never know what to buy people. D: Same here, this story would never have existed if I hadn't done any daydreaming. How sad that would be (for me anyway, lol). Oh yeah, Vector's intelligence is far superior to anyone else's. *sarcasm* Hehe, you're totally right. I don't like Vanilla. At all. She's my least favorite female character. I just hate her for taking Veccy from Esp in Sonic X. Can't people see that they were meant to be? xP What's your opinion on Vanilla? Oh no, the psychic powers have failed! D: That's okay though, you deserve a few surprises in this story. ^^ The same thing happens to me when I go to bed! I'm suddenly not tired or I'm awake again in a few hours and take to Vecpio daydreaming. Thanks so much for the review!  
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**LuluCalliope: Lol, ikr? Those are definitely the magic words that are going to make the shopping trip difficult. I don't really see Vector as the shopping type. What about you? xD Alicia and I talked about it and we don't think I need a passport, which is good. *more hugs* I'm glad you liked the chapter! We need to talk soon! Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, true, I always update when you're asleep, so I guess it doesn't matter so much. xD Nah, I went to bed hours after you left, so don't worry about it. *huggles* I hope I didn't keep you up too late last night. *looks around guilty* Espio is all for buying things to help Vector with his health. xD And omg, that's so funny you mentioned that because I was thinking that same thing too, maybe Esp could give Vector another bj or something. Thanks for reading! :D****  
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**RegularSonicFan: Yeah, it was really nice of Vector to go through so much trouble to buy his buddies Christmas gifts. Those are great predictions about what Espio might get Veccy for Christmas. Wouldn't it be awesome if he gave him CDs and a place to stay? Esp is really generous, especially around Christmas time. I'm feeling so-so today. I'll tell you more about it in our PM. Thanks for wishing me better and for liking the chapter! :D  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It's okay! How's the homework going? I hope it wasn't too bad (I hate homework with a passion!). That's probably true about Vanilla. Either that or maybe my opinion of her is starting to influence you? ;P I unintentionally do that to people sometimes. That's so true, Esp will most likely allow Vector to stay with him as long as Vector keeps his hands to himself. ...That's something Vector's really good at. *sarcasm* Hehe, true, do you think Vector will come right out and tell Espio about his rent problem or do you think he'll be embarrassed and try to keep it to himself? That topic doesn't sound silly at all! In fact, it sounds really interesting to me! I've kinda wanted to try writing an mpreg fic with you know who, but I don't know. Maybe someday I'll toy with it if I run out of ideas. Yes, I immediately thought of Esp and Veccy on the piano when I saw that episode. I just love the idea of them running a bar. There are so many ways for Vector to get Espio drunk in there. Yay! Okay, so my two title ideas are Chaotix X ("X" because, well, I'll let you figure that one out) and "Turning Tricks for the Chaotix". xD Eh, I guess it's really obvious what those fics will be about, hehe. Thank you for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I scan up and down the shelves of winter gear before me with wide eyes. Who would have known that there would be so many colors and varieties of hats, mittens, and scarves? Definitely not me. There are a lotta different sizes too. Frowning, I decide to look at mittens first since they're the item closest to me. Now I'm startin' to realize why I don't usually clothes shop for other people. This is a lot of work and I've got no clue what size mittens to get my little buddy. I decide to worry about size later and pick out the pattern I think Esp will like best first.

Taking a few steps back so I can see all the different colored mittens on the shelf, I decide that the light purple pair seems to fit Esp. They'll match his scales and although I like the bright, flashy mittens to my right, I don't think they're Esp's sorta thing. He'll want something that blends in with the natural color of his scales.

Thinking that my logic is spot on, I pick up the pair of purple mittens closest to me and look them over. Now I've got to figure out what size to get Espio. The medium sized mittens look pretty big. I hold up the small sized mittens and tilt my head at them, tryin' to imagine what Espio's hand looks like in my head. I decide to go ahead and buy these mittens and just hope they fit the chameleon. It would be real embarrassing to find out that they don't fit him on Christmas Day.

I move on to the scarves and am excited when I see a thick purple scarf the exact same color as the mittens in my hand! Hell, it's almost as if they are meant to match each other! Er, actually, they probably _are _meant to match each other. I sling the scarf over my arm and tromp down to where the hats are displayed, feelin' real happy with my Christmas shopping so far.

It turns out that the hats are the hardest things to pick out. Yup, they're even harder to look through than the mittens if ya can believe that! Wanna know why? Well, it turns out that different hats are made for different species. There are hats made for rabbits to my left, hats created for hedgehogs directly in front of me, and hats designed for cats to my right. These hats are all fine and great, but where are the hats for chameleons? There have gotta be chameleon hats around here somewhere.

Not about to give up until I find the damn chameleon hats, I squint my eyes at the shelves in front of me and walk slowly back and forth in front of them. I am a detective and finding chameleon hats shouldn't be this hard! I'm getting frustrated when I suddenly notice chameleon winter gear at the very end of the shelf. Problem is that there aren't any hats kept there. Instead, there are "horn covers". They're little pieces of wool that fit over a chameleon's horn to keep him or her warm during the winter. Huh. Who knew that chameleons have feeling in their horns?

As I reach out to pick up one of the horn covers, I remember that I accidentally realized that chameleons have feeling in their horns that one time I stroked Esp's horn while he was sleeping and got quite the reaction from him. Shivers still run down my spine when I think of that long, erotic moan I dragged out of him that day.

Grabbing a purple horn cover, I figure that my work here is done and I start to the front of the store. Unfortunately, halfway through the store, I realize that I've gotta get some wrappin' paper to wrap Espio's stuff in. Geez, this Christmas shopping business is complicated, ain't it? No wonder I've never bothered to do any Christmas shopping in the years prior to this one.

As I gaze around with a blank expression on my face and try to find where the wrapping paper might be located, I find a large box of Christmas bags to my right. Hm, these could do the trick! I immediately turn towards the box and grab a few shiny bags. These will save me the pain of wrapping Espio's gifts. All I've gotta do is throw his winter gear into one of the bags and hand it to him. It can't get any easier than that!

I'm makin' my way to the front of the store and have almost reached the cashier when I notice an electronics clearance bin to my right. I've been so concerned about buyin' Espio Christmas presents that I've forgotten to get Charmy anything! God, I must be gettin' old or sumthin'!

Before I can forget about Charmy again, I stride over to the electronics clearance bin and start throwing things this way and that as I dig to the bottom of the bin to see if there are any clearance video games hiding from me. At the very bottom of the bin is a fighting video game. It looks like fun to me, but it probably isn't something Espio will approve of. The game _is _cheap though...

I don't waste too much time before I grab the game and finally come to stand in front of one of the cash registers. I dump my Christmas stuff down onto the counter and wait for my total to ring up. If Espio starts to make a fuss about the game I got for Charmy, I'll just remind him how he's always goin' on about fighting evil and how, in his words, "Evil must die!"

"That will be sixty-five dollars and fifty cents, sir," the cream-colored cat behind the cash register tells me.

"What?! Did ya really just say sixty five dollars?" I exclaim, eyes practically bugging out of my head at the gigantic price.

"Yes, I did say that. Would you like me to remove an item from your purchase?" the cat asks in a polite voice.

"Uh, nah. Just give me a second while I count my cash," I reply, yanking out the wad of bills Miss Vanilla gave me earlier from underneath my glove before carefully counting them. I have exactly eighty dollars. Shoveling the driveway was definitely not a task worth eighty dollars. Miss Vanilla has been generous yet again. That means I'm gonna be generous towards Esp and Charmy and go ahead and buy them these things even though I'm gonna be hellishly broke after this with only fifteen dollars for the rent. Turning back to the cat, I say, "I'll take everything. Here."

I reluctantly hand over my cash to the cat and watch with a sinking feeling in my stomach as she dumps my items into a bag and hands them to me, saying, "Have a nice day, sir."

I nod and grab the bag before stepping outside of the store and out into the white flurries. The snow is fallin' more thickly than before and I can barely see where I'm going. It doesn't matter too much since I could sleepwalk to Espio's house after all the times I've been there to pay him visits. I'm distracted from the cold and from the numb feeling starting to form at the tips of my fingers because I'm worrying about the rent once again. How am I supposed to live on the streets when it's a goddamn blizzard outside?

Gulping, I come up with no answer to my question and find myself at Espio's house a few minutes later. I'm shocked when I find Espio outside. He's holding a sad excuse fer a snow shovel in one hand and is attempting to clear the snow off of the pathway that leads to his door. I can see that Esp is shivering slightly and his cheeks are bright pink from the cold. As I approach, I hear a sneeze.

"Esp!" I exclaim once I get in hearing range of him. "What the hell are ya doin' out here? It's a blizzard outside and look at yerself! Yer not bundled up at all!"

"That's because y-you have my s-scarf, Vector," Espio chatters, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to keep warm as he looks up at me with bright amber eyes.

"Sorry 'bout that," I apologize, immediately whipping off the scarf from around my neck and wrapping it tightly around the slender column of Espio's neck. After that, I grab the snow shovel out of his hands and give him a slight push towards the door, saying, "You go on in. I'll finish this for ya."

"But-" Espio starts to protest.

"Go! I'm not havin' yeh get sick because I was wearin' yer scarf," I reply, using the little shovel to clear the path to Espio's house as quickly as possible. I'm already halfway done with it. Using this as an excuse to get Esp inside, I add, "'Sides, I'll get this done three times as quickly as ya would have."

Espio can't protest against my logic and slips into the house. It only takes me a few more minutes before I've finished the driveway. However, with the rate at which the snow keeps fallin' at, the pathway to the house is gonna be white again in another hour.

As I start towards the doorway of Espio's house, I suddenly realize that I've got a bag full of Christmas presents over my arm. I'm gonna have to hide them somewhere where Espio and Charmy won't find them as soon as I get into the house. This might be kinda hard to do. I mean, it is Esp's house after all and he probably knows all the best hidin' places in the house. Looks like I'm gonna have to try and sneak into the house without Esp noticing and then search for a hiding spot. 'Course, that's a lot easier said than done. Being the large croc that I am, it's gonna be hard to sneak inside the house without drawing attention to myself.

Very carefully, I put a gloved hand on the door handle and creak it open. To my surprise, Espio isn't in the living room! Perfect! Knowing that I probably don't have much time, I search the room as quickly as I can. No good hiding places stand out to me.

Thud, thud, thud. Light footsteps sound from the hallway. That's gotta be Esp! I need to hide my bag fast. Even though it's not a very good hiding place, I dump my parcel onto the floor and kick it underneath the couch. I don't think the little chameleon is going to be looking under the furniture for anything anytime soon, but ya never know about Charmy...

"Achoo!"

I hear Esp before I actually see him. A moment after his sneeze, he steps into the living room still looking frozen to the bone. His eyes are watery and his his nose is red. He looks sick. Frowning, I rush to him with open arms, exclaiming, "Looks like yeh could use a hug!"

Espio side steps me and grabs a tissue before delicately blowing his nose and murmuring in his even voice, "You should stay away from me Vector. I think I'm getting sick."

"Damn, yer gettin' sick and it's all my fault since I had yer scarf," I cuss, feeling awful for being the reason behind why Esp is sick.

"Don't be ridiculous, Vector. It's not your fault. I tend to get sick every year at some point. I suppose I ought to be grateful that I'm sick sooner than later this year. Hopefully, I'll have recovered by the holidays," Espio says, trying to be optimistic.

"Maybe ya should go to the doctor and get some medicine or somethin'?" I suggest, not sure if I'm being helpful or not.

Espio gives me a dull look and replies in a flat voice, "No."

I scratch my head as I try to think of something I can do to help Espio feel better. No good ideas pop into my mind. Finally, I suggest, "We could go to that new coffee shop 'round the corner and get a cup of hot chocolate? Maybe that could help warm ya up?"

"I don't know," Espio replies, looking outside suspiciously at all the snow swirling outside the window. Giving me a wary glance, he asks, "Is it getting colder outside?"

I join Esp at the window and am surprised to see that the snow has actually lightened up a bit. Shaking my head, I reply enthusiastically, "Nope! Looks like the snow has let up for the time being. Wanna go to the coffee shop? I promise I won't let ya blow away if it's still windy out."

"I want to go get some hot chocolate!" a loud voice sound from behind us as Charmy comes whizzing into the room.

"There ya are, kid. I was startin' to wonder where you were," I reply, not exactly all that happy to see Charmy even though I keep that hidden in my voice. I had kinda been hoping that he was at Cream's house so I could spend some alone time with my lover. Doesn't look like that's gonna happen at this point though. Oh well. Returning to the subject at hand, I raise an eyebrow at Espio and ask, "So whaddya think?"

Espio sees how badly Charmy wants to go to the coffee shop and gives in without much persuasion, grabbing his scarf and wrapping it carefully around his neck as he resigns, "...Alright."

Again, I feel a jolt of jealousy run through me as Espio sends an affection look towards the little bee. It's wrong for me to jealous of the parent-child relationship between them, but sometimes I feel as if I love Espio a lot more than he loves me. Ever since we got together, we haven't really spent a lot of time alone with each other. I wanna do more of that. Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to spend time alone with Esp when Charmy is constantly following us around.

The three of us shuffle outside into the snow and put out heads down against the wind as we make our way across the sidewalk towards the coffee shop around the corner. Luckily, it's not too far from Espio's house, so we won't have to survive the cold much longer.

"Be careful," Espio warns Charmy and me as he pulls his scarf more tightly around his neck. "It's very slippery here. Don't fall."

Taking advantage of the situation, I reach out and grasp Espio's hand firmly. His fingertips feel frozen against mine. I squeeze his hand and try to transfer some warmth into it as I reassure him, "Don't ya worry yerself over me. It takes a lot to make a croc fall flat on his face."

Espio glances up at me with a look of dry amusement on his face as he admits, "I figured that."

"Heh," I chuckle before Espio coughs again, wiping the toothy grin off of my face. The smaller reptile certainly got sick fast. He wasn't sick at all yesterday. At this point, all I can do is hope that he isn't sick with anything _too_ serious.

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_ Uh oh, Esp is sick! Do you guys think he has just a little cold or something serious? Review please! :)  
_


	72. Cafe Chaos

**Saints-Fan-12: I can totally relate with you there! I'm seventeen and I'm not even five feet tall. ;P I look like I'm fourteen and act like I'm ten, lol. Good prediction about Esp! I hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: That's what I would have guessed! Our minds work the same way. And aw, really? I'm so glad you like my stories! It really makes my day to hear a compliment like that. :) Thanks for reading!  
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**Mormar1: Hehe, Espio deserves early presents, doesn't he? But then Vector wouldn't have anything to give him on Christmas...D: I guess he could always give him a smooch though! xD Thank you for reading!  
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**AleThe-Hedgefox84: It's no problem! I'm so glad you read the whole story! It means a lot to me to know that you read the whole thing. :) Hehe, you have a bad feeling about the horn cover? I hope Esp isn't too sick either! You'll see just how sick he really is in this chappie. I hope you like it!  
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**Guest: That's definitely true. Vector will act as Espio's doctor if he's really sick. xP Esp really hates feeling dependent on other people. He likes to think he can take care of himself (which he can't xD). Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
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**Alicia: Besides for writing, not much. I got into a big argument with both my parents today...I'll tell you more about it on skype since not everyone on here wants to hear about my personal business, lol. Thanks for reading!  
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**LuluCalliope: Good prediction! Let's hope you're right and Esp only has a little cold. Ooo, I'll read it first thing tomorrow morning since I'm on the pills right now. We definitely need to talk soon. I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Don't worry, Esp will survive! Vector would never let him die or anything. ;P Mm, ikr? Vector would love it if Esp gave him another bj, but if Esp has money, he'll buy Veccy a present instead. Hope you like this chapter! ****  
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**RegularSonicFan: Getting sick during the holidays is the worst! I absolutely hate it. Don't ask me why, but I tend to get sick over spring break. xD Vector was so thoughtful with his gifts for Esp and Charmy. He really cares about them. :) Oh no, I'm sorry you were in a bad mood. I'm glad this chapter helped to cheer you up though! I hope you have a super weekend! :D  
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**PreyasRules: It's okay about the late review! Late is always better than never. I hope you have a nice time watching the tennis tournament! That sounds like fun. I bet you did miss your pets! And omg, that sucks that you have to pay for wi-fi. Nobody should have to pay for wi-fi! I friended you on inkbunny. I'm VecpioGirl on there. :D Hehe, don't worry, I'm a perv too. I think I'm related to the Vector in my story because I am kind of on the stupid side (lol) and I have a dirty mind. xD It might just be wishful thinking because Vector is having a hard time putting the rape thing together in his head, you know? Yeah, my poor snowman couldn't smell anything! But he melted a day later, so I guess he didn't miss much. Woo! *marches through the streets with the Vecpio banner* I wonder what sort of reactions we'll get. xD Scarf moments are so cute! I'll send you the PM tomorrow, I swear! I'm on those stupid pills again. I hate being sick and I hate pills. *cries* Anyway, yeah, poor Esp! Let's hope he doesn't have the flu. *crosses fingers* If he does, I think I know a certain someone who will take care of him though! Aw, really? You deserve more people to say nice things to you then! You're an awesome friend! Thanks for reading. :3  
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**Chapter LXXII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I'm sick. It doesn't come as too big of a surprise to me seeing as I get sick every year, but I dislike being sick more this year than other years because of Vector and Charmy. I've already told Charmy to keep a little distance between us at all times so I don't accidentally transfer my illness to him. Unfortunately, this is the type of thing that Charmy constantly forgets. He's already accidentally given me a hug even after I told him to stay away from me.

If I think keeping Charmy away from me is difficult, then keeping Vector away from me proves to be nearly impossible. I should have called him and told him not to drop by for a visit this afternoon, but I forgot and of course Vector showed up. He's already tried to give me a hug and is holding my hand tightly as we cross the street to the new coffee shop just around the corner. I'm feeling ill at the moment and don't particularly feel like going out, but Charmy really wants hot chocolate so I've given into his wishes.

Doing my best not to get either of my friends sick, I jerk my head to the right and try to cough into my elbow. My eyes start watering and my nose is tempted to start running. I should have brought some tissues with me. Hopefully, they'll have some inside the coffee shop.

A moment later, we've reached our destination and Vector is leaping clumsily ahead of our group so he can open the door for me like a true gentleman. The effect is more comical than anything else and I try to suppress a laugh. It escapes me somehow and turns into a cough, so I'm left thanking Vector with a grateful expression since I'm too busy choking to speak. Vector doesn't return my smile. I can tell from the crease along his forehead that he's worried about me. Despite the fact that the romance between Vector and myself hasn't exactly heightened lately, I feel happier with our relationship. The more time I spend with Vector, the more I see that he actually does seem to love me just for being me. He hasn't pushed me towards sleeping with him lately and has been the perfect partner for me.

A nice blast of warm air engulfs Vector, Charmy, and myself as the three of us step inside the doorway of the coffee shop and look around ourselves. I'm grateful for the sudden warmth, but am not very pleased when I notice how much nicer this coffee shop is than the cafe I work at. The wooden floors are new and polished, the little tables are clean and arranged neatly around the room, there is a cozy fire place opposite the counter where you go to place your order, and the entire place has been decked out for Christmas. I certainly hope that this new shop isn't going to make the cafe I work at go out of business. Although I only work there a few nights a week, the money I earn from my job there is mainly what Charmy and I use to live on.

"Fancy place," Vector exclaims, echoing my thoughts as he looks around himself with an impressed expression on his face.

"Yes, it is quite nice," I admit, wringing my hands together worriedly as Vector leads us to the table right in front of the fireplace. "I certainly hope it doesn't make the cafe go out of business."

"Don't worry about that now, Esp. I'm sure everything is gonna be just fine," Vector tries to reassure me as he grabs a chair and yanks it back from the table for me. I flush as the chair makes a loud grating noise against the floor, causing several people from around the room to turn and look at us.

Feeling as if the whole world is staring at me, I perch on the edge of the chair and whisper to Vector, "Don't feel like you have to do all this for me just because I'm sick."

"I'm not doin' it just because yer sick," Vector replies a-matter-of-factly as he plops down in the chair next to mine. Charmy sits across the table from us by himself. I expected Vector to sit by Charmy since I'm clearly sick, but no, apparently Vector wants to run the risk of getting ill by sitting next to me. He can be such a sweet idiot at times.

A few seconds later, a red echidna with violet colored eyes stops by our table and waves a large hand at us as he announces, "Hey you three! I didn't expect to see you here."

I glance up and recognize Knuckles, one of Sonic's friends. He seems nice although he has a quick temper and usually thinks that fighting is the best way to resolve problems. Apparently, Vector knows him better than I do because he exclaims immediately, "Hey there, Knuckles! I didn't know ya were workin' here!"

"Well, I'm not exactly 'working here'," Knuckles corrects Vector. I note that despite the fact that he's talking to my large scaly friend, his eyes happen to linger on me. "It's a long story, but Tails' mom owns this place and Tails usually helps her out. Tails happens to be sick right now, so I thought I'd do my part and help out around here. What can I get the three of you?"

"We all want hot chocolate with lots of whip cream, Mr. Knuckles!" Charmy pipes up with a big grin.

Knuckles laughs and returns Charmy's smile before stepping away from the table, adding, "Three hot chocolates coming right up then!"

As the echidna moves away from the table, I notice a wanted sign on the polished wooden floor by my feet. Curious, I lean down and pick it up, asking more to myself than to anyone else, "What's this?"

Vector immediately looks over my shoulder, sending hot breath onto the scales at the side of my neck as he does so. I try to ignore the strange shudders Vector's warm breath creates somewhere inside of me and instead concentrate on the picture on the wanted sign. A tall, round human with a bald head and a mustached face is grinning an unnerving smile at me from the piece of paper. I quickly scan the article under the picture of the man and gather three main facts about this human. First of all, he's a scientist and a very smart one at that. Secondly, he's known to cause trouble. Thirdly, it seems as if his main goal in life is to take over the world. Hm.

Too lazy to read the poster, Vector asks me, "What's it say, Esp?"

"Yeah, who's that scary man in the picture?" Charmy chimes in, looking curious.

"This is the evil genius, Dr. Robotnik. Apparently, he's a scientist with an IQ of over two hundred. He's notorious for causing trouble both here and in other galaxies out in space. The sign says that Robotnik won't rest until he completes his mission of dominating the world," I explain in an even voice.

"I ain't gonna let some evil scientist with a creepy grin scare me!" Vector exclaims loudly, causing several people at tables surrounding ours to turn and look at us again. To my mortification, Vector chooses this moment to throw an arm around my shoulders and pull me closer to him, adding, "I'll never let him get ya, Esp!"

"Vector," I hiss, elbowing him to try to get him to let up on his tight grip on my shoulders. "We're in public!"

"So? Whoever said I can't put my arm around my best bud?" Vector asks, clearly seeing nothing wrong with what he's doing. To my annoyance, he refuses to move his arm.

Sighing loudly, I rest my forehead in my palm and keep my face tilted downwards so nobody can see the way my cheeks are flaming bright red in embarrassment. If there's one thing Vector is good at, it is drawing attention to himself by being loud, noisy, and crass. I highly doubt anyone looking at us would think we're "best buds". We look too close to be only that. It's not helping the way Vector keeps bumping his thigh against mine. I'm not sure if he's doing it on purpose or not, but every time his warm scales meet my cold ones, I feel strange tingles run down my leg.

After a few minutes, I dare to glance up again, figuring that everyone at the tables surrounding ours have gone back to their own business by now. Glancing across the table, I notice Charmy giving Vector and myself a weird look. Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "What is it, Charmy?"

"I was just wondering something," Charmy asks, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Have you and Vector kissed?"

My cheeks turn tomato red again and all I can do is blush in embarrassment since I've forgotten how to speak. Unfortunately, Charmy isn't done embarrassing me.

"I mean like how they kiss in the movies. You know, on the mouth," Charmy continues on, giggling slightly at the thought.

I want to remind Charmy that we're in public and that I want to keep whatever happens between Vector and myself a secret from the outside world, but I can't find my voice. Unfortunately, this give Vector the opportunity to answer Charmy's question, which believe me, is not a good thing.

"'Course we've kissed!" Vector belts out in his loud voice, making me wish I could just die right here, right now. To my utmost humiliation, Vector doesn't stop there. He keeps going, "Esp's a real good kisser. He has really soft lips that taste like-"

"_Vector!_" I manage to get out in a strangled voice. I need to hide my face, but there's nowhere to hide. Cheeks burning, I turn to my right and bury my face in Vector's shoulder so nobody can see how embarrassed I am. You'd think that this situation can't get any worse. Surprisingly enough, it does.

"Ooo, you two did kiss!" Charmy exclaims in a voice almost as loud of Vector's. In a sing-song voice, he starts out, "Vector and Espio sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...er, hey Knuckles!"

Oh god, did Knuckles just hear that entire conversation? I dare to glance out from the safety of Vector's shoulder and find that Knuckles is sending the two of us a curious look as he sets down three mugs of steaming hot chocolate in front of us. Once again, violet eyes linger on my face, an expression I don't recognize within them. Does he know about Vector and me? Knuckles glances down at the wanted sign in front of me and luckily changes the subject, asking, "I'm guessing you guys heard the news about Eggman?"

"Eggman?" I repeat, very grateful for the change in subject. "I thought his name was Dr. Robotnik."

"Different name, same guy," Knuckles replies as he leans against the table and goes on, "Sonic has had a lot of run ins with him in the past. Eggman's always causing trouble for him. Apparently, he's been spotted here in town three days ago, but hasn't been seen since. He's clearly up to no good as usual. Let one of us know if you see him, alright?"

"Of course we will," I reply with a firm nod. "That's what our job is as detectives."

"Thanks," Knuckles replies, giving me a friendly smile before he asks, "Are you guys going to Amy's Christmas party? I wasn't going to go, but Tails agreed to go, so I decided to go along to keep him company. It would be nice to have some other people there to talk to."

"Vector and I are attending actually," I admit, trying to answer all of Knuckles' questions so Vector doesn't have an opportunity to answer for me and embarrass me again.

"Great!" Knuckles exclaims. "Well, I've got to get back to work, but it was nice seeing you three here. See you at the party!"

Knuckles disappears in one of the back rooms of the coffee shop and silence falls at our table as we all take a sip of our hot chocolates. My drink is very warm, but not so warm that it burns my throat. I'll admit it's just about perfect and is quite a bit better than the hot chocolate you can purchase at the cafe I work at.

"Er, Esp?" Vector asks after the silence extends between us for a few long minutes. "Yer not mad at me, are yeh?"

"I suppose not, but can you at least try and keep quiet about us?" I whisper, sending him a pleading look. "You know I'm not comfortable with coming out in public just yet."

"Fine, but I don't see why it's gotta be any big secret," Vector grouches before raising his hot chocolate mug to his lips and slurping loudly.

I look within my own mug and wonder if Vector has a point. Is it wrong of me to want to keep our relationship to ourselves? I suppose there's nothing wrong with Vector and I loving one another. Whether heterosexual or homosexual, love is love even if I'm not exactly sure what love is. I do know that I have strong feelings for Vector though and he obviously feels the same way about me even if his emotions are for different reasons. Perhaps I'm making him feel bad by wanting to keep our relationship a secret.

Frowning, I try and think of something else before I can start feeling guilty over something I should not feel guilty about. My thoughts travel to Christmas and I realize that I really ought to start thinking about Christmas presents for Charmy and Vector. Vector could use a new set of headphones perhaps, but what about Charmy? I'd prefer not to get him another video game seeing as he has about a hundred games already.

Ten minutes later, all three of us have finished our mugs of hot chocolate. Vector is the first to stand up, stretching his arms over his head and causing everyone to glance over at him again as he plops down the money for our drinks on the table and says, "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I think we should get goin' before it gets dark out."

"You have a good point," I nod, getting to my feet and joining Vector before glancing over at the little bee across the table from me and asking, "Ready, Charmy?"

"Yup!" Charmy pipes up as he flies over to us with his normal happy smile on his face.

Luckily, the snow isn't falling too thickly outside right now although it is getting dark early despite every surface being covered with fresh, white snow. As soon as we reach the house, Charmy wastes no time in seizing the doorknob and wiping the door. I hesitate and turn to say goodbye to Vector. To my surprise, he's only a millimeter away from me, and when I turn to him, his snout bumps against my nose.

"Vector, what are you doing?" I ask him as the crocodile lightly pushes me up against the side of the house and leans towards me. Seeing what he's trying to do, I attempt to protest, "Vector, I'm sick-"

"Mmph," Vector cuts off my words as he tugs my scarf down and kisses me full on the mouth, his lips wet and tasting of chocolate against mine. Unable to resist him since the large crocodile is rather dominating, I give up the fight and allow Vector to kiss all across my lips. I don't exactly participate in the display of affection, but don't reject it either. Before I know what's happening, Vector has slipped his long, squirming tongue inside my mouth and is using it to twine around my tongue, forcing me to take part in the kiss.

A moment later, Vector pulls back, leaving me breathless as usual. While I try to compose myself, I state dryly, "I hardly think that exchanging saliva with a sick person is going to keep you healthy."

"Eh, it was worth it," Vector grins sheepishly.

"Espio, are you coming in or what?" Charmy's distant voice calls from the living room.

"I ought to go," I tell Vector as I break into another fit of rattled coughs. Frowning, I hesitate in the doorway and admit, "You should give it a few days before coming to visit me again. I don't want you getting sick right before Christmas. Have a nice evening, Vector."

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_ Early update because...well, you know why. ;P Who thinks Eggman is going to be causing some trouble for Veccy and Espy soon? Review please! :)  
_


	73. Double Sickness

**Saints-Fan-12: Vector likes to do lots of cute things for Esp. :3 There should be more cute moments soon in this fic! Hope you like this chapter!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Yes, let's hope that it's just a little cold! It's no fun to be sick. I should know considering how I've been sick for a while now. x_x Espio seems to have taken on the role of Veccy's and Charmy's mother. xD Vanilla is way too polite and sugary for me too, but I just hate how they had to make her Vector's love interest in Sonic X. I swear watching that one episode with him ogling her just kills me. *shudders* It's okay about late reviews. Are you sure you're okay now? I'm sorry you weren't feeling well! Ugh, yes, some cashiers are just too chipper and friendly. =/ We should stick one of them with Vanilla and see what happens! I hope you like this chapter! Btw, I think there are two for you to read unless you already read 72? I dunno. ;P  
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**Mormar1: Yes, Vector left the presents under the couch! xD He is so crazy and forgetful, isn't he? ;P I agree that Eggman will cause lots of trouble in the future. Thank you for reading!  
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**zgirl16: I'd say you're right about Egghead! He's bound to cause trouble. And wow, this is the longest fic you've read? Awesome! Thanks for reading! :D  
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**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Haha, the last chapter was definitely embarrassing for Esp! I'm happy that I've turned you into a Vecpio fan. :D I like Sonadow pictures, but I get tired of Sonadow stories. I prefer Vecpio. ^^ Amy might want to try and make Sonic jealous at her party! I think there will be lots of trouble at the party! xD Thank you for reading the early update! Here's another early one since I'm sleepy.  
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**Guest: Just about everyone is going to end up making an appearance in this story. :P Poor Espio got so embarrassed with the singing. *shakes head at Charmy and Vector* They love to humiliate him. Ooo, you picked up on that, huh? I didn't think anyone would! It might be important in the future. Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
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**andypandy123: Great prediction! That definitely seems like a time when Eggman might show up. xD Thanks for the review!  
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**LuluCalliope: I'm glad you had a nice trip! My day was...not the best. Oh well, I won't bore you with it. ;P  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yay, I'm so glad you liked it, especially the Knuckles part, hehe. I think you know that there will be more Knuckles in this fic, huh? ;P Thanks for loving all the chapters! That's so sweet of you to say! Thanks for reading. :)****  
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**Guest: *joins you with throwing rocks at Eggman* Yes, let's not let him ruin the story! He's not wanted here! xD Lots of people seem to be getting sick this winter. I'm actually feeling worse tonight and I'm running out of pills. *cries* Let's hope that everyone gets better really soon. I am definitely on the stupid side. Hell, I'm lucky if I pass my subjects in school. ;P I haven't heard of it, but the app sounds awesome! Hope you like this chapter. :3  
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**RegularSonicFan: I'm so glad you thought the last chapter was funny! It was one of my favorite chapters to write actually! Vector and Charmy just love to embarrass poor Espio! I agree about Eggman. He's definitely going to show up later in this fic again. This is totally embarrassing, but I feel asleep while I was replying to you. ;P I'm sending the PM right now! xD Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It's okay! Were you reviewing from your phone? I think phone reviews don't show up for some reason sometimes. Yeah, the Eggman sign is looking suspicious. He's definitely trouble! Mm, I know, Knuckles in a cafe is funny. I've become more of a Knuckles fan lately. ;P Here's another update. ^^  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The next day, I'm woken up by my own coughing. Opening tired eyes, I ease myself into a sitting position and glance around the dark bedroom. As much as I'd prefer to keep sleeping, I know that there's no possibility of me continuing to sleep while I'm choking every few seconds. Slipping out of bed, I pad across the floor, flick on the hallway light, and walk to the kitchen. To wake myself up, I make a cup of coffee and then go to the table to read the newspaper as usual. However, the newspaper only keeps me entertained for a few minutes. After that, I'm left with my own thoughts.

Another brutal cough racks through my system and forces me to take a long sip of coffee to try and suppress the choking. Once I finally get myself to stop coughing, my eyes are watering and my nose is runny. Sighing, I reach across the table for a tissue and blow my nose with it. I hope that this sickness does not last long.

Only a few minutes later, a familiar face appears from around the doorway. Charmy peeps into the living room at me with concern written all over his face. I turn towards him and then glance at the clock to his right. It's only six am. The little bee shouldn't be up already. He doesn't usually wake for another two hours.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I ask Charmy, "Can't sleep?"

"Kind of," Charmy admits as he flies into the room and pulls out a chair across from mine at the wooden table. He slumps into it and rubs his eyes sleepily as he adds, "Your coughing woke me up. Are you okay? You sound like you're dying in here. Maybe you should go see a doctor. If I was sick, you would tell me to go see a doctor."

Charmy does have a point. He got a fever a few months ago and I wasted no time before immediately whisking him off to the doctor. However, it's a completely different story when I'm sick. I despise doctors. They always feel the need to prod and poke you in very uncomfortable areas. I dislike being touched in general and being touched anywhere near my tail area reminds me of Bryce and the things he used to do when he touched me there. I've made a vow to myself never to visit a doctor ever again.

"I'm alright, Charmy," I try to say as a cough breaks off the last word of my sentence. Charmy sends me a look that tells me that he doesn't believe me. Giving him a haphazard smile, I rephrase my sentence, "I'm a little sick still, but I'm sure the sickness won't last long. I don't want you to get sick though, so perhaps you should go to Cream's house for the day?"

Charmy thinks about this for a moment before nodding and agreeing, "Sure, I can go to Cream's house. Aren't you going to be lonely though? Oh, wait. I get it. Vector's coming over, isn't he? You just want me over at Cream's house so you and Vector can kiss and do all that mushy stuff you don't do in front of me."

"Don't be silly," I frown at Charmy. For a bee of only seven years of age, he is certainly very perceptive. Unfortunately, with Vector around most of the time, he's already been introduced to pornography, swearing, and homosexuality. I haven't exactly helped with the last thing, but that's not the point. Seeing from the look on Charmy's face that he still doesn't believe me, I defend myself and go on, "I told Vector to stay at his apartment. I don't want to get him or you sick. My goal is to get over this cold as soon as possible."

"Oh," Charmy says, starting to look bored. He gets up from his chair and yawns widely while he stretches his arms above his head and says, "Well, I guess I'll go play with Cream now."

"Alright," I nod before an idea hits me. I might as well take advantage of this situation and do some Christmas shopping this morning since I'm going to be all alone. Raising an eyebrow, I ask Charmy, "Is there anything in particular you're hoping to get for Christmas this year?"

I wait to hear the long list of new video games Charmy wants for Christmas, but I'm in for a surprise. Charmy's eyes light up and he says enthusiastically, "Yeah! I want a camera."

"A camera? Hm. Do you want to get into photography?" I ask Charmy curiously, wondering why he suddenly feels the need to have a camera.

"Um, no. I just want one," Charmy says, giving me a look like I'm crazy for thinking he might want to be a photographer someday. "I just want to take pictures. Okay, I'm leaving now. Bye, Espio!"

I wave to Charmy as he flies out of the door and consider getting Charmy a camera. In general, digital cameras are expensive, but perhaps I can find an inexpensive one that I can mange to afford. I'm glad that Charmy is interested in something other than video games, so I'd really like to be able to get him a camera. There is an electronics store not all that far from the house. I think I'll drop by it and look there for a camera for Charmy as well as a new set of headphones for Vector. He could really use a new pair as his look as if they're going to fall apart at any moment.

Deciding not to waste the day away and get moving, I force myself to my feet and wrap my scarf around my neck before starting towards the door. Damn. As I open the door to the house and am greeted by a gust of frigid wind, I realize that I forgot to tell Charmy to bundle up before going to Cream's house. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope that the spirits keep him guarded from any sicknesses that might be floating around this icy cold winter day.

Wrapping my arms around myself in an attempt to keep warm, I start down the sidewalk with my head down. I walk like this to keep the wind from biting at my face and also because I don't want anyone to recognize me and stop me for a chitchat session. The only person other than Vector and Charmy that I actually feel comfortable talking to is Amy Rose surprisingly enough. Just because I don't mind talking to her doesn't mean I actually want to stop and talk to her though. Right now, I'm feeling sick and just want to get in and out of the electronics store as quickly as possible.

Luckily, I reach the electronics store before my hands turn numb. The inside of the store is nice and warm. I'm thankful that there aren't many people inside the store at this time of day. It will make browsing much easier since I won't have to fight through a crowd. I'm a bit on the claustrophobic side and immediately steer clear of a large mass of people whenever I can.

I've been to this store a few times before, so I know where mostly everything is. The cameras are in the very back of the store along with the music players. My feet absentmindedly take me to the rows of cameras located along the back shelf of the store. I start to skim the prices on the wall to see if any of these cameras are within my affordable price range. Unfortunately, all the nice cameras are far too much money. I never use a credit card because I refuse to get into debt. However, if I did happen to have a credit card, now would be a time when I might be tempted to use it. I try so hard to be a good parent-like figure for Charmy, yet, I can't give him the things he deserves because of my situation.

Feeling a bit depressed, I turn my eyes towards the cheapest cameras to see if there's even one I might be able to afford for Charmy. Two happen to be in my price range, but they're far from nice. They're both used and are dull-looking . However, the sign below the cameras claim that they both work properly. I suppose that it doesn't really matter what the camera looks like as long as it takes pictures. Still feeling a bit bad that I can't do any better for Charmy, I reluctantly take one of the cheap cameras from the shelf and start to turn towards the music players.

The selection of music players is much better than the selection of cameras for some reason. As I stand before all the shiny music players, I place a hand on my hip and look at them a bit quizzically. I may pride myself on intelligence, but I'll admit that I don't know anything about music players. This kind of this is Vector's specialty, not mine.

A sign under one of the shiny black music players catches my attention. It says that it's half price today only! Hm. I'm not normally dragged into buying things from ads or signs, but half-price is a very good bargain.

...Wait. Wasn't I going to get Vector a pair of headphones and not a new music player? That's what my original plan was, but apparently I've unconsciously decided that Vector deserves better. I don't want to just get him a pair of cheap headphones. I want to at least get him a new music player that will hopefully work better than his last one.

Hoping I have enough money for the music player I happen to have my eyes on, I glance inconspicuously to my left and right to make sure I'm not being watched before I pull out my money from inside my glove. I count it rapidly and realize I have just enough to get the music player for Vector and the camera for Charmy. I'll be broke after that, but it will be worth it. Charmy and Vector are my everything. I love Charmy as if he were my own child and I've never felt the way I feel towards Vector towards anyone else before. If someone can turn my life around and make me forget the nightmarish past Bryce put me through, it will certainly be him.

Not regretting spending all of my money on my friends for even a moment, I make my way back up to the cash register at the front of the store in good spirits besides for the fact that I'm still coughing every few seconds. Placing my items on the counter, I even glance at the hedgehog behind the counter and say a polite, "Hello."

"Good morning!" the hedgehog with black glasses and a friendly smile replies to me as she rings up my total and bags my items carefully. "Are you doing some Christmas shopping?"

"I am, actually," I admit as I silently say goodbye to my money and hand it over to the cashier. Smiling ruefully, I reply, "I hope my friends like their gifts."

"I'll let you in on a secret," the hedgehog offers as she leans forwards to whisper in my ear, "That music player you bought? That's the best deal in this entire store. I've actually bought one for myself and I absolutely love it! I'm sure your friend will love it too if he or she is a music fan."

"He is. I don't think he ever takes his headphones off," I admit before taking my bag and waving to the cashier, adding, "Have a nice Christmas."

With that said, I make my way to the entrance of the store and hesitate for a few moments. A loud choke makes me wish I didn't have to go back out into the cold. Unfortunately, I can't stay in the electronics shop all day. Once I get back home, I need to wrap Charmy's and Vector's gifts. I have some leftover wrapping paper from Charmy's birthday that I can use for the gifts.

Deciding to be brave, I push the door to the store open and am pleasantly surprised to find that the wind has died down. My Christmas spirit has greatly improved since earlier and I find myself walking along with an uncharacteristic spring in my step as I approach my home. A moment later, I push the door open in good cheer, expecting to find the house empty.

...There's one problem. The house is _not _empty. Frowning, I pull the door shut behind me and look around frantically for a tissue since my nose is running again. Not sure whether to reprimand the scaly green reptile on my couch or get a tissue first, I stand inside the doorway with narrowed watery eyes and my mouth in a thin line.

"There ya are, Esp! I was startin' to wonder when you'd ever get here," Vector admits as he turns and looks at me, shooting me one of his big croccy grins. His grin disappears when he notices my runny nose. Vector immediately grabs a tissue from the coffee table and clumsily hurries over to me, saying, "Geez, yer even sicker than yesterday, aren't ya?"

I take the tissue from Vector because first things are first and then turn away from him as I blow my nose. Once I've stopped my nose from running for the second, I frown up at Vector and ask in a croaky voice, "Vector, what are you doing here?! I thought we decided yesterday that you wouldn't come over today since I'm sick."

"Heh, yeah, well, guess what? I'm sick now too," Vector says with a shrug.

Blinking in surprise, I look up and notice that Vector's eyes are red and swollen, his nose is also runny, and his voice does sound a bit raspy. Tossing my head, I say, "I suppose it's because you were kissing me yesterday, so it's completely your fault. I've had nothing to do with you getting sick."

"Don't ya worry about it. Kissing yeh was totally worth it," Vector adds, grin reappearing on his face before he turns and lets out a loud achoo.

"Isn't this just great? This house is full of sick people now," I murmur sarcastically. What am I _ever _going to do with Vector? He's such an idiot, but a loveable one at that.

* * *

_ Hm...who thinks Vector kissed Espio the other day to try and get sick on purpose? xP Review please! :)  
_


	74. Doctor Discomfort

**Saints-Fan-12: I think you're right! I actually have never watched it before. I guess it just never really appealed to me, you know? I'm mostly a Sonic and Mario fan. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**purplehedgie1: Wow, thank you for such nice reviews! There will actually be a few hints of your favorite pairing in the future of this fic, so I hope you keep reading! ;P I know this is kind of a long story, so I'm glad you made your way through all the chapters. What will Esp do with the presents? You'll find out soon! ^^  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, it's definitely typical of Vector to get sick on purpose so he can be with Esp. xD I can totally relate with the fear of the doctor too. I hate all doctors. This probably sounds weird, but I think they do more harm than good most of the time. Yes, more sugary cashiers! They should have their own planet along with Vanilla. Omg, it's snowing? Woohoo! So have you been out in the snow? I'm guessing so. Knuckles and Eggman will be in a lot of the future chapters actually. Thanks so much for the review!  
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**Mormar1: Vector still hasn't remembered the presents under the couch! *facepalms* And hehe, you're totally right. Vector would have come to visit Esp even if he wasn't sick. xD Thank you for reading!  
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**zgirl16: I definitely think that you're right about Vector getting sick just so he can be with Espio. Wow, you have no idea how happy your comment just made me! I hope this fic continues to interest you in the future. ^^ Thank you so much for a great review!  
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**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Your prediction was right on! Vector is sick too and it's all his fault for getting sick. *rolls eyes at Vector* I'm the same way around any sort of doctor and I have to see one tomorrow! D: Hehe, don't worry, you didn't offend anyone. I swear doctors speak a foreign language most of the time. Thank you so much for continuing to read this story.  
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**Guest: Vector is really dedicated to Esp...or should we just say Vector is obsessed with him? ;P The two are definitely going to end up spending all day together. Let me know what you think of this chapter. :)  
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**Alicia: I'll tell you tomorrow (I'm really tired right now). Just wish me luck for tomorrow please! Thanks for reading.  
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**PreyasRules: I'm so sorry about the fight with your parents! Guess what? I got into a fight with both of mine yesterday too. I swear that parents' main goal in life is to make our lives hell, you know? Don't worry about the pics, I understand about your iPod. Btw, I have a Vecpio tumblr that you might like. It's vecpio4ever. *cough* I'll give you a warning and tell you now that most of it is porn though. ;P I'm so happy that you liked the last chapter so much! I take it you're a Knuckles fan? Omg, that's a good prediction! Charmy might get some pics of Veccy and Esp like that. ;P I agree with you; Vector totally kissed Espio to get sick on purpose. Aw, you have to take pills too? Don't worry because so do I. You're not the only one! Aw, you think so? Thanks! It's really too bad we don't know each other irl. I think we'd be great friends!  
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**LuluCalliope: I'll tell you through email or skype since it's kind of personal, you know? And omg, I am so sorry about your aunt's and your grandad's dogs. :( Losing a pet has to be one of the hardest things to go through. I'm sure your puppy will be alright though. *hugs* I miss you a lot too! One of these days we're going to have to meet up on skype! Thanks for reading. :)  
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**ShadowChaotix: Vector is totally a loveable idiot. xD Yay for the camera and yay for Knuckles! I think you already know about what's going to happen with the camera, but wait, actually that scene is going to go in Chaotix X, not this fic. Damn, I'm starting to get my fics confused. *cries* Can't wait to talk to you later today. :D****  
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**Chibi-Guest: I'll love it even if you just leave a review telling me that you liked the chapter! xD Every review makes me smile, hehe. Yes, I have wished that before! A lot of times actually. That's so funny about the White House! I've thought random things like that before too. We can be crazy together! *high fives you*  
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**RegularSonicFan: It was sweet of Espio to get Charmy and Vector the best gifts that he could get for them! He's so selfless. :3 Hehe, yup, that's exactly why Vector got sick. He's got an ulterior motive for everything. Omg, you've fallen asleep replying to messages before too? I'm glad to hear that it's not just me who does that! xD I'll reply to our PM tomorrow because I've got to go to the doctor tomorrow morning, okay? :3 Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, yeah, getting sick on purpose is a Vector-like thing to do, isn't it? I know what you mean about the computer. Whenever I need something while I'm in bed, it feels like it's miles away from me. xD Omg! That sounds hilarious! Um, this is kind of off topic, but I saw this picture of Knuckles as a maid on Tumblr the other day and I thought that was just awesome. :P Er...sorry if you think that type of thing is weird. I have weird tastes. ;P Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

As I watch Vector run clumsily back to the coffee table to grab a wad of tissues for himself, I wonder if there is a possibility that the crocodile actually tried to get sick on purpose just so he could come here and spend time with me. Kissing me like he did yesterday certainly seems like a sure way to get yourself sick. Knowing Vector and his terrible logic, he probably assumed that getting sick would be the perfect way to spend more time with me without Charmy around. Speaking of Charmy, I'll have to do my absolute best to keep the house sanitary so he doesn't get sick too.

After blowing his nose extremely loudly, Vector plods back over to me and grins down at me as if I've just told him that Christmas is coming early this year. Sending him a knowing look, I jab a finger at his hard scaly chest and accuse him, "You intentionally got yourself sick, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Vector replies, trying unsuccessfully to look clueless. "I dunno why yer goin' on about."

"Oh Vector, you really don't have to lie to me," I insist, rolling my eyes as Vector determinedly avoids looking at me. It's a sure sign that he's lying. I add, "You just wanted to spend more time alone with me. Admit it. I'm not stupid."

"Aw, guess ya got me there, Esp," Vector admits, breaking out into a grin before he sneezes loudly to my right, spraying saliva everywhere. I try and duck out of his way and send a disgusted look at the spittle all over the couch that just so happened to be the victim of Vector's messy sneeze. Going on, Vector adds, "Ya can't blame me for wantin' to spend more time with yeh."

"Hmph," I reply, still annoyed about the sneeze as I implore, "At least _try _to cover your sneezes. I don't want to get Charmy sick."

Vector fixes his gaze on me and nods absentmindedly, letting me know unintentionally that he's not paying any attention to a word I'm saying. Instead, he's looking me over with an affectionate smile. There's no malice in his expression, but I find myself shifting uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

Randomly, Vector reaches out and gently starts tracing the pattern of the scales on my chest, murmuring, "I think yer the only chameleon I've ever seen to have a heart-shaped chest. Yer so cute, ya know that? I just wanna hold yeh close and make ya mine."

I stare down at my body self consciously and stumble away from Vector, blushing brightly. Most of my scales are purplish, but the scales of my chest and belly are a much lighter color that just so happen to be in the shape of a heart. I don't like the pattern one bit. Bryce used to tease me about it, saying that my scales were one of my more feminine features. Vector may think they make me look "cute", but I think that Bryce is right. I look all wrong for a male chameleon. Time and time again I've wished for a different body, but I'm stuck with the body I've been given.

Vector's words make me a little nervous, so I turn away from him just as he lets out another house-shaking sneeze and murmur, "Please don't comment on what I look like. It embarrasses me."

"Do ya always have to be so modest?" Vector asks incredulously, following me and suddenly reaching out and stroking the thicker part at the base of my tail, practically giving me a heart attack in the process as he adds, "Yer so damn sexy and ya can't even see it. Bet everyone wants ta get it on with yeh..."

"I don't know if you meant that as a joke or not, but it's not at all funny," I reply seriously, knowing that Vector only means to tease me even though he's causing more memories of Bryce to go rushing to the forefront of my mind. I would never consider myself...attractive, but I do seem to be a magnet for abuse and people "wanting to get it on with me" in Vector's words. I slap his hand away from my tail and add, "Please don't touch there. It's sensitive. Also, you really ought to go and wash your hands after sneezing."

"Yer gonna have me runnin' to the sink every few seconds, aren't yeh?" Vector chuckles even though he disappears into the kitchen to wash his hands like I asked him to.

I wait for Vector in the living room and take advantage of his absence to dump my shopping bag behind one of the pillows on the couch. I'm surprised that Vector didn't notice it earlier and demand to see what is inside of it. Vector is nosy at times to say the least.

"I'm back!" Vector yells a little too loudly as he rambunctiously strides back into the living room.

"For being sick, you certainly have quite a bit of energy," I point out as I lean against the couch and watch him with half-amused eyes.

"Yeah, and for bein' sick, yer really grouchy," Vector replies, placing a hand on either side of me and pinning me up against the side of the couch.

My heart starts beating a little faster, but all the memories of Bryce that Vector sparked back to life moments before are making me feel more frightened than excited. I don't like being pinned against anything or forced into tight spaces where I know I can't escape from. When Vector leans forwards to kiss me, I purposefully turn my head away from him and whisper in a quiet voice, "I'm really not in the mood, Vector..."

I flick my eyes to the crocodile's face and see lust and pure desire there. For a moment, I worry that Vector will ignore my words and go ahead and kiss me anyway. However, it appears that I'm just being paranoid as usual because Vector respects my request and takes a step backwards without another unwanted touch to my body.

"Alright then, ya little ninja, if yeh don't wanna get mushy, then whaddya want to do?" Vector asks, surprisingly not looking upset.

"I'm not sure," I reply. My plan had been to wrap Christmas presents, but that's no longer going to happen with Vector in my living room. Suddenly, a brutal cough forces its way out of my throat and starts choking me not for the first time today. This cough is worse than the others though. It rattles through my entire body, taking me a good thirty seconds to get a hold of myself once again.

When I'm done coughing, Vector folds his arms and states, "With a cough like that, yer gonna get Charmy sick faster than me. We're goin' to see a doctor."

"No, we're not," I reply immediately, a bit of panic in my voice as I step quickly backwards to avoid Vector in case he tries to grab my wrist or drag me out the door.

"Yes, we are," Vector contradicts firmly. He proceeds towards me and the two of us face each other, eyes flaming and mouths set in stubborn lines of irritation. Vector is the first to offer a compromise, saying, "Fine. If ya aren't gonna go see the doctor, then I'll see one. We've got the same sickness, so ya can use the medicine the doc gives me. Sound okay?"

I've already opened my mouth to protest, but realize that Vector's offer isn't as bad as I expected it to be. After all, I could take some of the medicine the doctor prescribes Vector and hopefully get well sooner than later. There's a less likely chance I'll get Charmy sick if I'm taking medicine. Still though, I hesitate because Vector's plans usually have a catch to them or end up going completely awry.

"Well?" Vector urges me. "It's a damn good deal if I do say so myself. All you've gotta do is tag along to the doctor's office with me to keep me company."

"I suppose I'll go with you for Charmy's sake," I sigh, turning rigidly and stepping towards the door, wrapping my scarf around my neck as I do so. As I tug the door open, I send Vector a dirty look and add, "If you so much as attempt to get one of the doctors to examine me, we are over. Understand?"

"Whoa!" Vector exclaims, holding his hands up in surrender. "I wouldn't do that to ya, Esp. Yer so touchy sometimes. C'mon."

Since I don't exactly know where we're going, I slow down and let Vector take the lead. Apparently, he_ does _know exactly where we're going because the large crocodile tromps along through the snow without a moment's hesitation. Despite the fact that I'm not going to be examined by a doctor, I find myself getting nervous. I don't particularly like doctors' offices. I don't feel safe inside them. However, Vector will be with me and I know he won't let anything bad happen to me...right?

By the time we reach the doctor's office, I'm a nervous wreck and Vector is humming Christmas carols to himself in a horribly off-key voice. He yanks open the door to the slate gray doctor's office and barges inside. I don't like the color of the building. Gray seems so ominous and foreboding. I step forwards warily in Vector's shadow to avoid being seen. Vector immediately tromps over to the white rabbit behind the desk in the waiting room of the doctor's office and states, "I'm here to see a doc. I've got a cold and I've gotta get some medicine for it."

"Alright, sir. What is your name?" the rabbit asks in a quiet voice.

"Vector the croc," Vector announces proudly, letting the entire waiting room know who he his. I resist smacking my forehead with my palm and continue hiding in Vector's shadow.

"Thank you, Vector," the rabbit replies, scribbling down a few notes before sending Vector a polite smile and adding, "Please take a seat in the waiting room here. A doctor will be with you shortly."

Vector nods and turns abruptly, practically running me over as he takes a step forwards. I dart out of his way and send him a grudging look as he strides over to an unoccupied chair in the waiting room. I'll admit that the waiting room isn't as frightening looking as I thought it might be. The walls are cream-colored with abstract paintings hanging on them. The chairs are bright colors such as poppy red, emerald green, and sunny yellow. I sit down gingerly next to Vector and try to relax.

Only a few minutes later, a door on the left side of the room opens and a hedgehog doctor wearing a white coat calls out, "Vector?"

Vector immediately gets to his feet, but I grab his wrist before he can hurry off and suggest, "Don't you think you should take your headphones off if you're going to be examined?"

"Huh? Oh. Guess yer right," Vector says, whipping off his headphones. He looks around for a place to put them before throwing the headphones over my ears and dumping his music player into my lap as he says, "Yeh can use it while I'm gone if ya want, Esp. I'll be back real soon."

I try to tell Vector that I don't want to listen to his loud, crass music, but it's too late and Vector is already across the room and is disappearing from sight. Sighing, I roll my eyes and decide to give his music a try. I'll admit that the tune isn't all _that _bad. In fact, I rather like it. What I don't like are the lyrics to the song. They seem very obscene and whoever is singing it feels the need to curse every other sentence! No wonder Vector always seems horny and no wonder he swears so much. Perhaps I should have gotten him some new music to listen to instead of a new music player.

The songs switch and I find that this next song is quite a bit better than the first one. The lyrics aren't dirty and the tune is soft and sweet. It's a bit romantic and is about a hedgehog thinking about his girlfriend who died from a terminal illness. Perhaps I'm being sentimental, but the song ends up bringing tears to my eyes. As I listen to it, I realize just how lucky I am to be alive and well besides for my slight cough. I'm very fortunate to be spending this Christmas in a house of my own with a lover and a best friend. I sometimes take Vector and the things he's done for me for granted.

Twenty minutes later, Vector appears in the doorway of the waiting room once more. He looks a little dazed, making me wonder just what the doctors were doing to him. I notice a bottle of pills in his hand and sigh with relief. Good. At least Vector got some medicine so we can both feel better soon and keep Charmy from getting sick.

A little worried about the blank look on Vector's face, I rush over to my friend and ask him in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just fine. I guess I was fallin' asleep without my music," Vector jokes before sneezing. He leads me to the door of the doctor's office and pushes it open for me. As the two of us start towards home, Vector says, "I've got the pills. The doc said I've just got a common cold. Guess you've got the same thing then. With these miracle pills, we're supposed ta be feelin' better within a few days."

"That would be very nice," I admit, thinking about how pleasant it will be to feel normal again.

Vector waits a second before he sends me a long look out of the corner of his eye and asks, "Are yeh gonna give me my music player back anytime soon?"

"Oh, of course," I reply, blushing at my forgetfulness.

Before I can remove the headphones from my ears, Vector leans over me and takes them off of my head before placing them over his own ears, asking, "So what did ya think of my music?"

"One song was alright although it was very sad," I reply, referring to the song about the lost lovers. "The other ones were very...crass."

"Crass, huh?" Vector asks, a twinkle in his eye. "What were they about?"

"They were about..." I trail off, not wanting to put into words the sex-based lyrics of most of Vector's songs.

Vector chuckles and elbows me, saying, "They were naughty, weren't they?"

"I suppose you could put it that way," I admit, giving Vector an annoyed glance. "Why do you bother to ask me about things like this anyway? You know they embarrass me."

"Yer fun to make squirm and I love that little blush of yers," Vector replies, reaching over and pinching my cheek affectionately. "Yer so innocent, ya know that?"

"Hm," I reply, thinking that what Vector has just said is far from the true. I'm the opposite of innocent. I know about the dark side of love, abuse, and obsession. I'll forever know more about these things than the happy-go-lucky crocodile walking next to me. Perhaps someday I will find the nerve to tell Vector about this, but it will most likely be a secret that I carry with me to my grave.

* * *

_ So apparently my doctor appointment has been switched to tomorrow morning. Please wish me luck! Anyway, who thinks that Vector is starting to get pushy again? Review please! :)  
_


	75. Dirty Deviations

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks for wishing me luck. I agree, I think you're right! Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**purplehedgie1: I'm totally with you on that one. The waiting room definitely seems like a death chamber. I always feel the need to run out of it and back into freedom. xD But yup! At least Esp didn't have to get examined. :3 Thanks for reading!  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thank you so much for wishing me luck. :) Hm, that's actually a very good question. I'm not sure exactly how many chapters will be in this fic, but I'm thinking close to 200 at this point. When I finish this fic, I'll write more though, so maybe you'll like those stories too? Lol, yup, I swear I have polite people haunting Esp and Veccy in every chapter! Vector is such a pervy croc (as you will see in this chapter). Ugh! That sounds like a huge letdown with the snow. I am sending the snow and cold weather from where I live to where you live! Yay, we relate in so many ways. Thanks again! Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Mormar1: Thanks for the luck. :) Hm...that's a good question! Do you think they will both get better from the pills? Thank you for reading!  
**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Hehe, yeah, Eminem does curse a lot! I always thought that Vector would listen to dirty music because of his perviness. xD Ooo! Are you a Metallica fan? I definitely am. I have all their albums. :D Wow, you checked up on this fic five times today? That is awesome! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it so much. Thanks for wishing me luck with the doctor. I have been sick for a while. :( You're right; Vector is not learning his lesson. To answer your question, yup, he's going to make a big mistake later on in this fic! Do you have any predictions of what his mistake might be? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Guest: Yeah, I'd say he's getting a little more pushy too. I think you'll agree with me after you read this chapter. For every step forwards, it seems Vector takes a step backwards if you know what I mean, lol. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Alicia: *huggles* Did you check your skype messages? I sent you a long message on there...  
**

**LuluCalliope: I could try and meet you on skype tonight. What time works for you? I'm usually on in the late evenings. Yeah, poor Vector...but I think you'll be saying poor Esp by the end of this chapter! I'm so happy you don't have to go to summer school. That's great news! Cocoa Puff sounds adorable. I think poodles are so cute. I'm glad to hear that your puppy is doing well! *hugs tight* I miss you. D: Thanks for reading. :)  
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**ShadowChaotix: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! The music part was fun to write. I can just see Esp hating Vector's music, can't you? Chaotix X is coming soon! I have nothing better to do with my life than to write, lol. xD Hope you like the chapter!****  
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**Chibi-Guest: Thank you! You're so lucky that you haven't had to see a doctor for such a long time! I feel like I have to see one all the time. Hehe, that's funny about you giving them scary looks. I should try that out if it gets them to leave me alone. ;P Wow, you're not social off of the internet? Me neither! I'm completely anti-social. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**RegularSonicFan: I'm so happy to hear that you really liked the chapter! I get really nervous waiting for the doctor as well. I can't sit still and I swear it's like I need someone to hold my hand while I'm in the waiting room. ;P I think you're totally right! It's in Vector's nature to get pushy. ;P Thanks for wishing me luck. You're so sweet! *hugs* Hope you like this chappie. :3  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I don't think you're being too hard on Veccy. ;P He's not always the nicest to Esp. *coughespeciallyinthischapter cough* Oh my god, I would definitely do the same thing with an award for being the laziest person on the planet. I think we should each get one. I would link you to the picture, but I always have a hard time getting links to work on this site. Trust me, it was really cute though! Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I really don't like goin' to see the doctor all that much, so why the hell I just put myself through a thorough exam is beyond me. Oh wait, I know the reason why. He's walkin' besides me right now with his curly tail in the air and his eyes fixed straight ahead of himself. Espio drives me crazy in good and bad ways. I've learned that I'm willing to do just about anything for him. He didn't want to see a doctor, so I went to see one instead. See how nice of a croc can be at times? I try to come off as a tough guy, but Esp brings out the side of me I usually try to keep a secret.

"Home sweet home," Espio murmurs as the two of us reach his cozy little house after the trek to the doctor's office. He tugs his keys out of his glove and fiddles with the lock for a few moments.

Esp's words have a rather bad effect on me and remind me of the rent I still don't have the money to pay. Little Esp might have a home all to himself, but I sure as hell don't. I'm gonna be kicked out of my apartment in two days unless a miracle happens. Yeah, I believe in miracles, but I don't think any sudden miracle is gonna save me from the rent unless it's a real big one.

Click! Espio manages to get the door open and pushes it aside. He steps through the doorway and heads straight to the kitchen. I take my time stepping inside the house and yawn widely before yanking the door shut behind me. It's exhausting work goin' to the doctor! You've gotta answer a lot of random questions and put up with a lot of poking and prodding.

Before I can figure out where Esp disappeared to, he reappears in the living room a moment later with two glasses of water in his hands. Handing one to me, Espio points to the pill bottle in my fist with his free hand and states logically, "We ought to take the medicine right away so we can get well as quickly as possible. I don't want Charmy sick for the holidays."

I sigh, feeling slightly annoyed as I pass the pill bottle over to the smaller reptile. I know I shouldn't feel so damn jealous all the time, but I'm sick and tired of hearing "Charmy this" and "Charmy that". It's never "Vector anything". I get that Espio and Charmy have a special bond, but I feel like I'm not even close to Charmy on Espio's list of favorite people. I try real hard for him, but sometimes I wonder if he's only committed himself to our relationship because he doesn't wanna lose me. He did say I was his only friend...

"Here. Take this," Espio breaks into my thoughts, placing a small pill on my palm before he carefully places a similar pill on his own tongue and swallows it with some water.

I copy Espio and end up choking on the pill. Go figure, right? I drain the rest of my glass of water in an attempt to stop choking. Being sick does have it's downs even though it does have some ups to it as well. Esp was right to accuse me of tryin' to get sick on purpose. I did it so I could continue to see him since who knows how long he's gonna be sick for. Also, I get to spend some time alone with Esp. Basically, that means that Charmy won't be popping his head around the corner and annoying us every two seconds.

"What would you like to do now?" Espio asks, turning to me politely.

"I dunno," I reply even though I'd really just like to push him against the wall and make out with him. "Guess we could watch TV and see if anything good is on."

"Alright," Espio agrees, leading the way to the sofa. I follow him and try not to watch the bounce of his curly tail too much. Whenever I watch it for too long, I feel the urge to grab it. Oblivious to my thoughts, Espio picks up the remote controller and hands it to me before yawning. Quickly covering his mouth, Espio says, "This is odd. I suddenly feel very tired."

I plop down on the sofa and find myself yawnin' as well. Abruptly, I remember something the doctor said and admit, "Oh, uh, drowsiness is one side effect of the pill we took. I must have forgotten to mention that to ya earlier. Sorry 'bout that."

"Oh dear," Espio complains, looking irritated as he tosses me the remote and stares at the ground with his forehead creased. "Now I'm going to be sleeping within the next five minutes."

"So? I don't see any problem with that," I reply before patting the couch and adding, "Yer sick. Yer allowed to sleep the afternoon away. Yeh can lay across my lap if ya want."

"I don't need to do that," Espio replies indignantly as he reluctantly joins me on the couch. The little chameleon glances up at the TV and finds that we're watchin' sports. His nose wrinkles in distaste and he adds, "If we're watching _that_, I'll be asleep in two minutes."

"A little rest is good for ya, Esp," I tell him, wrapping an arm around my buddy. He doesn't seem to want to kiss or anything, so at the very least, I'm gonna cuddle with him.

Espio doesn't resist my arm around his shoulders and stares blankly at the TV. It's only a matter of minutes before his eyelids start to droop and he leans against my arm. Chuckling to myself, I watch as Espio falls asleep and accidentally topples across my lap as he allows his body to relax. I've got no problem with Espio sleeping across my lap and give him an affectionate look before changing the TV channel. I like football, but baseball is a bore and I'm not interested in watching it right now. I flick through the channels for a few minutes before findin' a trashy romance film to watch. It's a good thing Esp is asleep or else he would not let us watch a film like this.

A good thirty minutes later, I feel Espio jerk awake. He's still lying across my lap with his head pressed against one end of the couch and his tail draped over the other end. He looks around with bleary eyes and looks confused as he murmurs more to himself than to anyone else, "Hmmm?"

"Everything alright over there?" I ask the chameleon gently as he continues to glance around himself with a disoriented look on his face.

Espio looks over his shoulder at me and tries to get up with a start, immediately apologizing, "I'm very sorry, Vector. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like this and-"

"Oh, just shut yer trap," I roll my eyes at him as I place a large hand over his mouth to get him to shut up. "Ya know I don't mind it. Just go ahead and keep on sleeping. Charmy's not gonna be home for a while, so ya might as well just go ahead and relax. The more sleep ya get, the sooner you'll feel better."

I don't actually know if my logic is right or not, but Espio seems to buy it. Usually, the rigid chameleon would insist on sitting back up, but I guess the pill is influencing him more than it's affecting me because he allows himself to lay back down on the couch, still spread across my lap. Heh, guess the appointment at the doctor's office wasn't a waste after all

The trashy movie continues to play and despite the fact that I'm normally into this kind of smut, I get a bit distracted watching the chameleon on my lap. I really wanna touch him. I've wanted to touch him since the moment I stepped through his door earlier today. Resisting the urge to stroke his beautiful fuchsia scales is gettin' harder and harder. Would Esp kill me if I stroked his back just a little? I'll never know unless I give it a try.

Unable to help myself, I reach down and gently run a hand along the chameleon's back. Espio, who isn't quite asleep, makes a little noise and shifts just a bit. When he doesn't protest, I start stroking all up and down the smooth scales of his back, admiring the way the light from the TV dances across them. Unfortunately, my fun is short-lived. Esp turns his head towards me a minute later and glances over his shoulder to see what I'm doin' to him.

"Sorry," I admit sheepishly, quickly removing my hand from Espio's back before he can get all snappy with me.

To my surprise, Esp doesn't snap. Instead, he pauses and looks at the fabric on the sofa for a few minutes before he admits, "Actually, I...I don't mind if you do that."

"Ya don't, eh?" I reply enthusiastically. "Well then, just relax and enjoy some crocodile affection."

Espio rolls his eyes sleepily at me before letting his head drop back onto the cushions next to me. Feelin' pleased with myself, I start rubbing Espio's back a little more vigorously. I work from the middle of his back up towards his shoulders. Damn, his shoulders are tight. Why's the little guy always gotta be so tense? I make it my duty to try and get Espio to relax a bit more. I knead his shoulders gently, tryin' to work all the kinks and tightness out of his muscles. A noise of what sounds like pleasure comes from the back of Espio's throat.

"Enjoyin' this, are ya, Esp?" I ask him with a smirk, rubbing down his back in circular motions.

"Mm," Espio mumbles, more asleep than awake at this point.

I continue massaging his soft scales - yeah, they're actually pretty soft compared to mine even though they don't look like it - and work all the way down to his lower back. I rub the area just above his tail, managing to get a shiver to run all the way through Espio's body. A purr comes from his lips, letting me know that I'm doing something right. I continue kneading this certain area, tryin' to cause Esp as much pleasure as I can. I let my hand travel down another inch on Esp's back and massage the scales there, causing a strange reaction from Espio. His tail lifts slightly into the air. Curious to see if I'm the source of this reaction, I rub harder, causing Esp's tail to stick up straight in the air, revealing the tiny hole right below it to me for the first time. Gulping, I stop moving my hand and stare at the area below Espio's tail. Damn, I bet he's real hot and tight...

Obviously unaware of what he's doin' with his tail, Espio lifts his head up from the couch and murmurs randomly, "Have you thought about what to get Charmy for Christmas? He told me he wanted a camera, so I went to the electronics store across the street to see if they had a decent one there."

Espio continues talking, but I'm way too distracted by the way he's exposing himself to me to pay attention to what he's saying. It's really tempting for me to slip a finger inside that little opening below Esp's tail and swirl it around inside of the tiny chameleon. The more I stare at him, the more I wanna finger him. He looks so damn tight. I wonder if I could risk brushing my hand against this certain area...

Glancing over at Esp, I notice that he's still blabbing on about something to do with Charmy's Christmas present. Very slowly, I reach towards the area right below Espio's tail. I bet he would like it if I fingered him. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I could make him feel real good if he'd let me.

My fingertips are millimeters away from the tiny hole when Esp suddenly smacks my cheek with the hard coil at the tip of his tail. I immediately retract my hand and send Esp a questioning look, complaining, "Hey, what was that for?"

"You know _exactly _what it was for. I've been talking to you for the last five minutes and you've clearly paid no attention to a thing I've said. I asked you a question three times and you didn't respond. The least you could do is tell me that you weren't paying attention," Espio says, looking a bit miffed as he picks himself up off of my lap and retreats to the corner of the couch, wrapping his arms around himself before he glances at the TV with wide eyes and exclaims, "Chaos forbid that I ever get caught watching porn in my own living room again! Give me that remote, Vector!"

I sheepishly hand the remote over to Espio and point out, "It's not really a porn film. It's just a trashy romance film."

"Hmph!" Espio replies, flicking off the TV dramatically and adding, "It certainly looks like porn to me. Why we even have TV channels like this is something I don't know."

"Uh, maybe 'cuz some people enjoy watchin' this sort of thing?" I point out since I usually like watching porn when a certain chameleon isn't lying across my lap.

"That's a disgusting thought," Espio states a-matter-of-factly before he gets up from the couch and brushes himself off. Giving me a sidelong look, he says, "I really need to sleep, Vector. I'm exhausted and the pill we took is going to make me pass out at any moment. Now would be a good time to leave."

"Aw. Couldn't I stay and take a nap with ya?" I suggest hopefully, not wanting to go back to the apartment and spend the rest of the night by myself worrying about the bills. Espio sends me an annoyed look and I decide not to push my luck with the chameleon, adding, "Fine, I'll get goin'. Can I drop by tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Espio replies vaguely, looking at the ground with a crease in his forehead.

I hate begging, but with Espio, it might do the trick. I decide to use a trick I've seen Charmy use on Espio before and give him puppy dog eyes and a sad look as I implore, "Please, Esp?"

Apparently, Charmy's tactics work because Espio sighs dramatically and says, "Fine. Come over tomorrow if you like."

"Great!" I exclaim, glad to have figured out one trick to use on my buddy whenever I want somethin' from him. Deciding to try it out again, I give him my nicest toothy smile and ask, "Can I have a kiss before I go?"

"No," Espio replies firmly, giving me a little push towards the door before he starts over to the hallway with his tail bobbing in the air, adding, "Kissing me is what got you sick in the first place. Who knows what other trouble it might cause? Have a good evening and remember to lock the door behind you."

Sighing, I watch Espio leave and then turn to the door. Esp may be my lover, but he's a distant one. He won't let me anywhere near him when he doesn't feel like it. He's such a goddamn tease! I swear he's gonna be the reason behind why I lose my sanity someday soon.

* * *

_My doctor appointment went badly, I got into an argument with both of my parents, and everything is chaos over here right now. *sighs* I feel so down tonight, but I just want to say thank you to all of you for helping to cheer me up. Reading your comments is the best part of my day. Anyway, who thinks Vector is going to lose his sanity soon? ;P Review please! :)  
_


	76. Stubborn Secrets

**Saints-Fan-12: Ooo, I think you should write another Sonic fic before you go on hiatus! :D And mhm, I agree with you. It'll depend on what happens in this chappie. Hope you like it!  
**

**purplehedgie1: I totally agree with you about unneeded jealousy. It's definitely the worse! Lol, this is the perv in me coming out, but I loved writing the last chapter. Smutty thoughts definitely don't hurt anyone. xP I hope you like this chapter.  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thanks for the hug! *hugs back* I could really use one today! Sometimes it feels like I won't pull through and sometimes I even hope I won't, you know? Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, but don't choke! ;P I agree with you about Vector. He's definitely going to lose his sanity soon because of a certain chameleon. I lost my sanity at least five years ago, but I swear it gets worse by the day. xD Did you get any snow? *crosses fingers for you* If you get some sunshine where you live, definitely send it my way. Arguments are the worst, especially when the y get bigger every time. =/ Thanks for the support and for the review!  
**

**Mormar1: Omg, that would be so funny! What do you think Espio's reaction would be if Vector told him about of his dirty thoughts? Thank you for reading!  
**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Arguing with the parents is awful, isn't it? I go through it almost everyday and always end up in tears. Woo, I'm so happy to have met a fellow Metallica fan! *high fives you* I love all their albums, but Master of Puppets is my favorite. I adore that song and the entire album. Cliff Burton (RIP) was like a bass god. It's a really good thing Esp didn't realize what Vector was going to do or else he would have gotten more than a slap. Interesting predictions! Want me to tell you if they're right or not? Good luck on finals and thanks for hoping that I feel better. *hugs back* I love hugs! Thanks for reading!  
**

**Guest: Yeah, I'd say that Vector is definitely one lucky croc. Esp could have gotten really mad at him. Aw, that's nice of you to say. :) Thank you!  
**

**Alicia: *hugs tight* Thanks. I've been too miserable to get on the computer much today. Mom decided to make things even worse for me than she did yesterday. I don't know what her problem is! I've been crying for the last two hours straight and I just feel so drained. x_x  
**

**PreyasRules: Omg, you have me so jealous! I want the newest issue so badly, especially since it has the Chaotix in it! Do you have a lot of the comics? I have like...five, I think? I'm so sorry! *hugs* I always end up in tears after arguing with my parents. I cried so much tonight, which is not helping my dehydration issue, ugh. =/ Your parents must be nicer than mine then, lol. Mine live to cause me hell. Glad you liked the pics! My favorite is the full version of my avvy on there. Nice predictions about Knuckles! One of them is right. ^^ Aw, I'm sorry you'll have to take pills for the rest of your life (I will have to too). What are your pills for if you don't mind my asking? Yes, we should definitely do that! We need to find out our time difference first though. I've got no clue what it is. D: Vector is totally a pervert! xD Gotta love him though. Nope, no Ray or Mighty in this story. I'm not much of a Ray fan, but Mighty will be in a future Chaotix story of mine. :)  
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**LuluCalliope: I'm trying to, but my mom is making it about impossible. I don't know what I ever did to her! D: And hm...I have a feeling Vector will go crazy soon. ;P Thanks for reading. :)  
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**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, I wanted to write Vector fingering him. ;P Esp would have had a hard attack though. I'm looking forwards to writing insane Vector. I'm an evil writer. xD I love you too! *huggles tight* ****  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yeah, doctors still poke at prod you and they always ask me a lot of stupid self harm questions because I have a few burn marks. *rolls eyes* Like I would ever tell them anything. xP I need to sleep like you! I'm so tired. =/ Yup, Espio would have been so mad at Vector! I would let him live with me too if he got kicked out. He can be my fellow perv, hehe. Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: I'm with you about Vector! Well, I have an eating disorder that leads to dehydration, skin issues, circulatory issues, and a few other not-so-pleasant things (like my hair coming out in clumps or randomly breaking off, ugh!). My parents get angry with me because I don't want to eat because it hurts. *cries* Questions don't bother me at all! It's nice to know that someone cares. :)  
**

**RegularSonicFan: Vector is an idiot playing a movie like that in front of Esp. *shakes head at Vector* Esp definitely would have noticed it if Vector had touched him. I think a certain croc would've gotten kicked out of the house for a good long time. Your prediction about Vector and his sanity is spot on. ;P I'm going to PM you tomorrow, okay? Today was even worse than yesterday over here. *sighs* Ooo, you have finals? Good luck! I know you'll do awesome! You're very smart! Let me know what you think of this chappie.  
**

**Hx2: Thanks for the nice review! I'm glad you've been able to catch up on this story. :) Well, this fic isn't really the adventure type, but Veccy and Esp will go on three missions in this fic. I'm more of a drama/romance writer. I love Sonic Heroes. It's an awesome game! I wouldn't say this is related too closely to it though, you know? Thanks again for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I'm with you on Vector and his sanity. It's definitely not going to last long at this rate. ;P Oh no! *reaches further to high five you* There we go. xD Oh god, that happened with me and a friend once too. We managed to get the link to work on like attempt one hundred. Thanks. :) I've been really depressed lately (as you've probably noticed, lol). Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXVI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

After Vector leaves, I immediately retreat to my bedroom, collapse on my bed, and pass out. I wish Vector would have told me sooner that the pills we took for our colds have a side affect of drowsiness, but of course Vector didn't think to tell me that until too late. Unfortunately, I'm sleeping when Charmy gets home from Cream's house and so he's forced to get his own dinner and go to bed without a hug from me. When I wake up the next morning, I feel terrible for not being awake for Charmy. Fortunately, I do feel a bit better though. Perhaps the pill is working after all. I'll take another one tonight before bed when I actually want to sleep. The last thing I need is a repeat of yesterday.

As soon as my eyes are open in the morning, I slide out of bed and silently pad out of my bedroom, through the hallway, and into the living room. It's still dark inside the room and it doesn't look like Charmy is awake yet. Just to make sure he's alright, I tiptoe to his bedroom door and open it just a crack. Peering within the room, I get a glimpse of Charmy's sleeping figure under the covers. Good. At least he made it home from Cream's house safely. I still feel terrible for not being awake last night to welcome him home.

I quietly exit Charmy's bedroom and decide to make the previous night up to him by whipping up some waffles for breakfast. After tying on my apron to try and keep myself relatively clean, I pull out the ingredients to make waffles, grab a pan from a cupboard, and get to work.

As I measure ingredients and stir them together, I happen to glance over at the calendar hanging on the wall next from me. Christmas is less than ten days away. I really ought to spend this morning wrapping Charmy's and Vector's Christmas presents. I could also bake some Christmas cookies for Charmy's sake. Even though I like having the little bee around, I don't feel comfortable keeping him in the house while I'm still sick. I've already decided to send him off to Cream's house for at least one more day while I recover from my cold.

The waffles don't take too long to make and they're almost prepared thirty minutes later when Charmy comes flying out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes sleepily. I immediately look over at him and say, "Good morning, Charmy. I'm very sorry about not being awake for you last night. Were you able to get dinner by yourself alright?"

"Yeah, I was fine. You worry too much, Espio!" Charmy chides me drowsily before he perks up, adding, "Hey, do I smell waffles?"

"You do," I smile at him as I snag a plate out of the cabinet. "Go ahead and have a seat at the table and I'll bring you some."

"Oh boy, I love waffles!" Charmy exclaims excitedly, now very much awake since he's excited over the waffles. He plops down on his chair and drums his fingertips impatiently on the kitchen table.

Trying my best to hurry since Charmy looks hungry, I stack a large pile of waffles onto his plate, pour him a glass of orange juice, and tuck the container of maple syrup under my arm before bringing Charmy his breakfast. I lay everything out on the table in front of him, careful not to spill anything. Charmy grins and immediately drowns his waffles in maple syrup before stuffing his cheeks full of them. Normally, I'd tell him not to eat so fast, but I'm still feeling bad over last night, so I don't say a word as I go to sit across the table from the little bee with my usual cup of coffee in hand.

"I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you out of the house, but is there any way you might like to spend one more day with Cream?" I ask Charmy, reaching across the table for a tissue before I blow my nose with as little noise as possible. "I don't want to get you sick right before Christmas. Vector and I have some medicine now, but it might still take a few days for us to recover."

"Vector is sick too?" Charmy asks in a muffled voice since his cheeks are still stuffed with waffles.

"Unfortunately, yes," I reply with a sigh, remembering how Vector purposefully got himself sick just so he could spend time with me. What a foolish thing to get sick for!

"Let me guess, Vector is coming over today while I'm gone," Charmy guesses, rolling his eyes as he drains his glass of orange juice.

Blushing slightly, I recall Vector begging me to let him come visit today and how I said yes after a few moments of thought. I like to pretend that I don't really want him around, but truth be told, I'm grateful for his company. Hoping that Charmy doesn't take this as a slight, I admit, "Perhaps."

"You know what I think?" Charmy asks as he continues wolfing down his waffles at an unbelievable rate. I raise my eyebrows at him and wait for him to go on. Smirking over at me, Charmy says, "I think you should marry Vector. Then you guys can really be my parents!"

My eyes bug out of my head at Charmy's words and a racking bout of coughs rattle through my body. I've thought about many things when it comes to the relationship between Vector and myself, but marriage? Certainly not! That thought has never crossed my mind and the suggestion of it makes a shudder run down my spine. Being in a casual, low key relationship with Vector is one thing, but the idea of me marrying Vector is insane. It would_ never _work. That's all I have to say about the matter.

"Charmy, I'm very sorry that you don't have parents, but Vector and I will never marry each other," I reply, trying not to look too repulsed at the horrible idea.

"But why not?" Charmy asks, tilting his head at me in confusion over my attitude towards the matter. "It's obvious you guys love each other. I want us to be a real family!"

"We can be a family without Vector marrying me," I reply flatly, hating the sound of the word on my tongue.

"It's not the same though," Charmy whines in annoyance. "Cream's mom told me that it's better for two people who love each other to marry one another than to just live with each other or see each other a lot. She said that people who are really in love get married to show their partner that they'll be a family forever."

My forehead creases and I frown over my cup of coffee as I ask, "And just why was Vanilla telling you all this?"

"Um..." Charmy mumbles, looking a bit sheepish. "I asked her about it."

I decide not to inquire on this topic further and work on finishing my cup of coffee instead. I will never marry Vector and that is all. I can't even admit that we're a couple in public. Even the thought of doing that makes me flinch and blush bright red. How awful it would be if someone brought our relationship out into the open...

Charmy finishes his waffles and licks syrup off of his lips before flying out of his chair and over to the door, saying in his usual cheerful voice, "Well, I guess I'm off to Cream's house now! Have fun with Vector."

"Have a nice time," I tell Charmy as the door falls shut behind him.

Once Charmy is gone, I pick up his dirty dishes and bring them to the kitchen to clean later. After that, I decide to get my Christmas wrapping done since I happen to have the house to myself for a change. It seems as if Vector or Charmy is always around these days. Luckily, I remember where I put the wrapping paper last and find a roll of it in the closet. It's shiny green foil and looks Christmas-y enough. I pull out my bag of gifts from behind the pillow on the couch before setting my supplies on the floor.

I'm not very fond of wrapping, but I make sure to do a good job of it as I carefully place Vector's music player in the center of the wrapping paper and then meticulously cut around it before tucking in the edges of the paper and taping the gift shut. After that, I retrieve a pen from the kitchen and write "To: Vector" on it. I figure it's obvious that the gift is from me, so I don't bother to write that it's from me on it. Next, I turn to Charmy's gift, but before I get too far with it, I'm interrupted by a dull thudding on my doorway. Odd. Vector never knocks.

"Vector? If that's you, come in," I call, wondering why he didn't just burst inside the house like usual. I'm not complaining, of course. I'd certainly prefer it if he could get into the habit of knocking on the door before barging through it. However, I can't help but feel as if something must be wrong if Vector is resorting to knocking.

Creak! The door opens slowly and Vector trudges inside the living room. He shuts the door behind him and drags his feet over to the couch. Plopping down onto it, he looks down at me doing the wrapping and says dejectedly, "Hey Esp. How's it goin'?"

"Besides for being sick, just fine," I reply as I cut the wrapping paper around Charmy's gift and look up to meet Vector's sad vermilion eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Vector asks, looking surprised that I can tell that something is wrong. Apparently he forgets how well I know him. Deciding to lie, Vector says, "Nothin'. I'm just sick, that's all."

"Vector, it's obvious that something is wrong. I hate to be the one to inform you of this, but you are a terrible liar. Tell me what's bothering you before it starts bothering me," I order Vector in an even voice as I start folding up the corners of the wrapping paper surrounding the camera.

"Say, yer kind of a hypocrite, aren't ya, Esp?" Vector points out. "Ya never tell me what's wrong when something is bothering you."

"That's different," I protest as I finish wrapping the gift and set it aside by Vector's already wrapped present. Giving the large crocodile my full attention, I press, "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Why's it different?" Vector asks, demanding for a logical reason behind my statement.

"It's just different," I sigh, unsure what else to say. I'm still not ready to tell Vector about Bryce.

"If yer not gonna tell me yer secret then I ain't gonna tell ya mine," Vector replies stubbornly, his voice lacking the normal teasing tone to it.

"I'm afraid that it's the one thing I can't tell you. I'm sorry," I reply honestly, feeling like I'm doing a lot of apologizing today.

"Then I'm not gonna tell ya a damn thing," Vector says, arms folded across his chest and vermilion eyes hard.

I realize that it's going to be pointless to continue arguing with Vector, so I try and come up with a way to distract him from what's bothering him instead. I search my mind for something he might enjoy doing with me and then change the subject, murmuring, "I was just about to make Christmas cookies. Would you like to help me make them? Charmy is at Cream's house again."

My idea does the trick because Vector grins over at me even though the grin doesn't quite reach his eyes as he exclaims, "'Course I'll help ya make them! I'm starving!"

"I could have assumed that," I smile in amusement since there is never a time when Vector isn't hungry. I step into the kitchen, explaining, "I have a recipe for sugar cookies in my cookbook. I was thinking we could make some of those, cut them out with cookie cutters, and then make some chocolate frosting for them. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Vector nods in agreement as he follows me into the kitchen and watches me do all the work as I get the cookbook out, find the recipe, and start pulling ingredients for the cookies out of the cupboards.

Once the flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and milk are out on the counter, I pull some bowls out of the cabinets and tie my apron around my waist once more before getting to work reading the directions that tell me how to make the cookies. I hear Vector snort from over my shoulder and turn to give him a questioning look.

"Ya look like a girl with that thing on," Vector snickers in amusement.

"Don't," I frown, swatting at him with one of the long wooden spoons on the counter as I add, "My cousin used to call me a girl."

"Heh, well, wearin' girly aprons kinda makes ya look like one," Vector points out crudely.

I feel slapped in the face at Vector's careless remark. What is wrong with him today? I wish he would just tell me what's on his mind because this is getting ridiculous. Turning away from my cookbook, I look Vector straight in the face and say in a hurt voice, "Vector, my cousin beat me. It's not a laughing matter."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I kinda forgot," Vector apologizes, looking truly sorry.

"It's alright," I sigh, deciding to forgive him since he's clearly facing some sort of predicament right now. Pointing at the recipe, I state, "Please mix the dry ingredients together. I'll take care of combining the milk, vanilla, and the eggs."

"Sure thing," Vector replies as he grabs the bag of flour and yanks it in his direction.

The two of us work in silence for a bit, both of our minds on different subjects. I'll admit that I'm worried about Vector. There's something very wrong with the way he's acting. A worrisome thought rushes through me. Does the crocodile want to break up our relationship? I feel a bit panicky at that thought and my chest immediately starts to tighten. I act like I'm strong and that I don't need anyone else in my life, but the truth is that I do need Vector...

"Hey Esp, can I ask ya somethin'?" Vector asks a moment later, a muted sparkle in his eyes. Looking up from my bowl, I nod and wait. Sending me a smirk, Vector asks, "Do ya have any fantasies?"

I resist smacking my forehead. I suppose the question clears up the doubts I was having early. Vector obviously doesn't want to break up with me. However, I'm a bit afraid to ask just what kinds of fantasies he's referring to. Do I even want to reply to his question? Not really. Our conversation can only get worse from here.

* * *

_I'm running out of pills because I'm taking too many, so this will probably be the last early update for a while. Again, thanks for your support, guys. You're kind of the only good thing in my life right now. I know I sound melodramatic, but yeah. Anyway, what do you think Vector's problem is? Review please! :)  
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	77. Drunken Depression

**Saints-Fan-12: That's a good prediction! And thank you. I hate seeing my friends sick as well and I have to admit that I'm getting tired of being sick! ;P Thank you for reading.  
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**purplehedgie1: Believe me, fluff always turns into smut in my head. My mind is programmed like Vector's or something. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for me! I need all the luck I can get. I think I tend to be an unlucky person or something. ;P Ooo, I'll take the sunshine even with the frost. I'm really sick of gloomy weather. It's been freezing cold here lately. Let me know how Friday turns out. Hehe, I'm glad you liked the chapter. Charmy comes up with a lot of silly ideas, doesn't he? Vector is going to be even more insensitive in this chapter, sadly. I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last one!  
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**Mormar1: That's a really good guess! Something tells me that you're right. Thank you for reading!  
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**AleThe-Hedgefox84: Oops! Thanks for pointing that out to me. I changed it to Espio's POV. xD And aw, thanks for caring! Don't worry, the pills won't hurt me. Thanks for the review!  
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**Guest: Lol, when is Vector not horny for Esp? You'll see what Esp says to the fantasies question in this chappie. I definitely would say that Vector doesn't think Esp is physically attracted to him at all. Esp is in the relationship for love and Vector is in it for...you know. xP Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: I guess your right. She should get a punching bag or something for those reasons so she doesn't have to take everything out on me. *cries* I feel like I'm going to die from stress if that's possible.  
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**PreyasRules: Woo for mega reviews! *throws a party* Oh wow, now you have me really jealous! Do all your comic issues have the Chaotix in them? Those are the best issues, of course. Nope, my pills aren't for dehydration. I have soooooo many issues. I'm really sorry that you were bullied that much. I know how you feel though. The same thing sort of happened to me. I got bullied so much that I tried to starve myself and I'm still trying to do that to this day, but unfortunately my parents keep getting in the way of my plans, ugh. Anyway, I think you should move to Michigan so we can hang out and stay away from the bullies! That would be so awesome. And really, there's no need to thank me for the story! Thank you for being so awesome and reviewing it for me. :D Hehe, it's going to be a while until Bryce appears, but you can keep counting if you want. Mhm, one of your predictions is right. What one do you think is more likely? I know about ADD and I swear I think I have it too sometimes because there are times when I can't concentrate on anything to save my life. That sucks so much about your pills though. I'm really sorry! *hugs* God, let's see, I have pain pills, sleeping pills, and pills for depression at the moment. Whoa, we must have a pretty big time difference because I usually update around 1 or 2 am. xD Vector is a total perv (and so is the writer of this, hehe). Same thoughts about Mighty. I think he's a great friend, but he's not like Esp. xD  
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**LuluCalliope: I support gay marriages too! I'm glad we agree. *high fives you* Too bad Esp hates the idea so much. Oh well, he might come around to it sometime. Omg! Can I join you in your idea of heaven? It sounds fantastic to me! Ooo, Chaream babies would be so adorable! *squee* It's a good thing that Esp and Vector can't have any kids. A crocodile/chameleon mix would be...odd. xD And thank you! I'm trying to hold out, but it just seems so impossible lately. Your support means a ton to me! *hugs tight* Thanks for reading. :)  
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**ShadowChaotix: Your first guess is correct! I don't write about Vanilla unless I feel like it's absolutely necessary. xD Oh no, you had a shitty day? *hugs* I'm so sorry! I'm glad the story cheered you up, but that still makes me sad to hear. I'm sorry I wasn't on earlier! I'll PM you about that right now...****  
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**Chibi-Guest: Pills are annoying to swallow, aren't they? I've gotten them stuck in my throat a lot of times and I always end up choking on them. The marriage idea is pretty funny! I think Vector is thinking the same thing as you! Getting kicked out of the house in the middle of winter does not sound like much fun. Aw, your baby bro must be so cute! Hope you like this chapter!  
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**zgirl16: It is kind of awful, yeah. I've been dealing with this for about four years now and sometimes I just get so depressed. Thanks for saying that I'm welcome to PM you! I might do that sometime if you don't mind. You'll find out what Vector's problem is in this chapter. ^^  
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**RegularSonicFan: Great prediction! Vector is definitely feeling down in the dumps for those reasons. I know I would be feeling pretty down if I was going to get kicked out onto the streets. =/ Ikr? Vector should totally marry Esp. They would make the cutest couple ever. *squee* For some reason, I can only see Vector asking Esp to marry him and not vice versa. What about you? Wow, it sounds like you did awesome on your exams! I knew you could do it! Great job! *high fives you* I'm wishing you luck for tomorrow as well. :D  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: That's a good question! What _are_ we going to do with Vector? I agree with you, that comment of Vector's was kind of nasty. You'll figure out why he's acting so odd in this chappie. Mhm, I agree, I don't see why we can't post links on this site! I had a friend try to send me a link today and it didn't work. *sighs* I guess you're right. I think I've been having a down in life for a while now. It's time for an up. xP Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXVII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I honestly don't think it's possible to get through a day spent with Vector without him bringing up something dirty to talk about. I suppose I ought to be glad that Charmy isn't around to hear him talking about fantasies. Frowning, I stare hard at the wet mush of eggs, milk, and vanilla in the cooking bowl before me and work on vigorously blending the ingredients together with the wooden spoon in my right hand as I ask reluctantly, "What sort of fantasies, Vector? Do I even want to know?"

"Esp, stop actin' like yer as innocent as Charmy! We all know the truth," Vector rolls his eyes at me, stirring the dry ingredients together too fervently and causing flour to go flying out of the bowl.

I give him a little shove to the left and rescue the flour bowl before he can tip it over and make a mess. Meanwhile, I think about what Vector has just said to me. Nobody knows the truth, certainly not the big crocodile next to me. The only two beings on this earth that do know the truth are Bryce and myself. I intend of keeping it that way until I go to my grave. Combining the wet and the dry ingredients, I resolutely ignore Vector's question and pretend to be very interested in the cookbook to my right.

Vector snags the cookbook and tosses it across the counter so it's no longer a distraction for me and whispers over my shoulder in an attempt to be seductive, "Don't ya have somewhere special yeh wanna do it or isn't there somethin' you've been fantasizing about? Don't ya have any kinks?"

"I don't know what's bothering you today, but just because you're upset does not mean that I'm going to talk to you about this sort of thing," I tell Vector firmly as I intentionally dodge him to grab the cookie sheet from the cupboard. I carefully start shaping cookie dough into little balls and set the spheres on the cookie sheet once they're in perfect circles. Going on, I add, "I certainly do _not _have any 'kinks' and I do not want to 'do it' anywhere."

"Why do ya always gotta be so anti-fun?" Vector complains, reaching over me and carelessly plopping big dollops of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet without bothering to roll the dough into nicely shaped spheres. "Everyone has a naughty side, even uptight little chameleons."

My jaw stiffens and I yank the cookie sheet away from Vector before he can make more of a mess of it. I don't think he quite understands how he makes me feel when he goes on and on about this. Doesn't he see that the way he's acting makes him look like he cares nothing about me and just wants something else? I've tried to talk to him about this before, but apparently it hasn't gotten through his thick skull yet. Hoping that the crocodile won't continue nagging me if I don't respond, I bite my lip and stay quiet.

Vector is silent for a few minutes while I start reading the directions for the frosting for our Christmas cookies, but his silence doesn't last long. Being extremely unhelpful, Vector lounges around the kitchen and leans against the counter, asking, "Ya said yeh slept with someone in yer last relationship, didn't ya?"

I clench my fists on the side of the counter. Is Vector really so daft that he hasn't picked up on all the hints I've been trying to send him? I don't want to talk about this! Hoping that if I just answer his question that maybe he'll shut up, I retrieve the cocoa powder from the pantry and state in an expressionless voice, "I suppose so, yes."

"How can ya 'suppose so'? Ya either did or yeh didn't," Vector replies, giving me an annoyed look.

I deliberately avoid his stare and reply, "It's complicated. Won't you come help me with the frosting? I feel like I'm doing all the work by myself."

Vector stomps over to me, looking angry about something or the other. I can't figure out what's troubling him to save my life, but it's getting bothersome because it's influencing his mood and he's being even more annoying and nosy than usual. All I want to do is have a nice December morning and Vector just keeps on harassing me over and over again. Is a nice morning really all that much to ask for? I don't think so, but apparently it's more than I deserve.

"Hmph, so you'll give it to some other bloke but not to me, huh?" Vector asks crassly as he yanks a spoon from my hand and starts stirring the bowl of cocoa powder violently even though there's nothing but cocoa powder in the bowl and it doesn't need to be stirred yet.

"Just stop. Please," I implore Vector, biting my tongue so hard that a strong metallic tang fills my mouth. I eye the bowl dubiously, figuring Vector will tip it over at any moment as I continue on, "I understand that something is bothering you, but you don't need to take it out on me. I'm not your enemy."

"Yer not? Really?" Vector replies in a nasty voice, making it impossible for me to tell whether or not he's being sarcastic or serious.

I give him an incredulous look and back away from the large reptile, trying to find a way to get him out of the house. He's acting so differently than he normally behaves and it's starting to scare me. As I turn away from him, a strong, familiar scent reaches my nose. Alcohol. Oh, I see. Everything makes perfect sense now. Vector is drunk. I don't know how I possibly missed seeing that earlier.

"What was it like havin' him in yer body?" Vector turns around to face me, breathing that strong, alcohol-scented breath all over my face as he speaks crudely to me. "Did ya like it?"

"No, he hurt me," I reply in a clipped manner, my head still working to try and find a way to get drunk Vector out of my house. "Why have you been drinking?"

"He hurt ya? Geez, that's yer worst lie yet. How could someone hurt ya by makin' love to ya?" Vector laughs, that same nasty look from before still on his face. I notice for the first time that his eyes are bloodshot and it appears as if he didn't sleep at all last night.

Tears spring to my eyes as Vector's hurtful words enter my ears. I can usually keep my calm around Vector, but I have reached my limit today. Trying to keep my voice from shaking, I reply, "I'm not going to talk to you any more. You've pushed me all morning despite the fact that I tried to warn you several times that I don't want to talk about this. You're drunk and you're having problems, but it's your own fault because you won't let me help with them. Just leave, Vector. I need to be alone the rest of the day."

Not wanting him to see me cry, I sidestep the crocodile and start out of the kitchen with silent tears glistening on my cheeks. I love Vector, but he is impossible sometimes. As I make my way to the bedroom, I feel a large, heavy hand on my shoulder. It tries to turn me around much too forcefully.

"Let go of me," I snap in a deadly low voice before struggling out of Vector's grasp and retreating to my bedroom. Once I'm in my safe haven, I yank the door to the bedroom shut, lock it, and then go to sit on my bed.

Five minutes pass and then ten. Vector doesn't come to bother me. Glad to be alone, I perch on the edge of the bed with my arms around myself and stare out of the window, wondering how this day could have turned out to be such a mess. I've never seen Vector drunk or this bothered before. Drunk Vector is a frightening thing. He acts worse than Bryce when he gets drunk by getting in my face, spitting hurtful words at me, and telling me I'm a worthless, good-for-nothing liar.

Feeling more depressed than I've felt for a long time, I stare at nothing and rid my mind of all thoughts. I don't want to think or feel. I just want to retreat into the numbness I used to make myself feel back in the days when my body belonged to someone else.

I'm not sure how much time has passed, but eventually, there's a knock at the door. Wondering if it's Charmy or Vector, I wait to see if there's a voice that's going to go along with the voice. A second later, Vector calls out, "Esp? You've been in there all day. Can I talk to ya?"

I make no answer. I'm very upset with Vector on many levels and don't particularly feel like talking to him right now. Unfortunately, Vector takes my no response as a yes and pulls the door open easily despite the fact that it's still locked. He hesitantly steps across the room with a large bowl in his hands and plops down on the bed, sending me a nervous look out of the corner of his vermilion eyes. I refuse to look at him or even acknowledge his presence.

"I'm sorry, Espio. Really. I was bein' a jerk to ya earlier," Vector apologizes in a careful voice, knowing he's on thin ice with me right now.

"You _should _be sorry," I reply in a low voice, not in any mood to forgive him at the moment. "You said horrible things to me and called me a liar. I think you ought to know me well enough by now to realize that I am not a liar. Are you still drunk?"

"...No. How'd ya know I was-" Vector starts to ask.

Since I already know where his question is going, I answer, "Because my cousin would get drunk every night. I can smell alcohol from a mile away."

"Ah," Vector says as the two of us lapse into silence again. I refuse to look at him or forgive him. I'm upset with the larger reptile and Vector is going to have to do a lot to get himself on my good side once more. After another few minutes, Vector asks hesitantly, "Did ya really get hurt in yer last relationship?"

"Yes. Why would I lie about something like that?" I snap, thinking that if Vector pursues this topic, I'm going to kick him out of my bedroom for good.

Luckily, Vector doesn't persist and says simply, "I'm sorry, Esp."

"Hmph," I reply, turning my body further away from him so that I can't even see the side of his face.

"Do ya want a hug or anythin'?" Vector offers, probably trying to be nice to me although at this point, all I can think is that he's trying to come up with an excuse to touch me.

"Not from _you_," I reply, emphasizing the last word of my sentence.

A long, tense silence hangs between us. I dislike being mad at Vector, but I'm not about to just forgive him after earlier. It was thoughtless of him to push me on subjects that I told him several times not to press me about.

"Yer really just not gonna forgive me, are ya?" Vector sighs, his voice sounding hurt. I make no answer to his question, knowing that he can figure it out for himself. Going on, Vector adds, "Isn't there anything I can do for yeh? Anything at all? I really am sorry, Esp! I...I wasn't myself earlier."

"I noticed," I reply coldly before realizing that perhaps Vector isn't to blame for this entire situation. Alcohol does do strange things to people. It could easily have messed with Vector's mind and convinced him to say a lot of things he wouldn't normally have said to me. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, I sigh resignedly and turn to Vector, saying, "I won't forgive you, but if you tell me what's been bothering you so much, I might feel more inclined to forgive you sooner rather than later."

"Fine. I just didn't want ya to worry about it, so that's why I kept it to myself," Vector admits before he meets my eyes and suddenly looks very guilty. He brushes tears off of my cheeks and says, "Geez, I didn't mean ta make yeh cry."

"I wasn't crying," I defend myself immediately, not wanting to look weak under any circumstance.

"Whaddya call this then?" Vector asks, holding out his finger where there is clearly a small water droplet on the tip of it.

I look at the comforter and ignore his question, replying, "Just tell me about your problem." As I look up, I notice the big bowl still in Vector's lap and add, "What's that?"

"Oh, I got ya this to make yeh feel better," Vector says, immediately plopping down the bowl in my lap.

"What exactly is it though?" I question, glancing in the bowl and noticing thick brown smudges inside it.

"It's the frosting for yer cookies. I finished 'em for ya. I brought ya the frostin' bowl in case yeh wanted to lick it or something," Vector says with a grin.

A hint of a smile lifts the corner of my mouth. Of course Vector would try to make all this up to me with food. In his mind, food is the solution to every problem on the planet. Setting the bowl aside, I say, "I see. It was thoughtful of you to finish the cookies and-"

"Does that mean ya forgive me?" Vector interrupts me hopefully.

I hesitate and admit, "Tell me the truth about your problem and then we'll see."

"Aw, yer a tough one to get through to, ya know that?" Vector points out. "I even brought ya a frosting bowl to lick and yer still not forgivin' me!"

"What can I say? I have tough scales. Besides, you know I don't like sweets," I point out.

Vector gives me a gentle poke in the side and shakes his head, saying, "Yer scales don't seem all that hard ta me."

"It's a figure of speech," I point out, resisting rolling my eyes. "Now are you going to tell me what's bothering you or not?"

"Oh, right," Vector replies reluctantly. "Alright, here goes nothin'..."

* * *

_Drunk Vector has appeared! Who thinks we haven't seen the last of drunk Vector? Review please! :)  
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	78. Moving In

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, don't worry, I know what you meant. xD You'll find out what his problem is in this chapter. Let me know what you think of it!  
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**purplehedgie: I know what you're saying, sometimes Vector gets a little hard to handle. xP More tormented Esp in this chapter sadly. I'm trying to remember when Knuckles appears next. I think you'll see him next at Amy's Xmas party.  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Let's just say that you haven't seen the worst of drunk Vector. He can get _really_ nasty when he gets drunk out of his mind. ;P Aw, thanks! *hugs back* Ugh, what is it with us and bad luck? We need some good luck! I swear I do everything for good luck possible (even stupid stuff like wishing on stars, lol) and I'm still cursed with bad luck! Ooo, I hope you get that snow! I'm crossing my fingers for you! Mhm, mean Vector will show up soon, but he's going to be nice for at least a few chapters because...well, you'll see. ;) Thanks so much and I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Mormar1: You're right about drunk Vector! You'll find out what Vector has to tell Esp in this chappie. Thank you for reading!  
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**Zari Thorn96: Yay, you're still reading! I wasn't sure if you were or not. I tend to lose readers really easily, lol. Thanks for such a great review! It really made my day knowing that you're keeping up with this. Hehe, I find it funny that I update right after you go to bed. I'm kind of a late updater. I stay up way too late most of the time. Of course I forgive you! I'm just so happy you're still reading. Hehe, "berry" sounds better than "very", just saying. ;P And yup! We have not seen the end of drunk Vector. Thanks for reviewing! :D  
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**Guest: I'm thinking along the exact same lines as you. Do you think it will ever get to the point where Vector tries to force Espy into anything if he's drunk enough? I think Vector realizes that drinking is bad for him especially, but like you said, avoiding it altogether won't be easy for him. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: Well, let's just say I've had better nights. =/ How are classes going? I miss you so much too! *hugs tight* Hopefully soon, but I'm really not sure. =/  
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**NMason1997: Wow, you caught up fast! I'm really impressed! xD I don't think there's any way I could have read anything this long without taking months to read it, lol. Nice prediction there! I'd say you're spot on. :) I feel bad for Vector too, but even worse for Esp. I'm so glad this story has managed to keep your interest despite the fact that it sort of drags on in my opinion. Thanks again for catching up!  
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**LuluCalliope: Nooooooo, you can't lose your internet privileges! *cries* How else will I talk to you? D: A 91 is really good! I don't get your parents. =/ Anyway, I agree with you, there is more drunk Vector to come. I think Vector and Esp should just adopt Charmy. He's practically like their kid already, you know? Yay! I get to join you in heaven! *parties* Don't worry, I'll keep my hands off of your guys. ;P Thanks for the encouragement. I think that's going to be the way it has to work since I don't have my license or anything sadly. Thanks for reading. :)  
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**ShadowChaotix: You're right, but I think you know what's going to happen with drunk Vector since I blabbed about it to you earlier, hehe. xD I'm so sorry for not being able to get on again tonight. *cries* I miss you too! Everything is just so shitty over here right now. D:****  
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**Chibi-Guest: You're lucky because there is going to be lots more of drunk Vector in future chapters! I agree, everyone hates cliffhangers. They're the worst! Omg, that sounds so funny about the guy stalking you. I had that once online, but never in real life, thank god. I'm still not feeling better. *cries* Maybe we should have a get well party? Hope you like this chappie!  
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**zgirl16: Good prediction! And okay! I'll do it on a night when I'm not half asleep though, hehe. Feel free to PM me anytime you want, btw. ^^ To answer your question, yup, Bryce will be appearing in this fic. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. xD  
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**RegularSonicFan: Yeah, Vector has no right to pick on poor Esp even if he's facing problems of his own! Geez, Vector, get a grip on yourself or at least pick on someone your own size. *shakes head at Vector* You're right; drunk Vector will be returning in the fic. I'm sorry about your P.E. final! I've always sucked at gym, so I know how that goes! P.E. isn't all that important though and you did awesome on your other exams. ^^ Hope you like this chapter!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, I've actually never watched Pokemon before! I'm so weird. I tend to get stuck on certain fandoms and that's that. xD Now I think I'm going to watch it though. ;P Oh god, I'm the exact same way. If I get talking about something I like, I will go on and on for hours and I'm about impossible to shut up. xD This is a random question, but do you like Mario games at all? Good prediction about Vector! You'll get your questions answered in this chapter. Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXVIII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I sit on the bed next to Vector and wait for him to share his secret. He's certainly caused a lot of drama over it. The crocodile could have just told me his issue from the very beginning and saved us another argument. There are things I love about Vector and there are also things I can't stand about Vector. So far, I've learned that I can't stand it when he's drunk or when he decides to get pushy. The ups of being in a relationship with Vector outnumber the downs, but they don't make our arguments any easier.

"Ya know how I moved out of my parents' place into my apartment building just a few months ago, right?" Vector starts out his explanation with a question. I nod since he's mentioned this before and wait for Vector to go on. Frowning, Vector says, "I told my parents I could take care of myself. I'm twenty-one years old! I should be able to live on my own, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so," I nod, unable to figure out where this conversation is going. "Did you get into a fight with your parents recently?"

"Nah, that's not the problem," Vector shakes his head. He looks at the ground with a truly miserable expression which seems out of place on the crocodile's usually cheerful face. "See, the pay for bein' the leader of Team Chaotix ain't so good. We've been on a few missions, but most of the time I'm just lazying around the apartment or hangin' out with you. The rent is due tomorrow and I don't have any cash except for a few dollars lyin' around. I'm not gonna be able to pay it and I'm gonna get kicked out."

I frown, wondering how Vector has been able to keep this horrible piece of news to himself for so long. If it were me, I would have told him about it by now. Then again, perhaps not as I wouldn't have wanted him to worry about it. My earlier anger at Vector quickly dissolves. He was trying to suppress his misery in the wrong ways for my sake. Vector didn't want me to worry.

"That's awful, Vector," I admit, racking my mind as I try to think of a way to throw together the rest of the money needed for the rent. Nothing comes to my mind and I end up asking instead, "Do you have a plan of where you're going to go? Are you planning on moving back in with your parents?"

"Hell no!" Vector exclaims with a shudder, shaking his head back and forth vigorously. "I can't do that. My parents kept sayin' that they had no confidence in me and that I'd come crawlin' back home to them within a week. Guess I lasted a little longer than a week, but I'm not goin' back to them no matter what."

"I suppose it might be a bit shameful, but at least you'd have a place to stay with people who care for you," I point out. After being kept in a small living space with Bryce for months on end, I have to admit that Vector moving back in with his parents doesn't sound _all _that bad. True, it will be humiliating for the crocodile, but at least he has a place to go.

"I don't think ya understand, Esp! I ain't goin' back there!" Vector says fervently. "I'd rather live out on the streets than move back in with my parents!"

"Well, you're certainly not going to live on the streets. That's dangerous," I point out logically, thinking that Vector is making a mountain out of a molehill. Yes, this situation is a bit difficult, but it isn't the end of the world and we're going to get past this. Trying to sound optimistic, I add, "I'm sure we'll think of something to do."

"Like what?" Vector asks, throwing up his large hands into the air in resignation. "It's hopeless! I'm gonna end up on the streets and live like a homeless person beggin' fer food and all that!"

"You're exaggerating. You're not going to end up on the streets. You will go to live with your parents again if worst comes to worst," I tell Vector, wishing he would stop being so dramatic. I try to think up another solution to Vector's dilemma, but nothing comes to mind. Sighing, I point out, "I would have helped you with the rent, but I have barely any money myself at the moment, certainly not enough to pay the rent. I just spent my month's earnings from the cafe on Christmas presents for you and Charmy."

"It's not yer fault," Vector says glumly, his chin dropping into his hands and a look of pure misery crossing his face as he goes on, "I guess livin' on the street won't be that bad after a while..."

"Vector!" I snap, wishing he would drop the going to live on the street idea already. "That's not going to happen, so please stop fretting about it. I'll think of something."

Vector gives me a sideways glance out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't seem very confident in my abilities to save him from his dilemma. Unfortunately, I'm not too confident about this situation either. Typically, I can come up with a solution to pretty much any problem, but this one seems unsolvable. Except...

Well, there_ is _one obvious solution to the problem. It's one that I've purposefully been avoiding thinking about. Unfortunately, at this point, I find that I have no choice but to think about it. There is somewhere Vector could stay that wouldn't require him to live with his parents. My home isn't big and fancy, but it is warm and cozy and full of people who love Vector, meaning Charmy and myself. Charmy has pleaded to me to allow Vector to move in with us before, but I refused. However, under the current circumstances, I'm starting to change my mind.

Praying to all the spirits of this world that I don't end up regretting this decision, I take a deep breath and meet Vector's vermilion eyes. It pains me to see him so dejected like this. Reaching out, I carefully place a light hand on one of his larger ones and ask, "How would you like to live here with Charmy and me?"

Vector's eyes immediately light up and all the worry and frustration disappears from his face, causing both of us to feel better. He grabs my hand almost a little too tightly and asks, "Do ya really mean it, Esp? Yer gonna let me stay here with ya?"

"I suppose so," I admit reluctantly as Vector bounds off of the bed enthusiastically. Frowning, I add, "You do know what this means though, don't you?"

"Yeah, I should probably go and get my things from the apartment before tomorrow, eh?" Vector says, tromping towards the door with a large grin on his crocodile face.

"That's not what I meant," I frown as I follow Vector with my eyes. "Just because you're living with me does not mean that you can take advantage of me by any means. This is still my house and we will live under my rules. I could kick you out at any moment. Understand?"

"Don't ya worry about that," Vector says firmly. "I won't mess things up for us. I'm gonna go get my things from the apartment and be right back."

"Wait a minute," I reply, slipping off of the bed and padding lightly across the floor so I can look Vector in the eye. I'm already feeling doubtful of my decision. "I need you to promise me something. Promise that you won't get drunk ever again while you're living here with me. You frightened me earlier."

"I really am sorry about that. I didn't mean ta frighten ya. Guess I thought drinkin' might help me with my problems," Vector shrugs his big shoulders carelessly.

"Hm. Well, it clearly didn't help you. On the contrary, it made things worse," I point out, hoping that Vector will get this lesson through his head right now and not repeat his mistake. I hesitate as I remember the things Vector said earlier to me and about the way he kept pushing to know more about my intimate life. Feeling my stomach knot up, I add, "There's something else I need to know. The way you were talking to me earlier...is that really all you think about when you think of me?"

"Er, no, not really," Vector replies, blushing slightly and not making me feel all that confident about his answer to my question. "Yeah, I kinda wish ya would give yerself to me, but I'll respect yer limits. Yer such a tease sometimes."

"How though?" I demand, never understanding why Vector says this because not once have I teased him with my body.

"Eh, don't make me explain. Ya wouldn't get it," Vector smirks before striding out of the bedroom door and calling over his shoulder, "This will just take a sec! I don't have much crap at the apartment to drag over here."

I don't reply to that and listen as the door falls shut behind Vector. I really hope that Vector keeps his promise and does respect my privacy. Just because I've agreed to let him live here with me doesn't mean that I've taken down my boundaries. I'm feeling a little more apprehensive than before after Vector's drunken episode. I wasn't aware of his drunken side before earlier today.

As I stand in the doorway to my bedroom, I find myself wondering what love is not for the first time. What is this strange emotion that causes me to do crazy things outside of my comfort zone? I that think I love Vector, but does he love me? How can I know any of this when I'm not even sure what love is?

I come up with an easy answer to my question and decide to search for the definition of love on the computer. Glad that the computer is in my room and that I don't have to go very far to get to it, I step across the room and perch on the stool in front of my computer. After turning it on, I realize that I ought to clear out some of my cabinet drawers to allow Vector some space for his things. I hurry to the cabinet on the left side of the room and start pulling out my possessions in large heaps. I'd usually go through my belongings slowly and carefully, but I want to get them out of the drawers before Vector gets back and decides to comment on each and every thing I own. Knowing the nosy croc, that's exactly what he'll do if I don't hurry up with my rearranging.

Thankful for the closet to the left of the cabinet, I transfer all of my belongings into the closet and decide to sort out everything later when I have more time. The cabinet is now officially empty and Vector has a large area for all of his things. He says he doesn't have much, but I'm not going to believe that until I see it.

Turning, I return to my computer and bring up a web page before searching the internet for the definition of love. Two results come up from the web dictionary. This is what they say about love:

1. A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person

2. Sexual passion or desire

I read through these definitions, becoming even more confused about the definition of love than before. I believe that the love I feel towards Vector is related to the first definition of love. I do feel affectionate towards the leader of Team Chaotix. I care for him very much. However, I'm quite sure that Vector's love for me has to do with the second definition I found on the internet. Why must it always be that the two of us are opposites in every way possible?

I stare blankly at the computer screen for a while, unable to decide if looking up the definition of love has helped me or not. If anything, I feel like love is an even greater mystery than it was to me five minutes earlier. How can a single word possess so many different meanings?

Bang! The door to the bedroom whips open and Vector comes tromping inside with his arms full of what looks like mostly junk. I decide not to comment on it and instead quickly exit the webpage as Vector walks over to the cabinet with the empty drawers and starts filling them up, announcing, "I'm back! Guess I had more crap than I thought."

"I see that," I admit tonelessly as I watch Vector cram magazines, movies, and other random paraphernalia into the drawers I just cleaned out.

Once Vector's things have been safely put away, he turns to me and looks a bit guilty, saying, "Ya still haven't forgiven me for earlier, have ya?"

I've tried to let the situation from earlier stop bothering me, but I'd be lying if I said I've forgotten it already. Frowning, I admit, "I can forgive you, but please be careful, Vector. Over the course of our relationship, you've pushed and pushed me. I don't want things to end badly between us."

"Huh?" Vector asks blankly, sending me a nonplussed look as he adds, "Whaddya mean?"

"Just be careful and respect my wishes. Besides for that, my home is your home," I tell Vector, not wanting to admit to myself what I've been thinking since earlier. I trust the normal Vector. Despite the fact that he teases and pushes my buttons from time to time, I doubt he would ever really hurt me. Drunk Vector is a completely different story though. He was so very angry, forceful, and almost violent with me earlier. The worst part of his drunken episode was that he seemed angry at me for not giving myself to him. I'd prefer not to ask myself this, but is it possible that drunk Vector might force himself on me...?

"Cheer up, Esp! I hate to see ya feelin' so blue. I promised yeh I wouldn't get drunk again and a croc always keeps his word. There's nothin' for ya to worry about now, see?" Vector says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I nod slowly, hoping that he intends to keep his promise. Grinning toothily, Vector leads me to the door, arm still around my shoulders as he adds, "That's my Esp! Now let's go get some of those cookies I had to slave over earlier! They taste real good if I do say so myself!"

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_Veccy has officially moved in with Esp! :D Do you think Esp is right to worry about it? Review please! :) Btw, I'll respond to all PMs tomorrow since I'm passing out right now.  
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	79. Precarious Promises

**Saints-Fan-12: I'd say that your logic is right on! Vector is definitely bound to trash the house up. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**purplehedgie: Vector is very spoiled! He always gets what he wants in the end, which is something Esp should realize and take note of. xD Oh, and this is random, but I added Knuckles into the epilogue just for you. ;P  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Yeah, Esp does get a little depressed in this chapter, poor guy. But hey, at least the Chaotix members are living together now, right? :D Charmy is going to love it! He really wants the three of them to be a happy family. Thanks so much! I hope things start improving soon too. Eh, I partially agree with you about parents. My dad and I don't have a good relationship and my mom is very distant. Omg! I'm so happy it snowed for you though! *parties* Is the snow sticking around? I'm glad I'm not the only one who wishes on stars! *high fives you* Hope you like this chappie!  
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**Mormar1: Charmy will definitely be happy! He loves the idea of the Chaotix being a family. Thank you for reading!  
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**SurroundedInDarkness: Hi! *hugs tight* God, it's been forever since we've talked. The house of horror is...horrible. =/ It's been a lot worse around here lately, which is why I haven't been on skype or anything. How have you been? And lol, yeah, the chapter probably won't make much sense unless you know about Sonic stuff. xD Thanks for reading it though. :P  
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**Guest: I also agree that Esp has a right to worry. Vector probably won't be able to resist him long considering the fact that they're sharing a house now. You'll soon see that Espio makes a major mistake in this chapter. ;P Let me know what you think of it!  
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**Alicia: Thanks. *hugs back* That's what I'm working on. I can't wait until I can move out though. Then I wouldn't ever get sick like this again!  
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**NMason1997: No problem! I suppose it is a bit of a different way to communicate with my readers, but I think it's easier than responding to reviews via PMs, so I've just always responded to reviews this way. xD Your prediction was right! Good job! I agree that there are lots of possibilities for the future at this point. Anything can happen when you've got Vector, Esp, and Charmy around! I think you're the only one who doesn't think Esp should be worried. ;P I have to agree that he's definitely going to be in for some enjoyable experiences, but do you think there might be some negative ones as well? Thanks so much for your review! I really appreciate it!  
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**LuluCalliope: Your phone too? Wow. What is it with evil parents these days? At least you can use the internet from school, but still! Hehe, marriage and possibly adopting a child are definitely possibilities for Vector's and Esp's future. You're not getting carried away at all. I guess you're right. I was counting my savings today and I don't have as much as I thought I had. I think my parents took some of it. *sighs* Thanks for reading. :)  
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**AleThe-Hedgehog84: It's okay! I'm sorry about finals starting. They can be really stressful. I wish you the best of luck with them! I don't think Espio would be surprised either! And I'm with you on that one - drunk Vector _is_ scary! That's cool that you have a friend like Vector! I've always wanted a friend like him. Thanks for catching up!****  
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**Chibi-Guest: Esp needs to constantly keep an eye on Vector so Veccy doesn't do anything naughty, hehe. xD Ikr? I'm sure Vector would treat Espio to a spa day. That would be super cute! Yay! Let's have a get well party! *pulls out some streamers* I hope you have a nice nap!  
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**zgirl16: I definitely agree that Vector is going to screw something up. ;P Same thoughts here about Bryce! He'll add some drama into the fic although I may have gone a bit overboard with his parts. Oh well. Thanks for reading!  
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**andypandy123: Thank you! I have to admit that it is a bit on the annoying side.  
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**RegularSonicFan: You were waiting for Vector to move in with Esp? xD Your predictions are always so good. I agree with you about drunk Vector. I think Vector pretty much always just has one thing on his mind whether he's drunk or not though, lol. Same thoughts here about P.E.! No problem about wishing you luck. Thank you for all your awesome reviews!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Oh my god, you have no idea how many times I have screamed, squealed, or laughed just from looking at the computer screen. Everyone I know thinks I'm insane, hehe. I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much. :D Nope, I've never watched Pokemon, but I think you've inspired me to give it a try this weekend if I ever get any free time. If I watch it, I'll make sure it's from the first two seasons. Ranting buddies ftw! *high fives you back* Omg, yes, I LOVE Mario games too! They're my favorites next to Sonic. Do you have any favorite Mario characters? I'm thinking about writing a short Mario fic, but I'm not sure if anyone will read it. ;P I'm going to look that up right now! Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter LXXIX  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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I lead Espio into the kitchen to try my Christmas cookies with a big crocodile grin on my face. Sad thing is that the grin doesn't reach my eyes. I feel really bad fer what I said to Esp earlier. I hadn't planned on gettin' drunk. In fact, I didn't even realize I was drunk until Esp pointed it out earlier. Before dropping by Esp's house, I had decided to kill time by lounging around my apartment and having a drink. 'Course, one drink led to two and two led to three. The pressing matter of the rent was on my mind and it didn't even cross my mind how much I had drunk.

Now lookin' back on the way I treated Espio earlier, my stomach turns over and a lump forms in the back of my throat. Some people get sleepy and slap happy when they get drunk and others get mean and nasty. I fit under the mean and nasty category. I lashed out at Esp earlier for unfair reasons, pressed him on the matter of his previous relationship, and practically laughed in his face and called him a liar. What's worse is that I actually made him cry. Espio doesn't usually tear up, so when I found his cheeks wet earlier, a little piece of my heart cracked at how much pain I had caused the little chameleon.

I swore to Espio never to get drunk again and I don't plan to, but the damage has been done. Esp is lookin' at me with new eyes. It's like he's only now discovered that there's another side to me. I don't show this drunken side very often, but now that I've accidentally shown it to Esp, I can't take it back. Dammit. I've ruined things between us again. How long will it take Esp to get over this? I've got no clue.

The only good thing is that after all of today's drama, Espio agreed to lettin' me move in with Charmy and himself since I can't afford the rent of my apartment anymore. I know Esp only did it because I have no other place to go except for back to my parents' place and no way in hell am I goin' back there. Still though, it was awful nice of him to offer to let me stay here, especially after I had treated him like dirt.

I've transferred my things from the apartment to Espio's house. I'm never gonna have to go back to my dingy, crap-filled apartment room ever again. My grin widens at that thought, but soon disappears when I glance back over at the chameleon to my right and see the crease in his forehead. He's worryin' about something. Probably me. Argh, I can be so stupid sometimes. If only I could reverse time and do things over again. I would never normally have lashed out at him, pushed him on the topic of sex, and called him a goddamn liar.

Hoping to turn things around between us, I motion at the kitchen table and ask Esp, "Wanna sit down? I'll bring ya some milk and cookies."

Espio hesitates, but eventually agrees, "Alright. I don't want any cookies though. Just milk please."

"Aw, but milk's no good without a cookie ta go along with it!" I frown, pulling out a chair for Espio. He perches on the edge of it while I press, "Just lemme bring ya one cookie. I whipped up the frosting all by myself and I've gotta know if it's any good or not."

Espio doesn't respond, so I take that as a yes. Before he can change his mind, I hurry to the kitchen, practically trippin' over my own feet in the process. Once there, I grab one of the cookies I frosted earlier, drop it onto a plate, and then search for some milk in the fridge. Espio's only got this weird almond milk stuff, but I suppose that's what he likes to drink, so I go ahead and pour some of it into a glass for him before hurrying back to the table with milk and cookies in hand.

"Here ya go, Esp!" I exclaim as I hurry to serve him and then plop down on the chair next to him, eagerly awaiting for the smaller reptile to try my cookies.

"Thank you, Vector," Espio replies in his normal even-toned voice. I hope he'll try the cookie right away, but he doesn't. Instead, he stares at the wall opposite him with a faraway look in his eyes. I wanna know what he's thinkin', but I've pressed my luck with Esp all day long and need to leave him alone. After a moment's pause, Espio turns back to me without touching his food and asks a simple question, "What do you think love is?"

"Er, I never really thought about that before," I reply, wondering where this strange question is comin' from. I try and think it through for a moment, unsure if this is supposed to be some sort of trick question or not. Finally, I offer, "I guess love is what ya feel towards a person when ya want them more than anything else on the whole damn planet."

"Hm," Espio muses, eyes still containing that faraway look in them and hands wrapped tightly around his glass of milk.

Thinking that he looks kinda bothered, I slap him lightly on the back and say, "Ya think too much, Esp. Love's a simple thing really. Why do ya ask?"

"It's anything _but _simple if you start to think about it," Espio contradicts me with a frown. He looks up and meets my eyes for a moment before returning them to his glass of milk. Still cupping it tightly, he murmurs in a rush, "Vector, I need you to promise me something else. Promise that you won't ever force yourself on me."

"Huh?" I ask, kinda bewildered. As I process the question and realize what Espio is suggesting, my eyes widen and I exclaim, "Ya mean like rape? God, Esp, yeh know I would never rape ya in a million years!"

"I didn't want to have to ask," Espio admits before pressing, "Just give me your word on this please. You're going to be staying here with me now and I need to feel safe in my own house."

"'Course I promise not to rape ya," I reply immediately, still kind of appalled that Espio would come up with a thought like that. I must really have gone down several notches in his book if he's startin' to think I'm the type of guy who might resort to rape. Then again, the way I keep pressing him to sleep with me probably hasn't helped anything...

Suddenly, the door to the house flies open, giving Espio and I both a shock. Espio jumps slightly in his chair and I whirl around to face the source of the noise. It ends up being only Charmy, go figure. He whizzes through the doorway with a big grin on his face and pushes it shut behind him, exclaiming, "Hi Espio! Hi Vector!"

"Hey kid," I reply, raising a casual hand in greeting as Charmy takes the chair opposite mine at the table. His eyes immediately zone in on the cookie in front of Espio. Looking like he's tempted to steal Espio's cookie, Charmy asks, "Where did you get the cookies from? I want one!"

"There are several more in the kitchen," Espio says calmly. "Why don't you go pick out a few for yourself and then come back to the table? Vector and I have something to tell you."

"Okay! I'll be right back," Charmy says enthusiastically, disappearing from sight faster than you can say one-two-three.

Left alone with Espio again, I take a look at my buddy out of the corner of my eye. Esp doesn't look so good right now. His scales seem dull and paler than usual. There's a strange dark look in his eyes that makes him look a hell of a lot older than sixteen. I wonder if he's gettin' sick or if something is bothering him. Wait. He is still kinda sick right now. Maybe it's a combination of the both things.

As I inconspicuously watch my pal, a strange gut feeling comes to me about something Espio said earlier. He basically made me promise not to rape him. That's kinda odd, ain't it? Most sixteen-year-olds aren't thinkin' about stuff like rape. The topic seems to keep popping up around the two of us for some reason. I remember when the poor guy got sick over the stupid film that had a rape scene in it. I don't see Espio bein' raped. He's a tough little thing that has a fiery will and a mind of his own. Despite all this, my gut is pressing me to ask him about it again. There's something weird going on and I'm sure it's something I don't know yet. After a few days when I get back on Espio's good side again, I'm gonna ask him about this a second time. It's stupid and Esp will probably get ticked off at me for repeating a question I've already asked him, but the chameleon is shrouded in darkness. I can see it now. There's something haunting him. I see it ever present in his eyes. It's the reason behind why he sometimes gets that faraway look on his face and it's also the reason behind why Espio seems afraid of me and what I might do to him at times.

Charmy reappears in the living room before I can think this through any more and grins over at the two of us with a plate of five cookies in his hand. He's already busy stuffing one of them into his mouth while he tells us, "These are really good! Did you make them, Espio?"

"I made the cookies, but you'll have to give Vector the credit for the frosting," Espio says with a half-smile.

"Wow, Vector! You're actually a really good cook!" Charmy exclaims through a mouthful of cookie.

"Heh, ya sound real surprised about that, Charm," I reply with a smirk.

Before Charmy has a chance to reply, Espio cuts in and says, "Things are going to be a bit different here from now on. Vector is going to be living with us. He can't afford his apartment room and doesn't really have any other place to go. We're all going to be living under the same roof now, but all the same rules are still intact. Nothing has changed. Is this clear?"

"Oh my gosh, Vector is going to_ live _with us?!" Charmy exclaims before abandoning his cookie and rushing over to us to wrap an arm around my neck and another arm around Espio's neck. He squishes the three of us together and yells, "We're going to be a real family! This is so great!"

"Just remember what I said about the rules," Espio reminds Charmy, not joining in on his excitement.

"Yeah, okay, but this is just so awesome!" Charmy yells, looking like Christmas has come early for him.

I smile along for Charmy's sake, but find that I'm feelin' sad because of Espio. He's not at all happy about the new living arrangements. In fact, he looks positively miserable over them. I know why too. It's all 'cuz I had to go and screw things up between us earlier. Why am I always such an idiot when it comes to Esp? I can never do a single thing right around him. Tryin' to make him feel better, I reach out to take his hand under the table. Espio intentionally pulls his hand away from me and sighs. That hurts. Guess he's more upset at me than he's lettin' onto.

For the next twenty minutes of so, Charmy blabs on and on about stuff he thinks the three of us should do together now that we're a "family". I nod, smile, and agree, but my heart's not into it. Espio doesn't reply to any of Charmy's blabber and looks so lost within himself. I wanna give him a hug, but that would probably result in a punch. Finally, Charmy finishes his cookies.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed," Espio tells Charmy in an exhausted voice. "You can talk to Vector more tomorrow morning. He's not going anywhere."

"Okay. Goodnight, Vector!" Charmy calls, flinging himself towards me and giving me a suffocating hug.

I don't really appreciate Charmy cutting off my air supply, but I haphazardly hug him back. Instead of turning and giving Espio a hug as well, Charmy turns and flies straight to his bedroom. I flinch, knowing that the little bee unintentionally made a big mistake. I glance over at Espio and notice that I'm right. His amber eyes are glassy, but he pushes away the tears and stands up rigidly, saying in as steady of a voice as he can, "I think I'm also going to call it a night."

I've already stood up and am about to try and give Espio a hug to replace the one Charmy should have given him, but Espio dodges me.

"Don't," he states dryly before turning and dragging his feet towards the bedroom.

"Um, do ya want me to sleep on the couch or is there a better place?" I ask him before he can disappear from view. It's a bad question to ask right now, but I've gotta know where I'm gonna sleep.

Espio hesitates and comes to a halt. For a moment, I wonder if he's rethinking this whole thing and is considering kicking me out of the house altogether. However, when he speaks, his voice is steady as he murmurs, "You may sleep in my bed, Vector. I trust you."

"You...you do?" I ask incredulously, eyes bulging in surprise. Scratching my head, I reply, "But I thought yeh were mad at me for earlier and that ya don't trust me anymore..."

"It's not you I'm upset with. It's something else that's bothering me," Espio replies succinctly. "I see that you're not drunk now and that you won't hurt me."

Still wondering over how I got permission to sleep in Espio's bed, I follow him through the hallway and into the bedroom with a nonplussed expression on my face. Once we arrive in the bedroom, Espio locks the door tightly behind us before going to the window. He yanks the drapes down and carefully tests the lock to make sure that the window is kept firmly in place. His behavior seems a little odd to me. I go to the bed and plop down on one side of it, watching in shock as Espio lifts his pillow and pulls out a knife from underneath it. He rests it carefully on the nightstand before going to turn off the lights.

"Er, Esp? What's the knife for?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to be skinned in my sleep. I don't think that crocodile hide is profitable anywhere, but ya never know.

"In case someone would happen to break in. It's always good to be prepared," Espio states a-matter-of-factly before he flicks off the lights.

Sighing, I watch him step warily towards the bed and ask, "What's eatin' at ya? You said yer not mad at me, but something is botherin' ya."

I mostly expect Espio not to answer as he climbs into the bed next to me and sits cross-legged there. However, after a moment's pause, he murmurs, "Sometimes I wonder what this world is coming to. It has become a cruel, evil place. I wonder what I am doing here. I seem to lack a purpose. What good is my existence if I have no purpose?"

* * *

_Guess what everyone? I finally finished typing this up. I just completed the epilogue! :D ...You probably don't care about that, but I just had to tell someone. ;P Anyway, who thinks Vector is going to break his promise to Esp? Review please! :)  
_


	80. Tree Trouble

**Saints-Fan-12: You're right! We'll just have to wait and see! I hope you like this chapter. :)  
**

**purplehedgie: Vector is pretty lucky, especially to be in Esp's bed although that might end up being a bad temptation for him. xD Yup, I put Knux in it for you! It's no problem really. ^^  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez: I guess it was kind of fast, but I did work on the story for about three months, so it felt like it took a while to write. Hehe, I think you're right on with your prediction there. Aw, don't cry! *hands you a tissue* I got all teary-eyed when I wrote the last chapter to this fic. Guess I'm just a sap or something. Today was...alright, but I'm worried about tomorrow because of something. Oh well. Omg, the snow is staying? That's so awesome! I hope it sticks around for a long time! That would be awesome if you could miss your exams. :P Thanks for the review!  
**

**Mormar1: I feel bad for Esp too! Don't worry though, he cheers up in this chapter. Thank you for reading!  
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**SurroundedInDarkness: Lol, you should totally do that! I think you might like Sonic stuff if you took a closer look at it, but I dunno. xD Yes, kidnap me and bring me to Texas! *parties* I want out of here so bad. Ugh, I just don't know what it is with parents these days. *sends all our parents away to Planet Parent where they can't bother us anymore* It hasn't snowed here lately, but it's so windy outside atm. I feel like the house is going to blow over, lol.  
**

**Guest: Good prediction there! I can see Vector forcing himself on Esp if he was drunk because he might not realize what he's doing and just get carried away in the moment, you know? Hehe, well, you can't blame him for the knife thing! I wouldn't want to be skinned in my sleep either. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: Hm? Not so well today. I'm not much of a fan of the weekends. You know why. =/  
**

**NMason1997: You're right, Vector really did hurt Esp's feelings. I think he gets paranoid and hurt more easily than most people because of his past situation, you know? Yes, Espio could definitely have used a hug, but of course Charmy had to go and unintentionally make things worse for him. *rolls eyes at Charmy* That's true; you never really know, especially with Vector because he's not the brightest guy ever. xD Wow, thank you so much for the nice compliment there! I didn't think this fic was all that great, but I do know that I had an awesome time writing it. Maybe is a good answer to the last question. If I was a reader, I would have said the same thing. I mean, Vector is usually pretty nice and caring towards Esp, but considering the fact that they're now living together and Vector sometimes gets drunk, it's hard to know! No problem at all and thank you so much for the nice review! You're one of my favorite reviewers. :D  
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**LuluCalliope: Don't worry, Vector will find out about Bryce before the ending of the story. ;P And yay! At least your dad forgot about the fight. I hope you can keep your internet privileges. *crosses fingers* That's true, but I don't know where to hide it and the problem is that I earned it all from them, so it's technically still theirs and they can take it away from me if they want to. *cries* Thanks for reading. :)  
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**AleThe-Hedgehog84: Oops, sorry for making you use the dictionary so much! That wasn't on purpose or anything. Maybe I should try to use less big words? You know, I actually sort of see Vector as an antagonist for a little while in this fic. Maybe for about thirty more chapters or so? Until he makes his big mistake, he doesn't really respect Esp. Nope, that was just some random hedgehog. I don't think he's in the story anymore. xD Shadow will appear later though! I'd update twice a day, but I'm too lazy for that!****  
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**zgirl16: Yup, the whole story is typed out! There are about two hundred chapters or so. I'm too lazy to count all of them, lol. It's hard to know whether or not Vector will break his promise. I guess we'll see! And yes, poor Esp definitely has a purpose in life. Let's hope Vector can help him realize that. Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: It's alright! Everyone's internet is stupid sometimes, especially mine. Well, I have a fever atm, so I've had better days. I hope you're having fun at your sleepover (I'm guessing that's where you are right now, lol). I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! *parties* And yup, of course Vector will do something stupid. He always does. xD  
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**RegularSonicFan: No, don't cry! *hands you a tissue* It was really sad that Charmy didn't give Esp a hug. It's clear that Esp is the one who needs one, not Vector! I think Esp is letting Vector sleep with him because he's so lonely and depressed atm. Er, I meant sleep in his bed, not with him. xD I agree with you, Vector will probably break his promise being Vector! Thanks so much for the great review!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: You're right! Esp won't tell Vector what happened until they break up. Vector might try to push it out of him sooner though. Yeah, I think we all do things that make people think we're crazy when we're online. Omg! I hate it when characters die in fics! I like writing tragedies and a lot of my fics end up with one of the main characters dying in them, but yeah...I hate it when I'm reading it in someone else's fic and a main character dies. Luigi, Mario, and Yoshi are all awesome! Do you have any favorite Mario pairings? Omg, I have that game! I'm no good at it, but I think it's fun! I do have a few Mario games. I have the one I just told you about, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Paper Mario (my favorite). I don't know why everyone tends to hate Super Paper Mario because I just love it. Is Luigi's Mansion good? I really want to play it! You'd read my Mario fic? Really? Wow, you're the best! :D Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

A curtain of depression seems to have wrapped itself around me as I sit next to Vector on the bed and stare at the dark wall in front of me. I wouldn't say I'm still upset at Vector for his behavior earlier at this point. He's certainly done his best to cheer me up and I do appreciate it. Unfortunately, I don't find that I'm able to cheer up. Thoughts of Bryce and of my situation at this time last year continue to swirl around my mind. Once these dark thoughts start taking over, it's about impossible to bring them to a halt. They just keep on festering up inside of me until I'm downright miserable.

What_ is _my purpose in life? I try to fight evil with Team Chaotix by my side, but our team hasn't done anyone much good so far. True, we've done a few random errands for Vanilla, but that's hardly what you would call "detective work". I'm also regretting allowing Vector to stay here with me even though I know I didn't really have a choice about it. After all, where else would he have gone? There is always his parents' home, but Vector seemed quite determined that he would sooner live on the streets than return to them.

It's a bit silly of me, but I find that I'm feeling sad over something that Charmy did a few minutes earlier. He gave my usual goodnight hug to Vector and then flew off to bed without another thought. I don't blame Charmy in the least for this behavior, but I do wonder what will happen to the bond between us now that Vector is a permanent member in this house. Will Charmy learn to love him more than he loves me? It shouldn't matter to me, but the bond between Charmy and myself has been the only thing that I thought was a stable in my life. Now it seems that even our bond is precarious. It's a shame really. After all, I clearly care more about Charmy than Vector does. If Vector was in charge around here, he'd let Charmy run around and do whatever he wanted to do.

None of this is Vector's fault though. This type of mood always seems to shroud me in darkness whenever too many suppressed memories start swirling around inside my head and I don't know what to do with them. If I try to think them through, I just become more depressed. There doesn't seem to be a good solution to my problem.

My sudden melancholy is actually the reason behind why I invited Vector to my bed. That and also the fact that it would be rather rude to force him to sleep on the sofa. I highly doubt that Vector would even fit on the sofa. He would probably topple off of it in the middle of the night and end up on the floor knowing him.

I've just admitted the fact that I think I lack a purpose in this world and am waiting for Vector to say something. Typically, Vector would make up some careless answer without a second thought. Surprisingly enough, he still hasn't responded to me yet. This is so unlike Vector that I find myself glancing over in his direction in surprise to see if he's already fallen asleep. He hasn't.

Finally, Vector replies through the darkness in the bedroom, "That's kinda a deep question to be askin' yerself, Esp. I don't think it's somethin' that should bother ya though. I haven't thought about my purpose in life before. I think that as long as yer livin' yer life the way ya want to be livin' it and are enjoying things along the way, that's really all that matters."

"Hm," I reply, thinking over Vector's statement. I don't exactly enjoy life, so this logic isn't working for me.

"Cheer up, won't ya?" Vector begs me, his vermilion eyes glinting in the darkness as he glances over at me. "Things always seem worse at night. You'll feel better in the morning. Besides, just remember that Charmy and I love ya. Maybe yer purpose in bein' here is to raise Charmy? I dunno. Yer doin' a good job of it."

"I think he would have preferred having you as his parental figure rather than me," I admit a little jealously.

"Yer still sour over that hug he gave me, aren't ya?" Vector sighs, reading into my envy. I would protest, but Vector is already going on, saying, "I'm sure he just gave me a hug 'cuz it's my first night here and all that. Things will be normal in the morning. Everything is gonna be okay, Esp."

I decide that since there's really nothing I can do to change anything, I might as well just believe Vector and see what happens. Sighing, I nod and slip my body under the covers before pausing and grabbing my pillows. I carefully place them between Vector and myself as a type of barrier.

"I do trust you, Vector, but I want these between us tonight," I point out to the crocodile as his lumpy form disappears from view because of the fluffy pillows in between us.

"Whatever ya want, Esp," Vector replies, sounding a little disappointed and a like he expected me to do something like this.

Once the pillows are perfectly arranged, I lay on my side and close my eyes. I'm so exhausted that it takes me only moments to fall asleep despite all the unanswered questions swirling around the forefront of my head. When I wake up the next morning, sunlight is flooding through the window, alerting me to a brand new day. Vector was right; I _do _feel much better. Perhaps sleep was the answer to all of my troubles. I roll onto my stomach and prop my head up on my pillow before glancing to my left to see what Vector is up to. The pillows are still propped up between us. I'm relieved to see that Vector didn't try anything in the middle of the night. I didn't think that he would, but you never know.

I pluck the wall of pillows up and discard them on the floor so I can see Vector lying on his stomach by my side. Apparently, he's awake as well. I send a pleasant smile in his direction, actually finding myself a bit glad to wake up and not find myself alone.

"Mornin', Esp," Vector greets me with a yawn. "Sleep well?"

"Decently," I reply, rubbing my eyes sleepily and not making any move to get up. "You were right; I feel much better today. In fact, I was wondering what you think about going and purchasing a Christmas tree today. There are only a few days until Christmas left and I would really like to have a Christmas tree this year."

"Sure if that's gonna make ya happy," Vector says with a smile in my direction. "Glad yer feelin' better. Yer not mad at me anymore then?"

"No, Vector, I'm not," I reply firmly, having decided to forget yesterday's events. Today is a new day and Vector and I are starting over.

"Great!" Vector says enthusiastically, rolling into a sitting position and causing the bed springs to creak in protest. The bed is not used to supporting my weight and the weight of a several hundred pound crocodile. Giving me a toothy grin, Vector asks, "So does this mean that I get a kiss?"

"With that morning breath of yours? No," I reply flatly before sliding off of the bed and lightly hitting the floor. The truth is that Vector's breath really isn't all that bad, but I don't feel like being touched right now, especially after yesterday. "Let's get some breakfast and then go find a tree."

Vector gets out of bed and follows me to the kitchen. I figure he'll just get in my way, so I wave him to the wooden table and work on fixing bowls of cereal for the three of us. We all get wheaties because those are the healthiest cereal I have to offer and a healthy start to the day is always a very good thing. I also fix some coffee for myself and Vector before returning to the table with my arms full of dishes. Charmy is already up and is sitting opposite Vector at the table, grinning from ear to ear about something.

"Good morning, Charmy," I greet the little bee with a smile as I place a bowl of cereal in front of him and another one in front of Vector before sitting down at the table. "Vector and I thought that maybe the three of us would go and look for a Christmas tree today. How does that sound to you?"

"Oh boy, a real Christmas tree?!" Charmy exclaims, eyes glittering excitedly at the idea. He nods frantically and replies, "Let's do it! I've always wanted a real Christmas tree!"

"We'll go as soon as you finish breakfast then," I reply a-matter-of-factly. It isn't until the words are out of my mouth that I realize that perhaps I shouldn't have said that. Now Charmy is practically slurping up his cereal in an attempt to finish it as quickly as possible. Vector isn't helping matters much since he eats his cereal in three large bites.

"Okay, I'm done!" Charmy exclaims less than three minutes later before shoving his empty bowl towards me and wiping his mouth on his arm.

The three of us get ready to go out into the snow with me insisting that Charmy bundle up and complaining that Vector still hasn't bought anything to help keep himself warm this winter. Finally, we make it out of the door and find that it's a very nice December morning. It's not too cold and the sun is shining, causing the snow to sparkle at certain angles. I sigh with satisfaction, enjoying the beauty of nature. Vector must notice my good mood because he decides to risk wrapping an arm around my waist. I let this go since I'm in good spirits. A few minutes later, we reach the patch of Christmas trees being sold at the edge of town by a rough-looking hedgehog.

"Hey there, folks. Looking for a Christmas tree? There are plenty here and they're all half-off today," the hedgehog says in a friendly voice, appearing to have a kind heart despite his rough exterior.

"Gotta love a deal," Vector grins back at him. "We're gonna go take a look around."

The three of us start browsing through the trees with wide eyes. There are trees of all shapes and sizes here. I try and judge the amount of space we have in the living room for a tree, but fail to make an accurate judgement since I didn't bother to measure the height of the living room ceiling before the three of us set off on this mission.

"How 'bout this tree?" Vector suggests, pointing up at the largest tree being sold.

"Vector, that will _never _fit inside the house," I reply dryly. "Let's at least try to be realistic here. Only a tree half that size will fit inside the living room and that's only a maybe. We ought to err on the side of caution and buy a small tree so it will easily fit inside the house. Something like this tree right here to your left. What do you think of it?"

I point at a small tree about Vector's height that will certainly fit inside the house. Its needles are bright green and it appears to be a healthy tree. I think it's the perfect little tree for us, but unfortunately Charmy and Vector don't like it. Vector is wrinkling his nose and Charmy looks disappointed.

"Aw, but that's a puny tree," Vector points out, continuing the trek forwards without sending a second look at the tree I like.

Frowning, I decide to let this go and follow Vector's lead. I don't think we can find a nicer tree that will fit in the house, but it's a beautiful morning and I don't mind walking around for a bit. It's nice to feel the crisp, clean winter air on my face without the wind biting at my cheeks and tearing at my scarf.

After another twenty minutes of browsing, Charmy comes to a halt and motions excitedly towards a tree the size between the tree I like and the tree Vector likes. Glancing over at Vector and me excitedly, Charmy exclaims, "Aha! This is the perfect tree for us!"

"I don't know, Charmy," I reply dubiously, unable to tell if this tree is going to fit inside the house or not. "It still looks rather big. We don't want to bring it home and find that it won't fit through the doorway. That would be such a waste."

"Stop bein' such a pessimist. It'll fit," Vector nods confidently while he raises a hand and high fives Charmy, adding, "Congrats on findin' us the perfect tree, kid!"

Hmph. Now I'm starting to see why Charmy likes Vector best out of the two of us. Since it's two against one in this situation, I simply keep my mouth shut and allow Vector to haul the tree back to the hedgehog selling them. I give the hedgehog the little bit of money the tree costs (thankfully, it isn't much) before the three of us start home. Charmy is absolutely thrilled with our new tree and keeps sending it big grins every two seconds. Vector hums off-key Christmas carols as he tromps along with the tree over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I can't wait to put the tree up!" Charmy tells us as we near our home. Yes, it's our home now since it belongs to Vector and Charmy just as much as it belongs to myself these days. Charmy goes on, "What are we going to put on the tree? We're going to make it so pretty!"

I frown at this and admit slowly, "I'm sorry, but I don't have many decorations for the tree this year. All I have is a star to put on the top of it and some ribbon. I promise to buy some decorations for the tree next year."

"Ribbon always looks real good on Christmas trees," Vector points out, not wanting me to feel bad about not being able to afford Christmas decorations for the tree this year.

I give him a thankful smile, which quickly turns into a frown as we approach the house. Just like I predicted, our Christmas tree is two feet wider than the door and also a foot taller. You would think that Charmy and Vector could have listened to me earlier when I told them that the tree was too large for the house, but apparently not.

Folding my arms, I raise an eyebrow at Vector and ask, "So what do you propose that we do now? It was_ you_ who said this tree would fit in the house after all."

* * *

_Oh Vector, why can't you ever listen to Esp? Do you think that they'll manage to get the tree into the house somehow? Also, I have a poll up on my profile and I'd love for you guys to vote on it if you've got an extra minute. Review please! :)  
_


	81. Tied Up

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree! Team Chaotix always finishes their jobs. xD Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**purplehedgie: That's so true. Espio is the brains behind Team Chaotix and Vector is the muscle behind it. I still haven't figured out what Charmy is yet. :P Omg, yes, it's very hard being a pessimist. I know that from personal experience, lol.  
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**espiowaveluv101: Hehe, you'll hear more about it in future chapters! Are you a new reader?  
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**Chibi-Guest: Lol, yes, Vector definitely should have listened to Espio, but Vector is just no good at listening, you know? Oh no, I don't have a gameboy. This sucks! Are you a Mario fan by any chance since you like Luigi's Mansion? :) I kind of want to write a Mario fic, but I dunno if people will read it. D: Thanks for your review!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Vector should always listen to Espio, just sayin'. xD Yeah, three months is a long time, but I did enjoy working on it. This is the longest story I've ever written. Guess I can't stop writing though because I've already written eight chapters of a new fic, lol. Thank you! I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and I'm nervous again. Please wish me luck! Yay, you get tomorrow off? That is so awesome! *parties* It's supposed to snow here a lot tonight, but I don't want the snow. I'm going to send it your way, okay? ;P Thanks for the review!  
**

**Mormar1: I'd say you're absolutely right! xD Veccy's definitely going to get that tree in the house. Thank you for reading!  
**

**iluvespio4ever: Good question! Esp confesses in about twenty-five chapters from now, I think. :3 Have you been reading this long?  
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**Guest: That's alright! I'm so happy that you're bothering to review even though you don't have an account. Most guests don't bother to do that. Anyway, I'd say bending the branches is a very Vector-like thing to do! You're right, nobody ever listens to poor Esp. ;P Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: Thank you! That's so nice of you. :) And yeah...although I'm not really looking forwards to it because I've got no way of getting out of here even then really.  
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**NMason1997: My thoughts exactly about sleep! I love it more than anything else pretty much these days. I used to want to stay up late all the time, but now I'm always tired and look forwards to sleeping. xD Esp has definitely forgiven Vector at this point. It is nice to see him back in his normal, calm mood. Guess everyone has their ups and downs! I'm so glad to hear that the last chapter made you smile. Mhm, their relationship would be quite a bit better if Vector could listen to Espio once in a while. I really hope you like this chapter!  
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**LuluCalliope: How did the chat with your dad go? I hope everything turned okay out for you! I've actually tried those places, but I've got parents who search my room a LOT, so yeah. =/ They're used to me hiding things, so they check everywhere. Yes, Vector really needs to start listening to Espio to make everyone's life a little easier! Thanks for checking out my poll. What did you vote for? :3 I don't actually remember saying that, but I just voted on your poll. I voted for Monsters Inc. I freaking love that movie and I'm so excited for the sequel!  
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**AleThe-Hedgehog84: Yay for big words then! I like them too. They make me sound like I'm a better writer than I am. xD Shadow is barely in the story actually. He has like...two lines maybe? That is so true. Espio really does love Vector and Vector is just in lust with him, you know? I love that song for some reason! I always liked the Garage album. Cheating? Hm, nope, nobody is going to cheat in this fic. If you want, I can PM you what Vector's big mistake is going to be or you can feel free to guess again! Thanks for reading!****  
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**zgirl16: I guess two hundred chapters is kind of a lot. xD I hope you don't get bored of this fic. xD A saw would definitely do the trick! You'll see what Vector decides to do in this chappie. Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Oh my god, I read this part of your review "Oh I'm sure Vector will find a way to shove it in xD" and I sort of forgot we were talking about the tree for a moment there. xD But anyway, yeah, I'm sure he'll find a way to shove it in. ;P I'm going to reply to your PM tomorrow because I'm so tired right now, okay? Thanks for reading!  
**

**RegularSonicFan: Hehe, it was a sweet moment between Vector and Esp, wasn't it? I'm totally with you on that! Vector is definitely not going to stop until the tree is officially in the house. xD Thanks for checking out my poll! What did you vote for? If you remember, hehe. Hope you like this chappie!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Late Christmas tree shopping FTW! As you can see, the timing of this fic is just slightly off. Oh well. xD Your prediction was definitely right! Vector should try listening to Espio. He might be pleasantly surprised that Espio is usually right! I feel the same way! I can't read depressing stories lately because I cry enough as it is and yes, I'm a sentimental person who even cries over fics. *facepalms* You're right about Peach getting annoying at times! She's just really...uh...blonde? Sorry, I can't think of a better word, but it's like she lets herself get kidnapped. Daisy annoys me so much! She's way too loud and tom boyish for my taste. God, I love so many Mario pairings. I can't just pick one favorite pairing, so I'll give you my short list of favorites: MimixDimentio, NastasiaxBleck, KamellaxKamek, and PeachxBowser. I know, I know, weird couples there. xD Omg, you like Super Paper Mario? I am sooooooo glad to meet someone who likes that game! I swear everyone hates it, but I love the characters in it and I think the plot is cool. Luigi's Mansion sounds like so much fun! I want to play it really bad now! Thanks for reading!  
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**PreyasRules: Yay, you're back! That's okay about the late review, but I'm so sorry about the internet! I absolutely hate it when it dies on me. Hehe, I agree with you there. Espio is always sexy regardless of the situation. Wow, that's just awful about how you had three people bullying you so much. Good job punching the one guy though! I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to do that. Mm, I'm anorexic though, so starving sounds nice to me (sorry if that sounds weird). Ooo, yeah, we'd definitely have the best sleepovers ever! I haven't been to a sleep over in six years. *cries* Yes, it's a lot of drugs. No wonder I'm so fucked up, and lol, it's okay because I swear a lot too. The time difference is huge, yeah! I don't really get it because everyone on Tumblr is totally obsessed with Mighty, but not Espio. Personally, I find Espio to be a hell of a lot more attractive than Mighty, but oh well, more Espio for us, I guess! Ikr? Drunk Vector is evil Vector! Do you think we might see drunk Vector more in the story? And yeah, that was so thoughtless of Charmy not to give Esp a hug when he needed it most. Lol, yeah, trust idiot Vector to get a tree too big for the house. Will he ever learn to listen to Espio? Probably not at this rate. Thanks for the party! *dances in circles* I wish we knew each other in real life so bad right now! And wow, you told people on dA about my story? That's so nice of you! Thank you!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector hesitates at my question and looks from the Christmas tree over his shoulder to the door of our house. I fold my arms across my chest, giving Vector the I-told-you-so look. I see no solution to getting the tree to fit inside the doorway, so unless Vector comes up with a miracle, we're not going to have a Christmas tree inside the house this year. Charmy's face falls as he looks from our tree to the doorway. I frown as well. Charmy's mood seems to be contagious. When the little bee is upset, I tend to feel upset as well.

"There's no need to look like that," Vector protests as Charmy and I stare at the tree dubiously. "It'll fit inside the house! Just ya wait and see."

"Really? Just how do you plan on getting the Christmas tree to fit inside the house?" I ask doubtfully.

"I'll force it through the door! Stand back, Esp. I don't want ya gettin' hurt," Vector tells me as he lightly pushes me back a few paces. I have no idea what he's about to do, but it doesn't look good. I try to protest, but it's too late. Vector has already backed up and is running towards the door as fast as he can with the Christmas tree held out in front of him. Oh dear. This is a disaster just waiting to happen. That tree is not going to fit through the door. Anyone in their right mind can see that. Actually, let me rephrase that statement. Anyone but Vector can see it.  
_  
Bang!_I wince and glance up to find that Vector has managed to get the Christmas tree halfway through the door, but that it now appears to be stuck. We're in an even worse predicament than before. I immediately start to panic, wondering what we're going to do if we can't get the Christmas tree out of the doorway. What if we can't get inside the house?

"Don't worry, boys," Vector tells Charmy and me confidently. "Give me a hand with tryin' to push this damn thing into the house, won't ya?"

"This really can't be good for the house," I complain as I reluctantly walk over to where Vector has his back against the Christmas tree and is trying to push it inside.

Vector ignores my comment and keeps trying to put his back into getting the tree inside the house. I'm not very strong and I'm probably not being very helpful, but I push and shove at the bright green needles in an attempt to get the tree inside the house. Charmy joins forces with the two of us and we all do our very best to push the tree through the doorway. Suddenly, the tree goes flying forwards. It seems as if our efforts have finally paid off. Unfortunately, I've been leaning against the tree so hard that I lose my balance and go flying forwards as well and end up slamming my head against the couch. Rubbing my forehead, I notice the smashed Christmas tree on the floor and pine needles everywhere. I sigh loudly, wishing that Vector could just have listened to me about the smaller tree.

"Well, that worked!" Vector says cheerfully, not noticing that I just smashed my head against the couch. He continues humming to himself as he picks up the Christmas tree and lugs it over to the only unoccupied space in the room. He knows better just to set it down and checks with me first, saying, "Whaddya think about putting the tree here, Esp?"

I glance up, still feeling a little dizzy from my fall. The tree is huge and really seems to overpower the room. Unfortunately, there's no other place to put it, so I nod resignedly and reply, "I suppose that will work. Why don't you move it a few inches to your right though to make sure that the tree is centered?"

Vector resists rolling his eyes at me and moves the tree about a foot to the right. I open my mouth to tell him that's not what I meant, but Vector has already plopped the tree down and I'm not in the mood to argue with him. I close my mouth and decide to just go with it.

"Wow! This is so awesome!" Charmy says, flying directly at the tree as he says, "I want a better look at the huge tree!"

"Be careful, Charmy," I warn him, biting my lip as he gets closer to the tree. "I don't know how stable it is. It could fall over at any moment."

"Don't worry, Espio," Charmy reassures me as he grins up ecstatically at the large pine tree. He leans forwards and takes a tentative sniff before pointing out, "The tree smells weird."

"All pine trees smell like that," I inform him as I step over to the closet and tug it open to look for the star to place on top of the Christmas tree as well as the ribbon to wrap around it. I don't have too many things in the closet and easily find the dusty burgundy ribbon and the star decoration. Brushing them off, I return to the living room and announce, "Here is the ribbon and the star. They're not much, but they will help to add a little color to the Christmas tree this year."

"I like the star! It's really shiny," Charmy says, flying over to me to get a better look at the gold Christmas star in my hand.

"It is rather nice even if it's lost a bit of its color," I admit before walking over to the Christmas and realizing that there's no way I can reach the top of it on my own. Sighing, I turn to the crocodile next to me and ask Vector, "Can I have a little help with this?"

"Sure thing, Esp! Whaddya want me to do?" Vector asks, eager to help as usual as he steps towards me.

"Lift me up so I can put the star on top of the Christmas tree. It's too tall for me to reach the top of it on my own," I state, knowing that Vector is just going to love this. Unfortunately, there's no other way for the star to get on top of the tree unless I let Charmy fly it up to the top. I would do that, but the star is fragile and I don't want to run the risk of Charmy breaking it.

"Heh, ya actually want me to pick yeh up?" Vector chuckles, starting towards me with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Yes because that's the only way for me to reach the top of the Christmas tree," I reply in a warning tone of voice as I sense Vector come to stand behind me. "Don't turn this into something its not."

Vector merely chuckles again and places strong, firm hands on my hips before he hoists me into the air so I can reach the top of the Christmas tree. I should be concentrating on how to get the star on top of the tree, but Vector's touch proves to be a distraction. Instead of looking at the star in my hands, I'm thinking about the odd tingles rushing up my leg. Vector's large hands are so big that he can wrap them all the way around my waist. He's holding me tightly...almost _too _tightly.

"Any luck up there?" Vector calls out, jerking me back to the task at hand. "I can't hold ya for forever, ya know. Yer not exactly light as a feather or anything."

"Excuse me?!" I exclaim as I reach forwards to try and place the star on the top of the Christmas tree. "I'm sure I weigh less than one-tenth of what you weigh! Stop picking on me or else I'll let you be the genius and try to come up with a way to put the star on top of the tree!"

"I was just messin' around with ya," Vector says, his hands gripping my waist even more tightly than before as he goes on, "Just wanted to make sure yer payin' attention to what yer doing."

I blush, wondering why it's so hard for me to concentrate on a simple task when Vector has his hands all over tender places of my body like this. I'll admit that it doesn't exactly feel awful. In fact, it feels almost nice to have someone holding me like this. It makes me feel cared for...up until the point where Vector decides to press his luck with me. His hand slips down to a private place of my body, either by accident or on purpose. I'd like to think it was by accident. The sudden intimate touch makes me lurch forwards and lose my balance.

Crash! Vector falls backwards and I fall forwards. We land on top of each other on the ground with a loud thud, Vector on his back and me on my stomach with my legs splayed apart at an awkward angle. The worst part about this is that Vector and I aren't facing the same directions. Oh no. Of _course _I have to be on my stomach with my head between Vector's feet and my legs parted right in front of his face. I can feel Vector's hot, sticky breath on the inside of my thigh. How embarrassing!

I struggle to get off of Vector and stumble to my feet, right into the ribbon I left on the floor earlier. Somehow or the other, the ribbon gets twisted around my ankles and ends up tripping me. Smash! I topple back over. I reach down to try and yank the ribbon off from around my feet, but instead find that I've managed to get it tangled around my wrists now as well.

High-pitched giggling and snickering comes from across the room. My cheeks turn poppy red as I realize what a scene I must have made in my hurry to get away from Vector and then getting tangled up in the ribbon. Daring to glance upwards, I find Charmy doubled over laughing and Vector smirking as if I just made his day.

I hold out the star and sigh, "Charmy, put the star on the top of the tree, won't you?"

"Sure," Charmy replies, flying over to me and still giggling as he takes the star out of my outstretched hand and flies towards the top of the tree.

I send a sideways look at Vector and notice that he's still grinning from ear-to-ear at my misfortune. Glaring at him, I ask, "Are you just going to leave me lying here all afternoon or are you going to help me out?"

"Hm, good question. Ya look real good when yer all tied up like that," Vector jokes crudely, not helping me to feel any better.

"Please, Vector?" I sigh, knowing that I'm going to be here on the floor until he feels bad and finally decides to help me out.

"Eh, alright. I can't resist it when ya plead for me," Vector gives in, somehow managing to make his sentence sound dirty even though it wasn't directly crass. Everything with Vector is so borderline. He's forever teasing me and pushing me this way and that until I'm a tangled up mess. Why oh why do I still love him despite all this?

I hold up my wrists for Vector and watch him as he carefully unwraps the ribbon from around them, undoing the knots with care to make sure he doesn't accidentally pull the ribbon tighter. I'm always shocked at how gentle the large, crude reptile can be when he feels like it. Once he's done unraveling me from the yards of ribbon, Vector gently takes one of my hands and caresses it gently, murmuring, "Merry Christmas, Esp. Thanks for lettin' me stay here with ya. It's the best Christmas gift ya could've given me."

Surprised and pleased by the sudden attitude change in Vector, I murmur, "You're welcome. I figured we would end up living together sooner or later because of...circumstances."

"Aw, yer so sweet. I love ya," Vector smiles affectionately at me, a very tender look in his eyes.

"I'm nothing special," I reply, feeling my cheeks flush at Vector's compliment.

"You shut yer mouth. Yer special ta me and that's what matters," Vector says confidently, still stroking my hand in a loving manner.

"Ick! You guys are soooooooo sappy. I still think you should be on a soap opera or something," Charmy interrupts us, making a face and sticking his tongue out at us. Vector refuses to release my hand and just grins at Charmy. The little bee goes on, "Who wants to help me put the ribbon around the Christmas tree? It's not getting anywhere just lying on the floor."

Vector gives my hand one last gentle caress before he gets up to help Charmy with the ribbon. I watch him for a moment from where I'm still sitting on the floor. If only Vector could be like this all the time. Call me sappy if you like, but this is the kind of romance I need. I don't like dirty jokes, being slammed up against the wall, and rough lovemaking. I need someone who will treat me gently and help me to realize that love is a good thing. Vector is perfectly capable of this. He just needs to abandon his coarse nature.

The rest of the afternoon and evening is spent decorating the Christmas tree and then watching TV by our newly decorated tree. Eventually, it gets late and Charmy starts yawning, so I send him off to bed. Vector and I watch TV for a bit longer before I find myself yawning. It's been a rather long day after our Christmas tree fiasco and I'm ready for bed.

Slipping off of the couch, I stretch my arms above my head and tell Vector, "I think I'm off to bed now. Are you coming?"

Vector immediately gets off of the couch and nods, following me like a shadow as I lead us to the bedroom. Once we're both inside the dark, quiet room, I carefully shut the door and lock it before going to the window to make sure the lock on it is fastened tightly. This is my nightly routine. I may be paranoid, but I don't want Bryce breaking into my bedroom during the middle of the night. The thought sends a shudder down my spine.

As I tug on the lock to the window, I can feel Vector's eyes on me. We're on relatively good terms right now, so I don't let his stare phase me. After a moment, Vector says, "Esp, there's something from the other day that I kinda wanted to talk to ya about."

"Go ahead," I reply, feeling like whatever Vector has to say can't be good from the way he's wording his sentence.

"Okay. Well, I was just kinda thinkin' about the other day when ya made me promise not to force myself on yeh..." Vector starts out.

"Oh, that," I reply flatly as I step over to the bed and slip under the covers on the right side. Sighing, I admit, "I suppose I was just feeling a bit paranoid. I know you wouldn't hurt me. I...I do love you, Vector."

"I know ya do. Otherwise, yeh wouldn't be able to put up with me. I know I drive ya crazy sometimes," Vector says with a half-smile in my direction before he turns serious once more. "That's not the point though. Yer sure nothin' happened to ya, right, Esp? I know I'm probably buggin' ya with questions like this, but I just feel like yer hiding something from me still."

"It was just my cousin, remember? I told you she was raped. That's why I feel strongly about the matter," I lie to Vector with a straight face, sticking to my earlier fib. "I was close to her."

"Oh, I gotcha. No wonder it bothers ya so much then," Vector nods. A short silence falls between us before he meets my eyes with concerned vermilion ones and asks, "Do ya wanna talk about it? I know I'm a big scary croc and all that, but I'm a good listener too. Ya can tell me anything."

* * *

_Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes in this chapter. I lost a contact and I'm half blind right now. D: Anyway, do you think Vector and Esp will have a heart-to-heart chat in the next chappie or will Esp shut Veccy out as usual? Review please! :)  
_


	82. Half Truths

**Saints-Fan-12: It ends up being a pretty meaningful chat...you'll see what I mean in this chapter! I hope you like it.  
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**purplehedgie: Hehe, I couldn't think of a better chapter name for the last chapter. Besides, tied up Espio is totally in Vector's fantasies. And noooooo, I'm not running away! *hugs*  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thank you! Things didn't go so well, but what can I expect with my luck, you know? I just hope things don't get worse. I don't think that's all that much to ask for. =/ Um, I'm blabbing now! Sorry! Did you get any more snow? I sure hope so. Good luck with the science exam tomorrow! *crosses fingers for you* Let me know how it goes. You're right; Espio really needs to chat about his past with someone, preferably Vector. I'm glad you liked the fall! That was my favorite part from the last chapter. I just love embarrassed Espio. He's so cute! Thanks for the review!  
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**Mormar1: I hope so too! I think you're really going to like this chapter! Thank you for reading!  
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**SurroundedInDarkness: It's alright! *huggles Shadow plushie tight* Omg, you have no idea how much I've wanted one of these things! I showed one to my mom once and she was just like "I'm not spending money on that." =/ How many months do I have? Five and a half. *Sighs* I just hope I don't get sent off to one of those hellish clinics before then, you know?  
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**Guest: Wow, you're right! Espio does actually end up feeling a little guilty in this chapter. You're always so good at predicting what's going to happen next in this story. :P One of your other predictions is right on as usual as well. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: Really? *hugs tight* I really, REALLY hope that happens. I'm so scared right now and I don't think my parents will keep me here much longer...  
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**NMason1997: Thanks! I found the contact, but it got all dried up and I can't use it now. Go figure! Anyway, I'm glad you thought the chapter was funny! I think that Vector is naturally clumsy, but I think Espio is clumsy only when he's flustered or around Vector. That is a good question about whether or not Vector touched Espio on purpose while they were trying to get the star on top of the tree. I don't think I ever actually say whether or not it was on purpose later in the fic, so I'll just go ahead and tell you that yup, Veccy did it on purpose. xD I definitely think that you're right about it being time for Espio to tell Vector the truth. He "mostly" tells the truth in this chapter, but you'll just have to read it to see what I mean. Thanks again! Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)  
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**LuluCalliope: Yeah, I'm totally blind without my contacts! It's funny to watch me walk into walls when I don't have them in. I'm glad the talk with your dad went well. My dad and I got into a huge shouting match today. *sighs* I'll end up getting sent off soon here if I'm not careful. Gotta love Monsters Inc. and Randall especially! I love lizards/chameleons. Omg, another Dimimi fan! *high fives you* I personally think that Mimi is really cute and I love her bipolar personality. xD And Dimentio...well, how can you not love Dimentio? Uh oh, well, I think you'll find this chapter satisfactory since Esp sort of talks to Vector. Let me know what you think of it!  
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**AleThe-Hedgehog84: I found the contact, but by that point, it got all dried up and I couldn't use it. D: Vector always ruins the moment, doesn't he? *shakes head at Vector* You're right; Espio does not like to come clean! The Christmas party will take place in the next few chapters. That's a funny idea about Manic! Unfortunately, he doesn't show up in this fic, but I do plan to write a Scourge/Manic story someday! Thanks for reading!****  
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**zgirl16: I'm so glad that you loved this chapter! They get...pretty close to having a heart to heart. And omg, your friend lost a contact? I swear it's the funniest and most annoying thing ever. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Lol, well, you have to admit that it sounded like something else there. ;P Ikr? It's about time for Espio to just tell him already! God, I still haven't gotten back to you. I'll do it tomorrow! Things were hell here today. D; I hope you're doing well!  
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**RegularSonicFan: I'm so glad that you thought the last chapter was so funny! :D Your prediction is really good! It's just like Esp to hint about the situation, but not tell Veccy the whole thing. Hehe, I would've voted for Vecpio too. I just can't decide what Vecpio story to write next (I have six ideas). Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Omg, now you're making me feel guilty! xD They don't exactly have a heart-to-heart, but I think you'll still like this chapter. Ikr? The time is like a half month off. If only I had started this fic a month sooner. Anyway, yes! Christmas with the Chaotix is going to be very, VERY chaotic. Haha, so true. I didn't want to say that about blondes in case you have blonde hair, but yeah. xD Not many other ways to describe Peach. Do you like any of the female characters from Mario games? I do! I love Mario pairings. Hehe, well, you have to admit there's a reason behind why Peach just kind of lets herself get kidnapped. :P Also, I just found it too damn cute how Bowser was always trying to save her in Paper Mario and the way they almost got married made me laugh so much. I just love Paper Mario! xD Did you like any of the characters from it? I really like all of Bleck's army. Maybe I can watch some of Luigi's Mansion on youtube! Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I hesitate as I turn and glance over at Vector. We're both lying on our sides facing one another. I haven't bothered to put up the pillow barrier between us just yet so I can see the concerned look in Vector's eyes. He's just presented me with the chance to talk about my past without even having to tell him the entire truth. For all Vector knows, my cousin was the one who was raped. Still though, I can't quite seem to bring myself to talk about it. I don't feel like anyone can ever understand what I went through and how it's developed an intense self hatred deep within me.

Sighing, I look down at the crisp white sheets we're lying on and murmur softly, "It's alright. I don't need to talk about it. Thank you for the offer though."

"Ya could just tell me what happened to her though," Vector presses gingerly, knowing better than to use too much force with me. "Ya never know. Talkin' about it might make yeh feel a little better about it. I know yer cousin must be on yer mind a lot of the time. You two must've been real close, huh?"

"We were," I reply, supposing that I'm going to have to support the lie about my cousin for a while now. Fingering the edge of the sheet, I decide to go ahead and tell Vector a bit about what happened to me by pretending it happened to my nonexistent female cousin instead. Taking a deep breath, I murmur, "She was fourteen when she was first abused. It didn't just happen once though. It occurred over and over again. Her self confidence was destroyed and she felt like she was worthless."

"Hold up a sec," Vector says, already looking confused. "Why'd it happen more than once?"

"She was in an abusive relationship," I reply softly, surprised that I'm able to speak in a steady voice despite the fact that I'm talking about something so personal. "You cannot just leave a relationship like that, especially if you live with the person who abuses you. She put it up with for many long months."

"I still don't get it. Why didn't she just get up and leave?" Vector asks, scratching his head and still looking nonplussed.

I sigh again, realizing that maybe telling Vector about this wasn't such a good idea after all. Trying to find a way to explain this so that it makes sense to the confused crocodile, I continue on, "Her abuser lived in her home. The only way for her to leave him was to leave her home. That would mean trying to survive all on her own with no place to go."

"I gotcha now," Vector suddenly nods, a light bulb going off in his head as he continues on, "It's kinda like when I was gonna have to live on the streets since I couldn't pay the rent."

I pause and think about this for a moment. The situations aren't exactly alike, but if Vector is able to make a connection to the situation, then good. Nodding, I reply simply, "I suppose so."

"Well?" Vector urges me on after a minute of silence in which I continue staring at the sheets. I can't seem to meet Vector's eyes while I talk about this topic. Going on, Vector says, "What happened then? She got away from the bastard who hurt her, didn't she?"

"Yes," I reply with a nod. "She left and started a new life for herself. It certainly wasn't easy though. She had to find a new home for herself, search for a job with enough pay to support herself, and try and forget everything that happened to her. Most of the time, she was quite depressed and considered ending her life."

"Why would ya want to end yer life if yer tryin' to start over?" Vector asks. "Why wasn't she happy to have gotten away?"

"I don't think you understand what rape is like, Vector," I say, trying to keep my calm with the crocodile who doesn't seem to understand that Bryce's constantly abuse was what ruined my life. "Imagine lying on a bed with your hands tied and a gag in your mouth. You're completely helpless and can't move at all. Now imagine someone you loathe more than anyone else on the planet. They're on top of you and are jeering in your face, insulting you and mocking you. All you can do is lay there and take the insults and mockery. Then they start...doing things to you. You lie there and watch them break your body before your very eyes. You're embarrassed and hurt and just want to die, except you_ can't _just die. When your abuser has had enough, you're carelessly tossed aside until the very next day when you're tied up again and used in a different way. The cycle is ongoing. It never ends."

I finish my explanation breathing hard with my cheeks flushed from the passion in my voice. Vector doesn't respond for a bit. I hope he doesn't say that he doesn't get it again because I really don't want to have to try and explain the horrors of sexual abuse over again. This isn't easy for me to talk about although I find that talking about it seems to be helping to get the suppressed hurt and emotions out of me.

Suddenly, I feel a gently finger under my chin. I raise my eyes to Vector's and see far more sympathy in them than I've ever seen before. Speaking carefully, he says, "Geez, Esp, ya seem to know an awful lot about this. Is that how she describe it to ya? It sounds like hell."

"Yes, that's how she described it," I reply, staring at the sheets again. I hate how I can't look Vector in the eye when I'm lying, but I just can't. It's as if I think he'll be able to sense that I'm lying. I decide to question Vector about something I brought up earlier, "Now do you see why she was so depressed?"

"Yeah, I get it now. Guess I never really thought about all this so in depth before. Maybe yer cousin shouldn't have told ya all this, Esp. No wonder yer down in the dumps so often," Vector frowns.

"Vector, she needed help! Of course she should have told me about it," I reply indignantly. "No one else was there to listen to her or to help her through what happened. She was all alone."

"I can't even imagine livin' all alone anymore. Not since I met Charmy and you anyway. How can ya not have friends?" Vector asks, forehead creasing. "Where's yer cousin now?"

"It's possible not to have friends, believe me," I point out, easily remembering the days when I lived all alone after moving out of my mother's house. I had no one to talk to, no one to listen to me, and no one to hear my cries of pain in the middle of the night when I would wake up in bed still haunted by Bryce in my sleep. "My cousin is doing better now. She's found two very good friends to live with her. They've managed to cheer her up quite a bit. In fact, she's even in another relationship now although sometimes it makes her nervous because of her past."

"Can't blame her for that or anythin'. I think it's good she's tryin' to get over her past though, ya know? It's good to move on with yer life and do what makes ya happy," Vector says before suddenly reaching forwards and squeezing my hand, adding, "I'm glad none of this ever happened to you or me. I guess this puts things in perspective, huh? We argue a lot, but at the end of the day, we still love each other and we've had pretty good lives compared to yer cousin."

"Hm," I reply since my cousin is actually me. I flick my eyes up to Vector's vermilion ones and murmur, "There was something my cousin asked me once. She wondered if it was her fault that she was raped. She thought that perhaps she deserved the attacks for whatever reason. What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think that's crazy talk," Vector replies firmly. "Nobody deserves to be hurt like that under any circumstance. Say, now I'm startin' to see how you and yer cousin are related. Both of ya manage to come up with some crazy ideas sometimes."

"Ah," I say, not wanting Vector to make the connection between my cousin and myself. Anyone a bit brighter than the crocodile lying next to me would have figured out that I've been describing my past by now. Fortunately, Vector is not the brightest and I'm able to keep him in the dark. I have one more question for him regarding the matter and inquire, "Would you think any differently of someone who was raped? Would you think less of them or treat them differently than if you didn't know they had been abused?"

"Er, that's kinda a weird question," Vector replies, yawning widely. I know he's tired and that it's gotten quite late, but I really would like to know the answer to this. I wait as Vector thinks and then replies, "I wouldn't think less of 'em, but I might treat 'em differently."

"Why would you treat them different?" I ask with a frown, wondering if Vector would act differently towards me if he knew the truth.

"God, I dunno, Esp! It's two am and I can't think so good right now," Vector yawns again.

"I...I see," I answer, feeling disappointed. I really would have liked an answer to my question. Now I know that I can never tell Vector that I am my cousin for fear of him behaving differently towards me. I feel better after talking a bit about my past, but part of me feels worse knowing that Vector wouldn't look at me in the same way if I confided my past to him.

"Hey, why are ya still so sad? There's nothin' to be sad about anymore," Vector says, easily reading into my mood. "I mean, yer cousin is doin' better, right? Ya said she has people who love her and care for her and that she's feelin' happier. I betcha she'll make a full recovery. Ya just gotta give it some time."

Vector has a point. Perhaps I do need to work a bit harder on letting go of the past and work on planning my future instead. I have a nice home, a decent job at the cafe, a job with Team Chaotix, and I have a crocodile who loves me lying next to me on the mattress right now. I'm not alone anymore.

"You're right," I tell Vector with a nod. "Thank you."

"Whatcha thankin' me for? I didn't do anything," Vector says, even more slow than usual at night when he's half-asleep.

"You talked with me about what happened. I feel a bit better now. You put things in perspective for me," I point out, feeling more optimistic than before although I know it's going to irritate me how Vector never answered my last question.

"Oh. Well, yer welcome for that then," Vector says drowsily, his eyelids more than halfway closed. "I like talkin' to yeh and all, but do ya mind if I crash now? I feel like I'm gonna pass out at any minute here."

"No, of course not. Go ahead," I reply, not wanting to keep Vector awake.

Only a second later, Vector is fast asleep. His chest rises and falls rhythmically and he begins snoring softly. I watch him for a while since my mind is too active to allow myself to sleep right away. I eventually manage to fall asleep an hour or so later, but my sleep is restless and I don't stay asleep for long. Only two hours later, I awake to find the bedroom freezing cold. Peeking out of the window, I notice that it's snowing outside and looks like a winter wonderland.

Shivering under the thin sheets, I wrap my arms around myself, but find that it doesn't do much good. When Vector sighs loudly, I wonder if he might be awake as well. Wanting to talk to him if he's awake, I whisper in a low voice, "Vector? Are you sleeping?"

Vector's eyes immediately flip open and he mutters groggily, "Nah. Yeh keep tossin' and turnin'."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you awake," I apologize immediately, wishing I had tried to be a little more still while trying to keep warm. "It's rather chilly in here, don't you think? I see it's snowing outside. It will be nice to have a white Christmas."

"I didn't notice it was chilly since I've been tryin' to sleep," Vector says, closing his eyes again while he talks to me. "Yer a funny one, ya know that, Esp? I can't get ya to say all the much durin' the day, but when I'm trying to sleep, yer a little chatterbox. Now that ya do mention it though, it _is _kinda cold in here. You've got a free heater over here if ya want it."

I hesitate, debating whether or not I dare sleep against Vector. Realizing I'm being paranoid, I carefully slide closer to Vector under the sheets and curls my body up against his chest. Vector is much warmer than mine. His scales are like a free heater.

A moment later, Vector tucks his chin above my head and wraps a secure, but not too tight arm around me. In a muffled voice, he asks, "Better?"

"Yes," I whisper against the crocodile's hard, scaly chest. "Goodnight, Vector."

"'Night, Esp."

This time, I manage to fall asleep and stay asleep until morning. The next day, things feel different between Vector and myself in a good way. Our talk seems to have helped me. I appreciate how Vector said he doesn't think anyone deserves to be raped under any circumstance. I have always wondered if perhaps I had been a better person, if maybe Bryce would not have entered my life. According to Vector, that's not true though. I'm going to believe him.

The next several days until Christmas Eve pass by in a blur of Christmas cheer and festivity. Charmy, Vector, and I spend lots of time together and avoid all arguments. Vector seems more tender towards me and I find myself falling more in love with him by the day. Perhaps someday I _will_ be able to overcome my past once and for all.

* * *

_I had another doctor appointment today and now my parents are really thinking that it might be best for me to be sent off to a clinic for a while. *sighs* Please cross your fingers for me so that doesn't happen. =/ I'm sorry for not catching up on my messages yet. I promise to do that once things get a little less hectic here. Anyway, Esp finally talked to Vector about his past to some extent. How do you think Amy's Christmas party (that's in the next chapter) will go for them? Review please! :)  
_


	83. Shady Requests

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks, I really hope so! And lol, yeah, things are definitely going to get out of hand at the party! Thanks for reading.  
**

**purplehedgie: Talking does help if you're talking with the right person! xD Hehe, I see what you did and I can reassure you that it will be a chaotic event! Mhm, I might have to get sent off. *cries* Yes, hug me better! :D I love hugs and I could seriously use some right now.  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez: Thanks for praying for me! I just...really need help right now. I don't know if I believe in miracles or not, but if they exist, I need a major one. The sad thing is that my parents can and will do that to me. *sighs* I hate it here so much sometimes. =/ The stress is definitely starting to get to Esp, poor guy. It's just going to get worse and worse for him until he tells Vector the whole story, you know? You're totally right about Amy's Christmas party. It's going to be hell. :P Aw! I'm sorry about the science test! If it makes you feel better, I completely failed chemistry. It's such a stupid subject in my opinion. Thanks for everything and I hope this chapter gives you a nice start to your day!  
**

**Mormar1: Thank you! And yes, I agree, something bad is bound to happen! Yes! Vector still has the presents under the couch. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**SurroundedInDarkness: Oh god, no, it's an eating disorder clinic and they tube feed you there, drug you, and you're forced to spend the entire day talking to counselors. So no, going there would not be better. Lol about your mom though! Sounds a lot like mine. Parents never understand. Skype? Um, I'd like to, but I have so much going on right now that I don't think that's possible until things calm down around here.  
**

**Guest: Thanks so much for crossing your fingers for me! I need a miracle right now. =/ Anyway, I think your question about Amy will be answered in this chapter! We'll find out what her real motive is. Knuckles will be showing up soon as well. How do you think he'll act towards Espio this time? Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
**

**Alicia: I'm scared too, but I just don't know what to do anymore...:S  
**

**NMason1997: Thank you very much for keeping your fingers crossed for me. I need a lot of luck right now. I'm like that too when I go to the doctor's office, but I get this thing where I can't breath properly as well. I agree that it's a good thing how Espio finally managed to share part of his past with Vector even if it wasn't the whole thing. I find that talking to people close to you helps as well when we're upset. Yup, they cuddled for the first time! Yay! I think that's their first positive physical contact experience. Usually, Vector just pushes Esp when he tries to touch him, lol. Thank you again for wishing me luck and I hope you like this next chapter!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Thanks, I really hope I can make it. A few months seems like eternity right now. I sort of ended up lying to them about a few things, so yeah. D: They can't seem to handle having me around apparently. x_x Lol, don't worry, I'm not gonna steal Randall from you. Yup, Esp did tell a half-truth, so it's a good start! Maybe someday he'll finally tell Vector the truth. Thanks for all the support! I love you too! *hugs* I hope we can talk soon!  
**

**AleThe-Hedgehog84: Hehe, yup, but at least I have a spare contact. :D You'll find out what's going to happen at Amy's party very soon! Unfortunately, yeah. D: Thanks for reading!****  
**

**zgirl16: Thank you, I really hope so too. Those types of places scare me so much. You're definitely right about Amy's party! xD Metal Sonic? Hm...he's not one of my favorites. Do you like him? Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Thanks for crossing your fingers for me! And ikr? Espio should just tell the truth because we all know Vector will love him no matter what! I tried to start the Tricks fic today, but I'm so drugged and sleepy that I fell asleep with my head on the keyboard. *cries* I feel so pathetic...  
**

**RegularSonicFan: Yay, I'm happy that you liked the chapter so much! I felt like it was a really emotional chapter too. I put my heart into writing it. This is probably the closest Esp has been to telling Veccy the truth. It is kind of hard to choose what story to write next. I decided on Turning Tricks for the Chaotix. xD Vector is going to be a real jerk in it, but I think it's going to be a meaningful story overall. I hope people like it! The only problem is that I've been taking so many pills that I can't concentrate and write right now. I'm really going to try and get some writing done tomorrow (if I can). I'm also going to try really hard to reply to you then! My head is kind of spinning right now...you know that feeling? =/ Thanks so much for the support and I hope you like this chappie! You're such an awesome friend. *hugs*  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yay, I'm still loved! *hugs you* Ugh, you had another appointment too? I hate doctors so much! How's your wrist doing anyway? I hope you recover at Sonic speed! xD Everything with the Chaotix is chaotic. Nothing ever goes easy for them, but hey, there would be no story here if they had a boring life. I have brown hair too! Brunettes ftw! *high fives you* I usually mess around and dye it though because mine's an ugly brown shad. Anyway, that's the way I see it! I mean, Peach and Mario aren't really "officially" together if you know what I'm saying and Peach never really resists Bowser or anything. xD I LOVE Super Paper Mario! I was watching the final scene of it on youtube again earlier and it practically made me cry. *sniffles* Let me know if your cousin finds the game! I was going to ask you what you thought of Timpami/Bleck, but you might not remember them, so I'd better not ask. Oh! Do you know that Birdo is actually a guy? I read that somewhere, lol. I actually ship Yoshi/Birdo though. I think they're adorable. Wow, that is a little creepy about Luigi's Mansion! I really wanna play it now. Too bad it's so long until Christmas or I could ask for it. :P I just took two pills too, so I think we're both gonna pass out! Thanks for reading! :D  
**

**PreyasRules: Thank you so much for wishing me luck! *hugs tight* Don't let them take me away! *cries* Yes, Espy nearly did tell Vector his secret! He just needs to rephrase a few things and then the truth would have been out! Hehe, how do you think Knuckles will respond to Espio at the party? Omg, that's kind of funny about your BFF rolling her eyes over that. But seriously, I'm totally with you! You don't get much sexier than Esp! Ugh, you have guys chasing you everywhere! Honestly, I've never had a guy interested in me like that before and I can't say I'm complaining over it. xP Me too! But they're all like "OMG, MIGHTY! *squee*" And I'm just totally confused. Oh well, but yes! Of course we can share him. :) Oh god, the thought of them doing a 69 is now killing me too. They do one scene a bit like that...well, you'll see. xD I'll put a 69 in one of my next stories "Chaotix X" (named for it's x-rating, hehe) for sure though! xD That's nice that she read it! I guess she hasn't reviewed though because I don't know who she is, lol. Faves are nice and all that, but reviews are a lot more meaningful, you know? Hope you like this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The days until Amy's Christmas party pass by quickly. Before I know it, Christmas Eve is here. I wake up to Vector's arm around me and the snow twinkling from just outside the window. It certainly seems as if we'll be having a white Christmas this year. I've given up putting the pillows between Vector and myself at night while we're sleeping together. I really can't afford to turn the heater in the house up any higher and Vector seems to be the perfect solution for keeping me warm. I'll admit that I like the way he holds me at night. I feel wanted and cared for, not something I've felt very often in my sixteen years. There are a few times when Vector accidentally rolls a little bit too close to me, but I'm always able to adjust his floppy arm while he sleeps so that I'm cozy, but not uncomfortable.

I'm always the first one up and so I lay on my stomach facing the window as I wait for Vector to wake up. The Christmas party isn't until this afternoon, so the two of us have plenty of time to get ready for the occasion. The snow continues fluttering down to the ground in soft white flakes outside the window. Although it makes everything very chilly, I do like the snow.

"Mmph," Vector randomly grunts in his sleep before shifting against me and opening one of his bright vermilion eyes. He peers out of it drowsily and focuses in on me before grinning and greeting me, "Merry Christmas, Esp! ...It _is _Christmas Eve, ain't it? I never remember the date in the morning, but it sure as hell looks like Christmas outside."

"It is Christmas Eve," I nod, propping myself up on my elbow and turning to look at Vector. "You remember that you and I are going to Amy's Christmas party this afternoon, right?"

"Oh, right," Vector says flatly, not looking too happy about the Christmas party. I think it will be rather fun myself, so I don't see why Vector is acting so down over it. He shoots me a look out of the corner of his eye and says, "Do we really gotta go to the Christmas party? I just wanna spend the day with you and Charmy. I don't need to see Amy and all those guys."

"I thought 'all those guys' were your friends? You seem to get along with Sonic, Knuckles, and the others quite well," I point out, forehead creasing before I add, "Besides, I don't know what we'll do all day if we don't go to the Christmas party unless you happen to have something in mind?"

"Er..." Vector starts out, blushing slightly as he looks at the sheets and then at me.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me what you have in mind, there's nothing I can do about it," I state a-matter-of-factly as I pull the sheet up closer to my chin. It's a cold morning and I'm already shivering.

"Fine, we'll go to the damn party, but don't expect me ta like it," Vector grouches. Mornings are never his best time of day. I don't think he actually fully wakes up until the afternoon. Sending me another one of those looks out of the corner of his eyes, Vector asks, "Esp, I know ya told me not to push yeh and all that. I've tried real hard not to get on yer nerves lately or piss ya off at all, but it's startin' to feel like we're not even in a relationship. Ya don't let me kiss ya or cuddle with yeh or anything."

I think about what Vector is saying and realize that he has a point. The crocodile has tried very hard lately not to upset me. We've had one of our best weeks yet when it comes to how much we've argued. In fact, I can't think of a single argument we've had in the last five days. To be quite honest, I haven't even been aware of our lack of physical contact. Of course I should expect Vector to notice it though. Perhaps I really do owe him a little kissing and cuddling. I like the closeness between us, but only when Vector is in an affectionate mood. There are times when he's just downright horny and scares me to some extent. Kissing is always an unpredictable and frightening thing. I never know what it will do to my body or what it will lead to.

Before I can answer Vector's question, the loud ringing of the telephone comes from the other room. Vector curses and even I will admit that I don't particularly feel like getting out of the nice, warm bed to get the phone. However, Vector isn't going to answer it and it's certainly not going to answer itself.

Before sliding out of bed, I plant a gentle kiss on top of the crocodile's snout and murmur, "I'll get the phone. You may want to take a shower now so you're ready for the Christmas party later."

With that said, I pad quietly out of the bedroom and wrap my arms tightly around my purple scales as I hurry to the kitchen to get the telephone. Without the heat from Vector's body to keep me warm, I feel as if I'm going to turn into an icicle at any moment. Finally, I reach the incessantly beeping phone and pick it up, murmuring, "Hello?"

"Hey Espio!" a cheerful, high-pitched voice comes from the other side of the phone. "This is Amy Rose speaking. You're still planning on coming to my Christmas party today, right?"

"Yes, I am," I reply. "Are you still having it?"

"Yes, of course! I'm so glad you're coming. We're going to have a blast. I have Sonic's Christmas presents all wrapped up and the house is completely decorated. It looks amazing! I know we're all going to have a great time," Amy says resolutely before she hesitates and adds, "Espio, can I ask you to do me a small favor since we're really good friends?"

I'm not sure if I consider Amy and I really good friends, but I feel honored that she happens to think of me that way. Wanting to help out, I reply, "Of course. What would you like me to do?"

"Thanks, you're the best!" Amy exclaims before explaining her plan to me. "I was hoping if you could pretend to be my date for the evening. I want to try and make Sonic jealous. Rouge told me that having another guy at my side all night will be the best way to get Sonic's attention. Don't worry though. It won't be an actual date or anything. We'll just sit next to each other at dinner, follow each other around, and have a lot of fun! If Sonic comes over, you can go hang out with whoever you want to hang out with. Will this be okay?"

I cringe as I listen to Amy's plan, glad that she can't see me right now. I suppose what she's asking me to do isn't too awful, but Vector certainly isn't going to like it. I've already told Amy that I'll go along with her plan though, so it's really too late to back out of it now. I'll just have to go with it and hope for the best.

"I can do that, yes," I say, trying not to let any worry seep into my voice.

"I knew you would do it for me! You're such a good friend," Amy says excitedly before continuing on after a moment's pause, "Oh, and there's just one more thing. Can you leave Charmy at home? He does live with you, doesn't he? I'm not having the kids at the Christmas party just because I have mistletoe hanging all around the house."

I gulp, getting a bad feeling about the mistletoe. I'll definitely be leaving Charmy at home. Nodding, I answer, "I'll keep Charmy here. I'm sure he'll be just fine on his own. Most likely, he will just play his video game all afternoon as usual. I will see you in a few hours."

"Yes! Bye, Espio!" Amy replies cheerfully before hanging up the phone.

I take my time with hanging up the phone, knowing that Vector is going to be mad over the fact that I just agreed to pose as Amy's date all night long. This obviously isn't something I want to do, but he won't understand that. Vector will think I want to be Amy's boyfriend and probably throw a tantrum.

Sighing, I lean heavily against the counter and try to figure out what to do about the whole situation and what to tell Vector. Just then, Charmy comes whizzing into the kitchen at top speed. He grabs my hands and tries to spin me around in a circle as he calls out excitedly, "Merry Christmas Eve, Espio!"

"Merry Christmas Eve, Charmy," I reply with a half-smile on my face since I'm still worried about what I'm going to tell Vector.

"Today is going to be _so _awesome! I can't wait to go to the Christmas party this afternoon!" Charmy yells, letting go of my hands and zipping all over the kitchen.

I watch the yellow and black blur and chew my lip as I decide to break the news to Charmy and admit, "The party is actually just for Vector and myself. Children won't be there, not even Cream. I think you'd find the event rather boring. You'll have much more fun playing your video games here this afternoon. Will that be alright?"

I chew my lip and wait for Charmy's reaction, hoping that he won't be too disappointed. It breaks my heart when I'm the one to disappoint him. I don't typically promote video game playing with Charmy, but I suggest it today in an attempt to keep the little bee's Christmas spirits up.

"Oh. Um, okay!" Charmy replies, not looking too fazed at not being left out of the Christmas party. "I just got to a new level on the video game you got me for my birthday. I'll go play that!"

"Thank you for understanding," I tell Charmy. At least half of the bad news is out. Now I just have to break Amy's plan to Vector.

Just then, loud footsteps sound from outside of the kitchen. A moment later, Vector tromps in smelling spicy and looking very clean. Even I can't resist sending him a second glance as he enters the kitchen. I haven't seen him looking this clean for a while.

"Mornin', boys!" Vector greets us with a toothy grin on his crocodile face. "It's startin' to look a lot like Christmas outside! Whaddya say we get some breakfast? I'm famished!"

Not wanting to change Vector's sudden good mood, I decide not to tell him about Amy's plan until later. Nodding, I reply, "Breakfast sounds like a good plan, but I need to get ready for the Christmas party first. How about you help Charmy with breakfast while I go take a shower?"

"Fine by me! Seeya in a sec," Vector tells me cheerfully before throwing the pantry door open wide and asking the bee, "What sounds good fer breakfast, Charm?"

I smile to myself at seeing just how well my two best buddies get along before I turn and disappear down the hallway to the bathroom. I quietly slip into the room and lock the door behind me even though it doesn't do me any good. Vector has already proven to be capable of opening a door despite it being locked.

Wasting no time, I turn the water to a reasonably warm temperature before stepping into the shower. I wash my body carefully, making sure to get all of my scales scrubbed raw. I want to look just as clean as Vector this morning. How embarrassing it would be if the crocodile appears to have even better hygiene than me at the Christmas party! Shuddering at the thought, I pull my tail around my body and vigorously scrub the coil at the tip of it until it gleams.

After my shower, I dry myself off as quickly as I can and then brush my teeth. I would be having a nice morning if I wasn't worrying about how to break Amy's plan to Vector the entire time. Vector is unpredictable to say the least. You never know how he's going to react to certain situations. I really hope he doesn't blow up at me when I finally break the news to him.

When I approach the living room, I find Vector and Charmy at the wooden table, both crunching away on their cereal. I join them at the table and listen contently while Charmy jabbers on about his video game and Vector chomps noisily on his breakfast to my left. The crocodile was thoughtful enough to have made me a cup of coffee while I was in the shower, so I sip that while Charmy continues on about his game and Vector keeps on crunching.

Time passes by quickly and before I know it, it's time for Vector and I to start off to the Christmas party. Putting a hand on his wrist under the table to get his attention, I say in a meaningful voice, "Vector, I think you and I ought to get going now. It's rude to be late to a party. Charmy, are you sure you'll be alright by yourself this afternoon?"

"Of course! I am seven-years-old after all," Charmy points out, puffing out his chest and looking proud of his age.

"'Course ya are!" Vector grins at Charmy before getting to his feet and towering over me as usual. "Have fun with yer game! Esp and I will be back soon. If we're not back by yer bedtime, don't worry 'bout us. We're probably just still at the party."

I give Vector a dubious look, wondering why he just said that. I certainly hope that we're not going to be at the Christmas party past Charmy's bedtime!

"Whoa, I guess you guys are going to a long party," Charmy says, eyes widening incredulously.

"Well, it_ is _Christmas after all," Vector replies, slipping an arm around my waist as I work on wrapping my scarf around my neck. Practically dragging me out of the door with him, Vector calls, "See ya later alligator!"

As soon as we're out in the snow, I figure that I've procrastinated long enough and need to tell Vector about my plan for the afternoon. Unfortunately, it's probably going to ruin his mood, but there's nothing I can do about it at this point.

Taking a deep breath, I start out, "Vector, there's something I need to tell you..."

* * *

_Thanks for all the support everyone. Things still aren't looking too good over here, so please keep your fingers crossed for me. Anyway, how do you think Vector is going to take Esp's "plan"? Review please! :)  
_


	84. Jealousy Jam

**Saints-Fan-12: You're right; Vector will definitely hold a grudge for the whole evening. Ooo, that's great! I'll go read your story now! :D  
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**purplehedgie: Vector is definitely going to be pissed. And ikr? Esp doesn't realize that the whole world wants him. Poor guy. xD  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez: How did the history exam go? I hate history almost as much as I hate chemistry, which is really saying something. Those two subjects are probably my least favorite school subjects. I hate essay writing too though. *shudders* Chemistry to me is just a lot of weird diagrams and too many big numbers. Are you currently doing chemistry or something else in science? Well...let's just say that two people from Amy's party are going to end up kissing, but it may not be Vector and Esp. Want to guess who it's going to be? Oh god, yeah, it would definitely be like Amy to bore them to death about Sonic all night long! Thanks for the hug! *hugs back* I'm still here today, so your luck is helping! Thanks for being such an awesome friend!  
**

**Mormar1: Let's hope that everything will be okay and Vector keeps his temper in check. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**the14demons: I definitely think you're right and that Vector will get very jealous of Amy! Thank you so much for the luck and for catching up with this story. I've been loving all of your reviews!  
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**Guest: You are so right. Vector is not going to like the plan and he may not even agree to it! In the end, it's ultimately Espio's decision whether he likes it or not. xD That's a good prediction about Amy. She could definitely kiss Esp on the cheek or - if she gets carried away - on the mouth. Think of how mad that would make Vector! Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
**

**Alicia: I'll try that if I have to, I guess. And omg! I absolutely love the picture! It totally made my morning. Thank you so much! *hugs tight*  
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**NMason1997: Thanks for the luck! It really means a lot to me just knowing that people care. :) You are so right about Amy and Vector. They both hate each other and the fact that Amy is pretending to be with Espio is not going to make matters any better. Vector has been a pretty good croc lately! This could definitely be his breaking point. Do you think he'll screw up soon? I like your prediction! I don't see Vector accepting the plan either. In his mind, Espio is his and his alone! Nobody else touches his Esp, hehe. I hope you like this chapter and thanks again!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Good luck on your quiz! *crosses fingers for you* How did it go? I'm so sorry you were feeling sick. I know what that's like. =/ It's about time Esp tells the truth! Yup, Charmy is seven. He's actually six in the games, but he just had a birthday in my fic, so that makes him seven. Thanks for reading!  
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**andypandy123: I'd say your predictions are right on! Vector will definitely feel like he's being cheating on and it's never ever a good thing to make that croc angry! Aw, I'm sorry your friend had a similar experience. Hope you like this chapter!****  
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**zgirl16: I'm definitely trying to stay on good terms with my parents. It's harder than it sounds though unfortunately. Let's hope that Veccy goes with Esp's plan! Ooo, Amy and Metal Sonic? Are you writing them as a ship? That's a really cool idea. I never thought of it before. Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yay, I'm glad you liked it! Esp isn't too mad, but Vector definitely is. Let's hope they get under the mistletoe together or Vector drags some over to Esp. :P Thanks for the review!  
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**RegularSonicFan: I'm so happy that the chapter made you smile! Knowing that makes me smile. xD I agree with you about Espy! He's not a lot better than Vector when he gets pushy. I guess the two have more in common than they think. Aw, why thank you! I'm glad my effort in the last chapter shows through. That's so nice of you to say! *hugs* I really hope you like my next Vecpio fic! I have four chapters of it written so far. It starts off a bit like this one, I guess, but the main plot is way different. Vector thinks Esp is a girl when he sees him for the first time at a distance, hehe. You're right about the pills. I'll try a little harder to not take as many. I haven't taken any yet today actually. ^^ Hope you like this chappie!  
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**Ale-TheHedgefox84: Hehe, you are totally right! Amy always has Sonic on her mind, doesn't she? Sonic might notice, but if he does, he'll probably be happy that Amy is with someone else for once! Thanks for the review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yay, you're back! I missed you! Thanks for catching up. :) I'm glad you like Mario games. I do too! I think they're lots of fun. Do you have any favorite Mario games? Your parents sound way better than the doctors! I wish I lived by you. We would have so much fun hanging out together. Oh no! I know what it's like to be stalked and that's no fun. You can come hide in my bedroom if you want. Thanks for hoping I don't have to go to the clinic. *crosses fingers with you* Hope you like this chapter!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, sorry! You know me, I just love my cliffhangers. That's a really good prediction about what Vector's going to be doing all afternoon. He's definitely going to be focusing in on whatever Esp happens to be doing. :P Doctors are evil! *holds you tight and glances towards the door* Let's make a run for it! I'm glad that your wrist is doing alright, but that still sucks that it's sore after yesterday. I swear doctors never make any sense. =/ I've been feeling tired, stressed, and mostly sick, but oh well. I'm still at home, so that's what matters I guess. Thanks for asking! I would love to be part of the Chaotix too. Although...I have to admit that I might have to steal Vector from Espio once in a while. *looks guilty* Brunettes are awesome! Ooo, your hair sounds really awesome. Mine is sort of dirty blonde at the moment, but the back of it is black. I need to work on my hair coloring abilities, lol. Definitely get your own copy of Super Paper Mario! I just love that game. I've told you that about twenty times now, hehe. Yeah, Birdo is a guy! I was surprised when I found out too. xD Are you about to pass out again? I haven't taken my pill yet, so I'm sort of awake. Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXXIV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

For it bein' Christmas Eve and all, I'm in a good mood despite the fact that I'm goin' to a Christmas party I really don't want to go to. See, the thing is that I wouldn't mind going to the party if it didn't happen to be Amy Rose's party. She's the one person on this planet that I don't want Espio around! I know it's my own damn fault for hooking Amy and Espio up to begin with. I still can't believe it was originally my intention to get the two of them dating. Making them go to the movies and dinner together definitely wasn't one of my brightest ideas. Now that Esp and I are a couple, I shouldn't have anything to worry about though, right? Wrong. I'm worried that the little brat will try and snatch my lover away at any moment. One of these days, she's gonna realize that Sonic just ain't into her and realize that Espio is a pretty good second choice. When that happens, I'm totally screwed.

For now, I'm just gonna not worry about Amy and Espio though. I'll keep my little buddy far away from her during the party and everything will be okay. Hell, I might even end up havin' some fun in the process! After all, spending quality time with Esp is what I'm all about. So despite my earlier grouchiness over going to the party, I've cheered up since then and am humming under my breath until Espio says he's got sumthin' to tell me. Uh oh. I don't like the nervous look he's giving me. This can't be good.

"What is it ya wanna tell me? Are ya gonna give me a compliment on how handsome I look today? I washed up real good just for you, Esp," I point out, elbowing him gently.

Usually, I can get Espio to smile without a problem. Not today though. Espio's lips stay in a thin line and he says slowly, "No, it's about something Amy asked me to do for her. It was Amy who called us this morning."

"Huh. What did she want?" I ask, my jaw immediately hardening at the pink hedgehog's name.

"She asked me to do her a favor and I said yes before hearing what it was. Amy wants me to act as her date for the Christmas party. It won't be _so _bad though. All she wants me to do is sit by her during dinner basically. I hope you don't mind. I wouldn't have agreed to this if I had heard what her favor was first," Espio says all in a rush, sending me a nervous look out of the corners of his amber eyes.

"She what?!" I exclaim as I process this information, my temper immediately flaring. "Why does she want yeh to act as her date? Yer mine, Esp!"

"There's no need to get so possessive," Espio replies calmly even though I notice a frown on his own face. "I believe she wants me to pose as her date in an attempt to make Sonic jealous. She said that as soon as Sonic comes and talks to her, then I can go and sit with whoever I like. We can spend time together then."

"This ain't right!" I snap, stomping one of my feet in the snow and causing snow to go flying up from the ground. A bit of it smacks Espio on the cheek. He sends me a disgruntled look and wipes it away with his scarf. I should apologize to him, but I'm too upset over the situation to think about apologizin' right now. Crossing my arms over my chest, I go on, "Yeh shouldn't have to act as Amy's slave all afternoon! Who knows? The little brat might not be tryin' to attract Sonic after all. Maybe she's just after you!"

"You're just being paranoid, Vector," Espio replies as he turns and starts walking towards Amy's house again despite the fact that I've come to a stubborn halt. "There's no reason for Amy to be interested in me. Amy is clearly interested in Sonic since she is throwing this party for him."

I glare at Espio's back and stomp through the snow to catch up with him. One thing I hate is how Esp doesn't seem to realize how attractive he is. Everyone wants a piece of the chameleon in front of me. Why can't Esp himself realize that? Amy is obviously interested in him! I just know it!

"I don't want us goin' to this Christmas party anymore!" I pant as I catch up to Espio and grab his arm. "Yer not gonna be Amy's date and yer not gonna sit with her at dinner!"

Espio suddenly looks upset. He wrenches his arm out of my grasp and takes a few steps away from me before he sticks his nose in the air and says, "You're not the boss of me, Vector. I can do what I like when I like. If you'd prefer not to go to this party, that's just fine. You may turn around and go home if you like. You cannot, however, stop me from going."

With that said, Espio tosses his head dramatically and flicks his tail in the air before stepping along more quickly in the direction of Amy's house. I grit my teeth together and tromp after him faster than before so he can't get away from me. Clenching my hands into fists, I hiss, "I _am _yer boss, Espio! I'm leader of Team Chaotix and yer gonna do what I tell ya to do!"

"Stop it, Vector. This is ridiculous," Espio says, whirling around to face me, fire flashing in his eyes as he jabs me in the chest and goes on, "You're clearly jealous of something there is no need to be jealous of. Remember that it was me who helped to get you invited to this party. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be going to the party at all. Secondly, you may threaten me all you like, but remember that you are living in my house and sharing my bed and that I am the one who can kick you out at any moment."

Espio and I lock gazes and glower at each other for a long moment. I hate to admit it, but the truth is that Esp is kinda right. I'm the leader of Team Chaotix, but it doesn't do me much good when I'm at his mercy since I'm living in his house only by the goodness of his heart. Argh. Why does the little chameleon always win our arguments?

Sighing, I drop my angry disposition and try to take Espio's hand, murmuring, "It's only 'cuz I care about ya that I don't want yeh with Amy."

"No, it's not," Espio says, jerking his gloved hand out of mine before turning and stalking in the direction of Amy's house again, not bothering to check and see if I'm following him or not as he adds, "The only reason you're upset is because you want me all to yourself. I tried to inform you of this afternoon's plans nicely, but you had to throw a tantrum over it, didn't you?"

"Hey! Just wait one minute!" I yell, stomping along next to Espio in the snow and resisting reaching out and shaking his shoulders. "I ain't throwin' a tantrum! Yer just tryin' to blame this whole situation on me. All I'm worried about is that yer gonna start makin' out with Amy during the party!"

"You're screaming in my ear. So yes, you_ are _throwing a tantrum," Espio says in a voice much quieter than mine, getting me to realize that I've been shouting. He sends me an almost sad look and asks, "Do you really distrust me so much that you think I would do something like that with someone who is merely a friend of mine? Don't answer that. I already know."

Crap. This situation just keeps on gettin' worse and worse. Now Espio is pissed off at me and probably will make out with Amy at the party just to spite me! I really am tempted to turn around and go on home, but then who's gonna keep an eye on the chameleon during the party? Looks like I'm gonna have to go.

Espio and I don't speak until we reach the small pink painted house with a gray roof located at the very edge of town. Before we can enter Amy's home, I open my mouth and say, "Look, Esp, I-"

"Enough, Vector," Espio says, holding up a hand to keep me from going on. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

I bite my tongue so hard that tears fill my eyes as Espio turns away from me and knocks politely on the door. It opens almost immediately and I find myself face-to-face with none other than Amy Rose. I give her a dirty look while Espio gives her a pleasant smile I'm tempted to yank his tail in my annoyance, but can't do that without bein' noticed by Amy.

"Hey Espio! I'm so glad you could come! Here, let me take your scarf," Amy offers as she vigorously waves Espio inside the house and unwraps his scarf from around his neck for him. "Why don't I show you around the house? I have it all decked out for Christmas! Sonic is already here. Isn't that great?"

"It is nice. You've done a lovely job with the decorating," Espio tells Amy politely.

I step into the house after the two and send them deadly looks. Amy has already taken Espio's hand and is tugging him off across the room somewhere. Slamming the door shut behind me, I realize that I'm just gonna have to find something else to do and keep an eye on Esp from a distance. I obviously can't follow him around all night.

I'll give Amy this - she did do a darn good job of decoratin' the house. A beautiful Christmas tree with colored lights and shiny bulbs is placed in the corner of the room. Underneath it are lots of presents wrapped in shiny paper with big colorful bows placed on top of them. There's a fire burning in the fireplace and there's tons of food on a large table in the kitchen. The TV is on and it appears to be showing some sort of cheesy romance movie. Rabbits, hedgehogs, and bats mix and mingle in the kitchen and in the living room, eating, drinking, chit chatting, and watching the movie.

After a few minutes of staring around myself, I look for Esp again. I can't find him in the large crowd of people. Smacking my forehead with my palm, I realize that I've already failed the only mission I had for myself today. This is gonna be a really long party.

Trying to find something to do that does not involve watching sappy movies or talkin' to people I hate, I take a few absentminded steps into the living room and resist kicking the edge of the floral-patterned sofa in frustration. Yeah, I'm mad, but Amy's living room isn't the place for me to take out my anger.

"Hello, Vector!" a familiar voice greets me. Turning to my right, I find Knuckles looking over at me. I raise a hand in greeting as he says, "Nice to see you here. How have you been?"

"Honestly? Well, yeh could say I've had better days," I chuckle ruefully as I find Sonic and Tails turning to look over at me as well.

Sonic slaps me on the back and says in his normal optimistic voice, "Don't worry, Vector. Things are sure to turn up soon. It is Christmas after all. In fact, my luck has already taken a turn for the better! This Christmas is going to be one of the best ones yet. I'm sure of it."

I give Sonic a half-hearted smile, sorta glad that he's havin' such a nice Christmas, but mostly feeling sorry for myself since my Christmas is turning out to be really crappy. Tails tilts his head at Sonic and asks curiously, "What do you mean about your luck taking a turn for the better, Sonic? Did something good happen to you today?"

"Yup, you could definitely say that, Tails!" Sonic says, reaching over and picking up a cream puff from the table we're standing next to. Normally, the food would have my complete attention, but I'm feeling too miserable to worry about the goddamn food right now. My lover has been snatched before my very eyes!

"Well? Tell us what happened," Knuckles presses Sonic, also wondering about what's caused his luck to take a turn for the better.

I pretend to pay attention to the conversation even though I'm mostly too busy wallowing in my own misery to worry about Sonic's situation right now. Sonic points at something across the room and my heart does a flip flop. He's pointin' at Amy and Espio standing together, hands still clasped tightly. Amy is giving Espio a lovestruck smile and the two of them appear to be talking to Rouge.

"That's how my luck took a turn for the better!" Sonic says cheerfully. "It looks like Amy finally found herself a boyfriend! It's about time too. I was getting pretty tired of her chasing me around all the time. Enough is enough after a while, you know?"

"Wow, that is great news!" Tails replies, giving Sonic a big grin. "Does this mean that we're not going to have to hide in alleys anymore while crossing through town if we see Amy?"

"Nope!" Sonic replies happily before handing Tails a cream puff. "Try a cream puff! They're really good."

I'm chewing my tongue again and this time I'm not even aware of it. Rouge says something to Espio from across the room that manages to make him blush ever so slightly. Amy laughs and leans into his shoulder, clearly enjoying herself.

"Wait a second. Amy and_ Espio _are together?" Knuckles asks incredulously, looking at the couple across the room in surprise before glancing at me and then at Sonic.

"It sure looks like it," Sonic says, munching on a cream puff. "You've got to admit they make a cute couple."

"Hm," Tails tilts his head and thinks about this for a moment before nodding and agreeing, "You're right. They do make a cute couple. They're both pink!"

I was plannin' on keeping my big mouth shut, but I can't stand this a moment longer. It's killing me to see Espio and Amy together. They're walkin' towards the couch now with that sappy grin still plastered all over Amy's face. She pulls Esp down onto the couch next to him and wraps an arm around his shoulders before inconspicuously glancing over her own shoulder at Sonic to see if he's paying any attention to her. Surprisingly enough, he is looking in her direction. Sonic gives her his typical thumbs up, causing Amy to blush bright red and send him a nervous little wave before turning her attention to the cheesy romance movie playing on the TV. She might think that she's makin' Sonic jealous, but she couldn't be more wrong.

Not wanting everyone here to get the wrong idea about my Espio, I grouch in a much too loud voice, "Amy and Espio ain't together!"

* * *

_Thanks again to everyone who's been crossing their fingers for me! I can't even put into words how nice it is to come on this site after having a crappy day and seeing that there are actually people who care about me. *hugs everyone* Anyway, what do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? Do you think that Vector will storm out of the party or that Amy take it a little too far with Esp? Review please! :)  
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	85. Christmas Chaos

**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction! Amy and Esp end up spending most of the night together though, which is kind of surprising. Let me know what you think of this chappie. :)  
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**purplehedgie: Sonic used to be your favorite character? xD I dunno why, but I never saw much in him. I always preferred Shadow and Knuckles out of the main characters, but I'm just weird. Lol, when you visit the emo corner, I'll already be there with my laptop. I don't think I_ ever_ leave that corner. :P  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez: I'm glad you liked the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. Just for you, there's another cliffhanger at the end of this chappie. xD Oh god, I feel like that happens to me a LOT. I always end up missing the last few questions on tests because of the freaking time limit. I don't get it. Do teachers want us to work under pressure or what? Good prediction about Amy and Esp! You'll figure out if your prediction is right or not in this chapter. Tails is definitely colorblind. He isn't my favorite character because he's made out to be a child genius and all that, so I decided to give him a flaw. xD Vector is always jealous. He'd probably lock Espio in his bedroom and keep him there 24/7 if he could. Aw, thanks again for wishing me luck! I'm still here at home today, so the luck is working. Let's hope it doesn't stop! Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Mormar1: You are totally right! Something very bad is going to happen. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Guest: Yeah, Amy's plan totally backfired! xD Luckily, Amy didn't hear what Vector said about her and Esp not being together or else major drama would have gone down. Knuckles does seem very curious about Vector's and Espio's relationship status. One of your predictions about him is right. :P Thanks for the compliments! I hope you like this chapter.  
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**Alicia: *huggles* I don't think they'll ever leave me alone, but on my birthday, I'll call a bus and move out. I'm not staying here a day longer than I have to, you know?  
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**NMason1997: Hehe, the plan is definitely in ruins at this point. I think it went as badly as it could have gone. xD Vector isn't one to hold his emotions in, is he? If you thought the last chapter was bad in terms of Vector's jealousy, you're going to think this one is even worse. :P I do feel bad for Vector as well, but I bet you'll be feeling sorry for a certain chameleon by the end of this chapter. Thanks so much for the great review. :D  
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**LuluCalliope: Lol, that might be one of my favorite lines from the Genie! xD I'm so sorry that you don't think you passed. *hugs* You never know though! But even if you didn't pass, don't feel bad. I failed a lot of classes already this year. Tails is totally color blind or something. And yup, Vector is going to go and make the situation a lot more awkward than it already is. You are sooooooo smart, Vector. *sarcasm* Thanks for reading!  
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**andypandy123: That's really nice of you! You are so right about your prediction for this chapter. I'll go ahead and tell you right now that Vector does have an abusive side to him. Espio better watch his back around the crazy croc! Thanks for the review!****  
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**zgirl16: Aw, thank you! *gives you another hug* Knowing that really helps me out! :D Lol, yup, I definitely think Amy is going to take it too far too. I don't think it's weird at all! In fact, I think it's a really awesome idea. I'm getting kind of sick of all the Sonamy and Shadamy stories, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Ikr? Espio and Amy is just so wrong on so many levels. *shudders* I'm on Veccy's side too! Go Vector! Anyway, someone needs to shove them together under the mistletoe and it better be soon. Thanks for the review!  
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**RegularSonicFan: They did get into a bad fight. D: There will be more fighting to come unfortunately. I'm with you though, it's like torture for poor Veccy to have to watch Espio and Amy together. Ooo, you think that Vector is going to end up storming out? That's a super good prediction. I think you are right! Omg, the Team Chaotix song just came on my mp3 player! *dances around like an idiot* Er...sorry about that. xD Anyway, thanks for loving the chapter! I'm trying to take just one pill a day for now. I'll try and keep that up. Omg, that's so exciting about the vet hospital! You're going to have to tell me all about it. Good luck with it! I'm sure you'll do awesome and have a lot of fun. :3  
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**Ale-TheHedgefox84: Yeah, anyone who thinks that Espio should stay away from Amy gets a thumbs up from me. Do you think that Vector is back to being an antagonist by the end of this chapter? Thanks for the review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Hehe, that's a very good idea for Vector! He definitely needs to learn how to chill. Thanks for crossing your fingers for me. *gives you a hug* Vector is a little too much sometimes. He needs to take a deep breath and a chill pill. xD That was a good idea about telling your friend about the French guy! I kind of like French dudes. Well, video game dudes with French accents anyway. :P Woo, I love Paper Mario! *high fives you* Hope you like this chappie!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yup, I love cliffies and I'm going to give you another one at the end of this chapter because I love them so much. xD Oh my god, your morning sounds kinda funny. Do you see your grandma very often? I see mine like every three months if that. Let's run and never return! *starts running without looking back* It's sort of a lot of things combined. I'm trying to get over an eating disorder and I'm dealing with dehydration issues as well. Ah well. My hair_ is_ weird. I should recolor it, but I'm so lazy. :P I hope you get Paper Mario soon! Then I can have someone to discuss the games with. It's really cold here too, but not as cold as it is by you. It was zero degrees this morning and I thought that was cold. I have a fever right now though. How weird! Thanks for reading! :)  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXXV  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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I'm talkin' so loud that Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic all look up at me in surprise when I announce that Espio and Amy aren't a couple. I just felt like I had to get that out there. I don't get why Espio won't let us go public with our relationship. There's nothin' wrong with the two of us being a couple. Yeah, there are more heterosexual couples than homosexual couples, but who really gives a damn about that? I sure as hell don't. If Esp had let us go public, we wouldn't be in this situation right now because everyone would know that Espio and I are dating, not Espio and Amy!

A long, awkward silence falls after my sudden outburst. I don't regret my words although now I'm wishin' I had spoken a little more softly. Finally, Knuckles decides to break the silence before it gets any more uncomfortable and points out, "Well, either way, they _do _look like a couple."

Unfortunately, I can't argue with that. Amy's still got her arm wrapped around Espio's neck and their thighs are still touching. They give off every impression of being a couple. My stomach turns into a knot and even though I'm smellin' the scent of delicious apple pie to my right, it doesn't smell good to me.

"Just because they look like a couple doesn't mean that they are one," I continue on grudgingly, resisting kicking the table leg.

Sonic gives me a funny look from where he's leaning against the wall and tilts his head at me as he points out, "You sound kind of upset about this, Vector. I thought you wanted Amy and Espio together? I remember you telling me a while back that you thought Espio needed a girlfriend. Didn't you even set the two of them up on a date a while back?"

"Let's just say that I'm never playin' matchmaker again," I reply bitterly, eyes still focused on my Espio bein' forced to sit by Amy on the couch. I wanna grab him and yank him away from her right this second! Unable to keep calm and chat about this with Sonic and his gang any longer, I step towards the couch and say, "There's someone I've gotta talk to. Catch ya guys later."

I don't even bother to listen to the responses from the blue hedgehog, echidna, and fox as I stomp over to the couch with my eyes fixed on Espio as if he's got me hypnotized. Not sure how to get Esp's attention, I lean directly against the back of the couch so I can listen in to Espio's and Amy's conversation. 'Course, now that I happen to be in hearing range of them, they're not talking. Amy's eyes are glued to the movie screen even though she's still got her arm fastened around Espio's shoulders.

After a few moments of silence, Espio glances over at Amy and asks in his polite voice, "Would you mind telling me where your bathroom is?"

"Hm? Oh, of course!" Amy exclaims, wrenching her green-eyed gaze from the movie screen to Espio's face. "It's right down the hallway to your left. I should have told you that earlier."

"It's not a problem," Espio replies, returning her smile as he gets up quickly and murmurs, "I'll be right back."

Amy nods before going back to her movie. I watch Espio pick his way through the crowd before turning down the hallway to the bathroom. I give it about five seconds before I turn and glance around myself to see if anyone is watching me. Not a single gaze is turned in my direction. Good. Without a second thought, I turn and push my way through the crowd to the hallway so I can follow Espio. I bump into a few people as I force my way towards the hallway and don't bother apologizing to them. This is an emergency after all! I've gotta speak to Esp!

Once I'm in the hallway, it's a lot easier to breathe since people aren't swarming around on all sides of me. I reach the end of the hallway in just a few minutes and then turn to find myself at the bathroom door. I hesitate only for a millisecond before I grab the doorknob and twist it. I don't care what Esp's doin' in there. All I know is that I've gotta talk to him and that it can't wait.

After I fling the door wide open, I find Espio standing at the sink, carefully washing his hands and making sure to get soap between all of his fingers like he always does whenever he washes his hands. When I burst in on him, Espio jumps in surprise and turns around to face me, eyes fearful until he recognizes me.

Hand at his chest as if he's trying to calm down his frantically beating heart, Espio exclaims a bit breathlessly, "Vector! What are you doing here? You gave me quite a scare! You're lucky I was washing my hands and not..."

Espio trails off, unable to say anything "dirty". Slamming the door shut behind me, I fold my arms over my chest and give Espio a hard look as I state firmly, "This has got to stop and it's gonna stop _right now_! Do ya know what Knuckles, Sonic, and the others are sayin' about yeh? They all think yer Amy's girlfriend!"

"Well, isn't that the point of this?" Espio asks, not understanding why I'm so bothered. "She's trying to make Sonic jealous as I told you earlier."

"That ain't the point and I don't think she's just tryin' to make Sonic jealous," I reply resolutely, not planning on letting Espio out of the bathroom until he agrees to stop this nonsense. "You should see they way she looks at ya, Esp! It's obvious that she wants ta get her dirty little hands all over yeh!"

"Mhm, and you haven't been trying to get your hands between my legs since we first started dating," Espio points out sarcastically before gracefully stepping to the door of the bathroom and waving me aside as he adds, "Let me pass, Vector. This is not the place to cause drama."

Since the forceful approach clearly isn't working, I decide to try Charmy's approach and change my demeanor. I get what I hope looks like a lost puppy dog sort of expression on my face and plead my little buddy, "Can't we just leave already? Charmy's probably wishin' we were home right now. Shouldn't we be spending time with him? It is Christmas Eve after all."

"Don't try and guilt trip me. It's not going to work," Espio says flatly, trying and failing to push me aside.

Suddenly, there's a loud knock on the door and a female voice calls, "Is anyone in there?"

Espio sends me a now-look-what-you've-done expression. Not sure what to do at this point, I blush and turn to open the bathroom door. Espio and I stumble out and pass a horrified looking cream-colored cat on our way out. I send her a sheepish look and say, "All yours, ma'am."

By the time I glance back down the hallway, Espio is already gone. Grinding my teeth together, I hurry down the hallway and into the living room to see what Espio and Amy are up to now. The sappy romance movie is still playing and Amy seems to be tearing up over it. To my utmost annoyance, Espio is sitting by her side again.

Needing to find something to do before I go insane just from watchin' the two so closely entwined, I make my way over to the food table. Even though the food smells real good, my stomach is in too many knots for me even to consider eating right now. It's a shame really. All this good food is gonna go to waste and it's all Espio's fault!

A bottle of dark red wine at the end of the table catches my eye. I can't seem to be able to eat anything, but I guess I could drink a little something as I wait for the time to hurry up and pass by. I pour myself a glass of the wine and start sipping it while I keep my eyes glued on Amy and Espio. The afternoon passes by real slowly. Hell, I don't think any afternoon has ever passed by any slower than this one. As soon as we get home, Espio and I are gonna have a little talk. He's gonna have to let me make our relationship public because I'm not gonna put up with this type of thing ever again.

One glass of wine turns into two and soon two turns into three. Before I realize it, I've drank the entire bottle and am startin' to feel a little tipsy. The movie finally comes to an end and I take an unsteady step towards the door, hoping that now will finally be my chance to leave this stupid party. 'Course, with my luck, that's just not gonna happen.

Amy bounces off of the couch and springs over to her bright blue CD player on the opposite side of the room. She presses a few buttons on it, causing pop music to go blasting into our ears. I cringe and purposefully turn up the volume of my music to try and drown out Amy's music. I'm pretty versatile when it comes to music, but pop just ain't my thing.

To my horror, Amy whizzes over to Espio, green eyes shining as she takes his hands and pulls him up from the couch, urging him, "Come on! Let's dance!"

Espio's complexion turns a little pasty. If Amy thinks Espio's gonna dance with her, then she must be losin' her mind. Esp would never dance in public let alone with...I smack my forehead when I see that Espio is actually goin' along with this. He isn't really dancing, but he's allowing Amy to dance circles around him while holding his hands. One by one, other couples start dancing as well. I see Knuckles and Rouge together as well as Sonic and Tails even though those two aren't exactly a couple.

"Do I really need to teach you how to dance, silly?" I hear Amy asking Espio in a teasing voice. He blushes slightly as she tries to help him out, putting his hands around her waist as she says, "You hold me like this, see? Now just move to the music. It's really easy!"

Espio looks so awkward tryin' to "move to the music". He steps around jerkily, hands still around Amy's waist. What's worse is that Amy now has her arms around his neck. A green monster rears up inside of me and threatens to break free of me and cause a ruckus of this party just to get Espio away from Amy.

Needing to distract myself before I do something I'm gonna regret, I look around for more wine. Maybe luck has decided that it's been too hard on me lately 'cuz I find another bottle of wine hiding behind the apple pie and a large bowl of custard. I immediately reach for it and fill my glass back up greedily before turning back to the dancers. A raging fire starts to burn in the bit of my stomach. Esp shouldn't be dancin', at least, not with Amy. If he is gonna dance, is should be with me. Espio is mine. He belongs to _me_!

Finally, the song ends and I finish slurping up my glass of wine. I slam my glass down onto the table to unleash some of my fury once I'm done with it. To my shock, it actually breaks. Dammit. Apparently luck isn't with me after all. Since nobody saw me break the glass, I edge away from the table and don't bother to clean it up. My head's spinnin' round and round and all I can think about are Espio and Amy.

"That was fun!" Amy tells Espio, giggling slightly as she collapses against him, making me ball my hands into fists once again. "You're a really good dancer!"

Espio turns poppy red. That's when it happens. Without any warning, Amy suddenly leans forwards and lightly presses her lips against Espio's mouth. My heart stops beatin' and all I can do is stare at them in absolute shock for a second. Finally, my moment of shock passes and rage boils through me, red hot and angry. Espio is gettin' out of this place right now! We're not stayin' here another second!

From out of the corner of my eye, I notice Sonic smiling and nudging Tails as he looks over at Amy and Espio mouth-to-mouth. I force my way through the crowd and grab Espio's shoulder. I drag him away from Amy and growl in a slurred voice, "Team Chaotix has gotta hold a top secret meetin' ASAP."

Without offering any more explanation than this, I yank Espio along behind me as I make a straight line towards the door. I don't bother to look over my shoulder to see Amy's shocked face. I don't give a damn what she thinks of me at this point. Espio is still so shocked and taken aback by Amy's sudden kiss that he lets me drag him towards the door without resisting, surprise still mirrored in his amber eyes. Guess he wasn't expectin' the kiss any more than I was. It serves him right though. I warned him about this, didn't I?

I slam my shoulder into the door of Amy's house and get a face full of frigid, ice cold air. It's started snowing again, much to my annoyance. Tugging Espio out of the door behind me and not caring if I just made a huge scene or not, I kick the door shut violently behind me and continue dragging Espio along as I start towards our house. My hands are shaking from anger and I really wanna punch something. I can't believe the nerve of that little brat. She actually _kissed _Espio!

The two of us make our way back to the house in silence. The sky is dark besides for the falling snow and I know it must be late. Only once our house is in sight does Espio speak. Still looking bewildered at what happened earlier, Espio starts out in his quiet voice, "I'm sorry, Vector. I didn't expect her to-"

"Shaddap, Esp. Just shaddap," I snap at him, suddenly blaming him for the entire situation. "From now on, yer gonna listen to me. When you try and take charge, this is the kinda shit that goes down! Yer mine and nobody else is gonna touch ya ever again."

* * *

_So Vector is drunk, upset, and convinced that this whole predicament is Esp's fault. What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Will there be a big fight or will someone get hurt? Review please! :)  
_


	86. Untamed Feelings

**Saints-Fan-12: Drunky is definitely back! I agree that the two will probably get into a fight. Let's just hope it's not a major one. Thanks for reading!  
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**purplehedgie: Damn Vector and Amy! They both created a big mess and poor Esp is caught between the two of them. D: Let me know what you think of this chapter.  
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**Zari Thorn96: You were totally right about drunk Vector! He is back to haunt us! I also think that feelings will be hurt. Vector is dealing with a lot of emotional conflict right now. I've been...a bit stressed lately. Thanks for asking though. :) How about you? Good luck with teaching your dog how to say hello, hehe. No need to apologize! You know me, I love reviews!  
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**the14demons: That's a good prediction! I can see Vector scaring Esp on accident while he's so drunk. Thanks for catching up on the last two chapters!  
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**Mormar1: Yes, let's hope Vector sobers up soon! Drunk Vector is very unpredictable. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Guest: Lol, yup! Things can only go from bad to worse unless the two somehow find a way to make up. Vector's already gotten drunk after promising Esp not to...do you think he'll end up getting drunk a few more times in the near future? I would say that Esp is feeling guilty about the kiss right now. He had no idea Amy was going to take things so far. It would be just like Vector to take out his anger on Esp with rape. :P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alicia: Omg, I absolutely love the picture! Shadow looks so cute! Thank you so much. *hugs tight*  
**

**NMason1997: I had a feeling that you'd change your mind about Vector! I don't like seeing him in this light either, but I know that Vector has quite a temper from watching Sonic X. Hm, I think that's interesting that you didn't see the kiss with Amy coming. She_ is_ a good actor, especially when she wants a certain blue hedgehog. Vector will slam his fist down literally in four chapters. :P You'll figure out how Esp is going to react very soon! I have a feeling that this chapter is going to be another surprise, but you'll have to let me know!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Yup, I've failed a lot this year. It's funny because my parents don't even care anymore and they don't even want me to go to college, lol. Omg, that would be so awesome if all three of us could live together! *hugs* We would have so much fun! That sounds like a really tough decision. Do you have any idea what you're going to do yet? I hate making big decisions. You're totally right about Vector. He's turning into a Bryce clone. *facepalms* I'll go read the chapter after this! :) Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: Yeah, hopefully nobody will get hurt. That's the last thing Esp needs right now. It is an interesting pairing! Do you think you might write a fic based on it? I keep trying to get myself to write other pairings, but I keep going back to Vecpio, lol. Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Vector drinks because he is a not very bright croc. :P That, and he's jealous of Esp and Amy. I'm an anti-fan forever too! Um, good question about the mistletoe. I guess Amy didn't have very much of it up (or I just forgot to write it in, lol). Hope you like this chapter!  
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**RegularSonicFan: You were totally right! Something bad did happen. D: I agree with you about Vector. Although getting drunk wasn't a good solution to the problem, he's not wrong for being upset by what happened between Espio and Amy. Let's hope that nobody gets hurt in this next chapter. *crosses fingers* Thank you! The only problem is that now I'm suffering from insomnia without the pills. The vet office sounds really nice! It's too bad there wasn't a lot for you to do though. When do you go back to the vet office next? Thanks for reading!  
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**Ale-TheHedgefox84: Oh god, I didn't even notice that! xD I'm not really a huge Sontails fan, so that wasn't on purpose, lol. I prefer Sonic with other characters. I think Espio didn't fight against Vector because he was in shock from Amy kissing him. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yup, drunk Vector is back! *hides under my bed too* We should be safe under here until he sobers up. xD I agree, Esp's feelings probably will get hurt. Lol about the pizza box! I'm having a lot of dehydration issues at the moment. I went a few days without drinking anything at all. I guess that was a bad idea. Hope you like this chappie!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Sorry about all the cliffies! I can be an evil writer. :P There's not really a cliffie at the end of this chapter for once though. It's never a good thing when Vector is drunk. Something bad is bound to happen. That's neat about your grandmother. Do you like having her around all the time? I wish I could see my grandma more often. She's really nice, but we live far away. I'm sorry about your mom though. It's a shame you can't see her more often. Thanks! I hope you get better soon too. Um...what game should we discuss? How about something Sonic? You choose! xD Oh god, I hope I didn't give you my fever. *wishes you better* Today, I'm shivering. Wtf? lol Thanks for reading!  
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**PreyasRules: Yay, save me from the evil doctors and how about my parents too while you're at it? *cheers* I think everyone is mad at Amy for coming on to Espio like that. Do you think she really likes him or that it's all just a ruse? Oh my god, pink is my least favorite color too. My favorite is black and then dark red. Hm, that's actually a good prediction about Vector turning to Vanilla to sulk. It's a very Vector-like thing to do. That's so funny about the dictionary not having a replacement for "fuck", lol. Ooo, that would make for an epic chapter if that's how things go down! I don't want to give too much away, but nobody comes to save Esp the time when he's gang raped. Poor Espy. *sniffles* He doesn't get rescued until a later rape. =/ I think there's at least one womanizer in every year, don't you think? Usually, they're total freaks though. At least, that's what I've noticed. I'm definitely writing Chaotix X in the future. I think you're going to like it! Um, wow. Espio and Vanilla is weird, but Espio and Cream seems even weirder. I really don't like Cream porn. It's just...ew, you know? Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Partly drunk and mainly pissed off, I continue trekking back to Espio's house without bothering to look at the little chameleon as I drag him along by my side. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this whole situation is Espio's fault. Yeah, Amy's a little brat too, but Espio was the one who agreed to posin' as her fake boyfriend all night long. Whaddya bet that he was actually hoping for her to kiss him and that his surprised look after the kiss was just a ruse?

Paranoia and tipsiness never go well together. My rage at the kiss builds inside me to a feverish pitch until I feel like I'm gonna start burnin' from the inside out. Espio is stupid. He said yes to playing the role of Amy's boyfriend and do ya wanna know why I think he said yes? Well, yer gonna hear it whether yeh like it or not. Espio secretly likes Amy! That's gotta be the reason behind that kiss of theirs. I'm not gonna let Amy steal _my _Espio though. Hell no, Espio is mine and Amy and Espio have chosen the wrong croc to mess with!

"Vector, I did say I was sorry. I told you I didn't know Amy was going to do...that," Espio says in his irritatingly calm voice as he refers to the kiss.

"Ya better be sorry about it!" I exclaim, kicking a pile of snow in my path and sending dirty snow all over the place. "I bet Amy and yerself had this whole thing planned out. Yeh talked to her about it while ya were on the phone this morning and I was in the shower. I bet ya thought it was be a damn good idea, didn't ya?"

"Please don't be like this," Espio sighs, suddenly sounding and looking extremely tired. "I didn't enjoy myself any more than you did today. I didn't want Amy to kiss me and I didn't want to spend the afternoon with her. Like I told you earlier, the only reason I went along with the plan was because I promised Amy a favor earlier without knowing what the favor was."

I've gotta admit that Espio's explanation is logical, but I'm too enraged to worry about what makes sense and what doesn't anymore. I tighten my grip on Espio's wrist and yank him forwards roughly, causing him to stumble over a pile of snow and practically fall over.

"This all had better be true 'cuz I'm never leavin' ya alone with that little brat ever again," I slur to Espio, eyes fixated on the door to Espio's house in the distance. "Also, our relationship is gonna be out in the open from now on. I'm sick and tired of always doin' things yer way. I put up with a lotta crap for ya and the least yeh can do is repay me by lettin' our relationship out in the open so I don't have ta watch my partner flirting with and kissing Amy Rose ever again!"

"Stop. Please. Your hurting me," Espio frowns as I tighten my grip on his wrist again.

Feeling disgusted with the smaller reptile, I release his wrist almost violently, causing the chameleon to slide on a patch of ice and end up in a snowbank by the side of the road. I'm not watching or paying the least bit of attention to him. I reach the door of the house and am about to yank it open when I realize that I've lost Esp. Frowning, I turn to find him struggling to get out of the snowbank. He avoids my gaze and defiantly pushes and kicks at the snow, too stubborn to ask me for help.

The bad side of drunk Vector takes me over for a second and I consider leavin' Espio out in the snowbank all night. Heh, he'd deserve that wouldn't he? ...Alright, maybe not. Guess I'll be a nice croc and help him out of the snowbank even if he doesn't deserve it. Sighing, I turn and tromp back through the snow to where Espio is stuck. By the time I reach him, he's still in the same position and hasn't made any progress despite fighting the snow for the last five minutes. If it weren't for me, he'd definitely be out here all night.

Sighing loudly, I push the snow in every which direction before placing my hands under the chameleon's arms and yanking him out of the snow. Geez, he's cold. His scales feel frozen against my hands even through my gloves. He's shaking slightly and only now do I remember that he always seems to get cold real fast. I could set him back down, but I decide not to. I have a strong feeling that if I put him on the ground, he'd probably just topple right over again. Instead, I keep him in my arms and stride back towards the house for the second time in the last five minutes.

"Thank you, Vector," Espio replies quietly, his warm breath hitting my chest since I'm still holdin' him in my arms.

"Yeah, well, that's just the kind of guy I am. Always helpin' people out and all that," I reply grudgingly.

The two of us approach the door and I reach forwards to yank it open. It doesn't budge. Glaring at the doorknob, I pull on it as hard as I can, but still nothing happens. My terrible mood causes me to want to yank the door right off its hinges. I probably would have done that if Espio hadn't cut into my thoughts.

"I locked the door before we left since we were leaving Charmy alone all afternoon. You'll have to set my down so I can get the key," Espio explains.

"Oh, right," I reply, carefully setting Espio down on a dry patch of the ground despite the fact that I'm still in the mood to bash something. I watch absentmindedly as Espio takes off his sneaker, reaches inside, and pulls out the key. Raisin' an eyebrow, I ask, "Why do ya have the key in yer shoe?"

"It's a safe place. Only I can get into my shoe," Espio replies as if this should be obvious.

Deciding not to argue with his crazy antics, I just roll my eyes and feel my temper start to die down just a little bit. Don't get me wrong - I'm still real pissed off over what went down over at Amy's place, I'm just not in the mood to hate Espio anymore. I can hate some of the things he does, but I can never actually hate him.

After a few minutes of fiddling around with the key, Espio manages to get the door open. It falls open silently and reveals the darkened living room to us. All the lights have been turned off and the only light in the room is from the moonlight shinin' in through the window. Charmy must've gone to bed already. Guess that makes sense. It is pretty late.

As soon as we're inside, I turn and am about to stomp off to an unknown place when Espio suddenly grabs my wrist. I consider jerking away from him and ignoring him, but something deep inside me stops me from doin' this. Feeling like a softie, I turn and regard Espio with wary eyes, unsure of what he wants from me this time.

"Listen to me for a moment," Espio says in his perfectly even voice as he looks up at me and meets my eyes. His bright amber ones reflect the moonlight and look...well...beautiful. I try to ignore this as Esp goes on and says, "I know you're upset with me despite the fact that the situation earlier was not my fault and despite the fact that I've apologized to you several times. You can choose to stay upset with me if you wish, but do think this through first. How much sense does it make to stay mad at me when I did nothing to hurt you? I clearly have no interest in Amy and I disliked it when she kissed me earlier. If I had liked it, I would have kissed her back. Did I? No. That should be more than enough proof to you that I only love you."

I listen to Espio's words and realize that he's right and that my drunkenness is just makin' me paranoid and stupid. Espio didn't kiss Amy back. He doesn't like her. I'm just being possessive about my partner and am imagining things that aren't really there. Ya know, I probably owe Espio an apology for actin' so rude to him earlier.

"Yer right, Esp," I admit after a moment of silence. "Yeh didn't kiss her back. Guess I'm just afraid of losin' ya to some other guy or girl. Yer the only one I've ever really clicked with and the thought of losin' ya is just too much for me. Sorry if I was kinda on the harsh side earlier."

"I forgive you," Espio says immediately, eyes still reflecting the moonlight and looking real sultry as his scales glimmer in the dark.

I take a step closer to the chameleon, unable to stop myself. My hand reaches forwards without my knowledge and I find myself touching Espio's shoulder as if to keep him in place. The slurred words slip out of my mouth as I murmur, "Esp, yer so beautiful..."

"W-what?" Espio stammers, taken aback by the sudden change in my attitude. He looks at the floor as if he's ashamed of himself and shakes his head, contradicting me, "No, I'm not. Sometimes I believe you see something that I'm not. I'm hideous, Vector. Haven't you seen the scars all over my body? I have them for a reason."

"To hell with those reasons," I hiss throatily as I lean down so that my lips are inches from the chameleon's. "I don't give a damn what you've done in yer past. All I know is that yer consumed with self hate and that it's gonna stop right now."

Before Espio can reply to me, I press my mouth against his lips and kiss him hard. Espio seems caught off guard, but tentatively kisses me back after a moment, his lips very light and delicate on mine. My tongue flecks out and runs against Espio's lower lip. I taste cherry lip gloss on his lips..._Amy's _cherry lip gloss. This thought sends fire flying through my veins and I'm suddenly determined to show the world that Espio belongs to me and me alone. It ain't fair that Amy got farther with him tonight than I've got with him in days. Now's my chance to leave my mark on him.

Fueled by the anger simmering beneath my scales, I suddenly press my tongue into Espio's mouth and grab the chameleon with firm hands before thrusting him against the wall closest to us. Espio's eyes widen in shock and he looks at me nervously, unable to speak since I've still got my tongue down his throat. I hoist Espio into the air and press him against me, using a hand to wrap his slender legs around my waist. Espio goes with it, but still looks apprehensive.

After a moment, I release Espio's lips and we both end up gasping for breath. Espio is the first to speak, panting, "Vector, what_ are _we doing?"

"Just go with it, Esp," I reply before nipping at his lips to get him to shut up. It works. Esp goes silent.

My inner rage from earlier transforms into something a lot more along the lines of want and desire. I prop Espio's back up against the wall and start feelin' the chameleon up and down, one hand caressing his side and the other hand running up and down along his thigh, unable to get enough of Espio's smooth but slightly sweaty skin. I put my snout to the side of his neck and inhale the chameleon's strong scent before dragging my tongue across his throat.

For the first time since I've slammed him against the wall, I notice that certain parts of Espio's body are warmer than other parts. His crotch is so damn hot. I yank Espio's legs more tightly around my waist, feeling the heat from his groin increase. Heh, he wants me and there's no denying it despite the fact that his eyes still mirror anxiety.

I nip at the hollow of Espio's throat and whisper, "I want ya...I want ya so much..."

Espio just kind of stares at me, lips parted slightly, but not sure what to say. Still determined to leave my mark on him, I press my teeth into the tender area at the base of the chameleon's throat to create little love marks there that should still be visible in the morning.

"_Vector..._" Espio suddenly lets out a low moan as I bite at his neck.

I feel arms around my neck and get another strong whiff of sweaty chameleon as Espio clings to me tightly. I don't think I've ever managed to get Espio this turned on before. He presses his little body more closely to my scaly chest and rests his head on my shoulder as he tilts his head at an angle that allows me better access to his throat. I press rough, biting, all-consuming kisses down the expanse of flesh exposed to me. Espio's body heat has reached a feverish temperature, and the longer I work, the more low, untameable moans I draw out of the usually silent chameleon. God, I love the sounds he makes, love the way he's starin' at me now with those big amber eyes of his just begging for more. Makes me feel special to know that I'm the only one who can do this to Esp...

Creak! The sound of a door opening not too far away from where Esp and are are entwined sounds in my ear. I glance up dizzily, still half-drunk from earlier while Espio jerks away from me and accidentally falls out of my arms, landing in a tangle on the ground. Glancing towards the door, he stammers, "C-charmy? Is that you?"

"I had a bad dream," Charmy whispers in a scared voice. He rubs his eyes sleepily before taking in the scene before him. Frowning, he asks, "What were you and Vector doing? I heard strange noises and now I see that you're on the ground. You guys aren't fighting, are you?"

My mouth curves up slightly at the irony of Charmy's question. Flushing furiously and avoiding my eyes, probably feeling ashamed of himself for getting so carried away, Espio reassures Charmy, "No, Charmy, we weren't fighting. I'll come into the bedroom with you for a while and we'll see if you can fall back asleep. Will that help?"

"Mhm," Charmy nods as Espio walks over to him on unsteady legs. The chameleon takes the bee's hand and I'm forced to watch my lover exit the room.

Sighing to myself at my horrible luck, I tromp to the bedroom Espio and I share and then flop onto the bed. At first, I try to stay awake, but I'm too drunk for that and my eyelids are already half-closed. Despite my frustration, I'm also feelin' pretty good about myself. I betcha I could have convinced Espio into goin' all the way with me if Charmy hadn't interrupted us. I _really_ want Esp. I can't help but wonder what it will be like to be inside his body. He's so damn hot and those noises he makes send shivers down my spine. Maybe tomorrow I'll get Esp to go all the way with me. Yeah, tomorrow will be the day. I can just feel it.

* * *

_So who thinks Vector's prediction is correct? :P Will he get a piece of Esp on Christmas Day? Review please! :)  
_


	87. Vector's Surprise

**Saints-Fan-12: "Might" is definitely the key word in this situation. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: It's okay! I think we all get busy from time to time. I'm glad you're back! *hugs* The two might eventually go all the way, but that won't be for another hundred chapters or so. I know, I know, I'm an evil writer! xD Charmy always interrupts the best moments, doesn't he? I think we need to send him off to Cream's house for a month so Esp and Veccy can have the house to themselves. Vector never learns from his mistakes. He's such a lovable idiot! xD Things at home have been really crappy today to put it lightly. I'm stuck with a horrible fever at the moment and I feel _so_ stressed. *sighs* Thanks for caring and asking though! *hugs you again* Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**purplehedgie: Hm...good question there! You'll figure out what happens on Xmas Day soon! I sort of drag out the event through the next four chapters. :P  
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**Zari Thorn96: Hehe, yup! Espio is slowly starting to learn to trust Vector more and more. Go Esp and Vector! *cheers* Ooo, yay, I love good listeners! It's kind of a long story, but I'm trying to recover from an eating disorder and I've been really sick lately, plus there has been some crap going on between me and my parents. It adds for too much drama at once, you know? Thanks for listening!  
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**Guest: Espio is really starting to trust Vector! I agree with you completely. Thanks for reading!  
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**Mormar1: Why oh why did Charmy have to interrupt them, right? xP Thanks for the review!  
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**Guest: It is good that Vector managed to keep his anger in check. Haha, good prediction about Esp getting skittish again. He sort of got caught up in the heat of the moment, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**Alicia: Stressed and sick. Um, I don't know. Hopefully though!  
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**NMason1997: Vector was acting a little rude before they entered the house. =/ But yes! At least the two made up and are back together again. I'd say that's a good prediction. Vector will definitely try to get Espio to go all the way with him, but what happens entirely depends on Espio's mood at the given time. Veccy had better try and make him happy earlier in the day. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**LuluCalliope: You'll have to let me know how that interview goes! I can't wait for us all to go to Disney World! We'll have so much fun. And ugh, ikr? Nothing is worse than having to listen to someone doing it in the other room. *shudders* Thanks for reading!  
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**zgirl16: Good prediction! Esp let Vector get really far with him, didn't he? :P I'd definitely read that fic if you wrote it! That's too bad you didn't keep the drawing. I really want to see it now. Do you draw often? Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: Yeah, Esp would never kiss Amy. That would be so ew. *shudders* I'm glad you liked the last chappie. ^^ Hope you like this one!  
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**RegularSonicFan: *holds up a "Go Vector!" sign* Hehe, yeah, Espio really let down his guard, didn't he? I do get insomnia often unless I'm on pills. It really sucks. =/ The goodie bags sound super cute! I bet you did a great job with them. Thanks for reading!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yeah, there was definitely a smutty moment in the last chapter! Are you a smut fan? I know I am, hehe. I'll definitely try to drink more. Ending up in the hospital is no fun. I'm totally ready for spring too! I'm not much of a fan of winter. How about you? I don't like the cold. D:  
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**PreyasRules: Yay, I'm glad you thought the chapter was hot. xD I had a fun time writing it! :D I think you're right about Amy! She might finally have got some sense knocked into her and have realized that Esp is a good choice next to Sonic. Well...I could tell you who saves Espio if you want me to. It'll be a spoiler though, hehe. Oh my god, the story had Espio x Amy in it? *dies from shock and horror* Vector x Vanilla is even worse in my opinion though. Never let me see that fic! I hope this chapter takes your mind off of it. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXVII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I'm sitting in the small wooden chair with the wobbly leg next to Charmy's bed in his room. Charmy's bedroom isn't much. It's the smallest room in the house and has bright blue walls, a bed just large enough for the bee in one corner, and a wooden dresser that matches the chair I'm sitting on next to it. I'd love to redo Charmy's room for him at some point or the other, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon due to our lack of spare cash.

Charmy is in my arms instead of in his bed. He told me about his scary dream and I gave the bee a comforting hug. The hug was only meant to last for a few seconds, but apparently Charmy was so tired that he fell asleep against my chest. He feels heavy in my arms, but I don't feel like putting him down anytime soon.

My mind should still be on Charmy, but it has already wandered to Vector. I don't know what he's doing to me. His moods are as unknown as the next twists and turns of a roller coaster. He was inflamed on the way home from the party, refusing to talk to me and only yelling at me when he finally decided to talk. However, when we entered the house and I took the initiative to solve our little conflict, things took a turn for the worse.

I don't like physical contact because I don't know what it will lead to. Every time I let Vector touch me, I let him go farther with me. The first time we interacted like this, all we did was exchange a simple, chaste kiss. I would have preferred it to stay like that, but unfortunately, that's not at all what happened. The next time the two of us were together, Vector had his tongue down my throat. Tonight, I'm mortified to think about how far we actually went. I still remember all too clearly the way Vector's hands stroked my body, the way he pulled my legs around his waist, and the way he nipped and bit at the most sensitive parts of my neck.

In all my life, I have never wanted someone in the way I found myself wanting Vector tonight. The thought sends nervous butterflies dancing around the pit of my stomach. This isn't right and I don't like it. Vector's touch, his long wet tongue, and his snout against my neck shouldn't excite me in the way it does. Am I weak since I am unable to stop the flood of strange new emotions that rip through me when Vector and I are so close? Is it wrong for me to want him in the way I do?

Question upon question comes pouring into my head and swirls around inside of me until I'm completely confused about everything. Trying to distract myself, I glance outside the window next to Charmy's bed. It's stopped snowing by now and the sky is dark. A bright star in the distance seems wink at me.

Eyes still on the star, I wonder how long I will be able to resist Vector. I know in my head that giving into him will result in a disaster. I don't want a sex-based relationship and I have a feeling that's exactly what Vector is all about. He has a way of scaring me on occasion, but I love him despite that. All these things are so very complicated and leave me feeling perplexed and a bit depressed.

Charmy is starting to get too heavy in my arms, so I get to my feet and cross over to his bed. Very slowly and gently so as not to wake the sleeping bee, I rest him on the mattress and carefully tuck the covers up to Charmy's chin. He doesn't even stir. I smile and observe his peaceful expression for a few moments. How nice it would be to go back to the time I was seven-years-old, happy and carefree without a single problem in the world other than that of choosing what color crayon I should use next for a sloppy drawing.

I tiptoe out of the bedroom and retreat down the hall. Figuring that Vector will be asleep, I crack open the door to the room we share and blink rapidly as my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Sure enough, Vector is lying on his stomach with his arms wrapped around his pillow. He's snoring loudly and there's a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. Shaking my head in slight amusement at his antics, I close the bedroom door quietly behind me before joining Vector in bed. I curl myself into the normal ball I sleep in against Vector's chest and sigh deeply before clearing my head of all thoughts. The worries I'm faced with can wait until tomorrow. Actually, they can wait at least two days. Tomorrow is Christmas and I plan to make it a wonderful day for all three of us.

I wake up late the next morning despite it being Christmas Day. I suppose that's due to the fact that I'm so tired after the exhausting day at Amy's Christmas party. As I open my eyes and rub them sleepily, I wonder what kind of mood Vector will be in. I hope he's not going to be having a strange mood swing today.

"Merry Christmas, Esp!" Vector suddenly exclaims from next to me, apparently the first one awake for once.

"Good morning, Vector," I reply pleasantly, looking up and finding that my nose is still pressed against the crocodile's scaly chest. Blushing, I move back from him a bit and retreat to my side of the bed.

"Nobody's askin' ya to move," Vector points out, a smirk starting to cross his face. "Sleep well last night?"

"I suppose so. I talked to Charmy for a bit and he fell asleep in my arms. It took me a while to escape his bedroom. By the time I finally came to bed, it was quite late," I admit, already feeling drowsy despite the fact that I woke up only a few seconds ago. "I take it that you slept well?"

"Not too bad," Vector replies before his eyes start glittering from the morning sunlight streaming in through the window. "Wanna go get some breakfast so we can open our presents?"

"If you would like to," I say, unable to resist smiling as Vector swings himself out of bed and lands on the ground with a thud before he strides over to the bedroom door and whips it open.

I conceal a yawn before lightly slipping off of the bed and following Vector to the kitchen. Vector is just like a kid at Christmas. I think he's as excited over the Christmas presents as Charmy will be. Surprisingly enough, Charmy is not already in the living room. He must still be sleeping after his disrupted sleep last night.

Once we're in the kitchen, I go to the pantry to fetch the wheaties. I have always believed in a healthy start to the morning, but apparently Vector is not with me on this one. He takes my hand and pulls it away from the pantry before shutting the pantry door. I give him a dubious expression, unsure what he's up to.

"Oh, c'mon, Esp! Nobody eats wheaties on Christmas Day!" Vector convinces me as he points to a box of Christmas cookies on the kitchen counter. "Let's have some cookies and milk!"

I frown at the cookies, having no idea where they came from. After a moment's thought, I suddenly remember that I sent Vector grocery shopping last week while I cleaned the house. I figured it would save time and that shopping was the safer of the two chores for Vector. I can't even imagine the clumsy crocodile trying to clean the house. He'd probably just make an even bigger mess of it. Unfortunately, I never did see what Vector bought from the store. He was suppose to buy healthy food, but apparently he decided to buy sugar cookies with red and green frosting instead.

Since it_ is _Christmas, I sigh and give in, "Well, I suppose cookies and milk for breakfast one day isn't going to hurt us."

"Ya better believe it, Esp!" Vector nods fervently as he swings open the cabinet to our left and pulls out three plates and glasses for us.

I work on opening the box of cookies while Vector tromps over to the refrigerator to fetch some milk. He starts humming Christmas carols more to himself than to me, clearly in the Christmas spirit. Vector's voice is not exactly the best, but at least he's happy. As long as I can keep the three of us content today, then I believe this will be one of my very best Christmases.

As I carefully set cookies on the empty plates in front of me - five for Vector, two for Charmy, and one for myself - Vector opens the milk carton and starts pouring thick, whole milk into the glasses. I give the milk a suspicious look. I typically drink almond milk since it's healthier for you.

"You'll like this stuff, I promise," Vector tells me, shoving a glass into my hand when he notices my suspicious glance. "Just give it a try, won't ya?"

For Vector's sake only, I give the milk one more doubtful glance before I take just the tiniest sip from my glass. I think for a moment as the thick liquid runs down my throat. I turn back to Vector and admit grudgingly, "I suppose this isn't _s o_bad after all. I expected it to be much more sour. This can't be healthy for us though."

"Eh, lighten up! Christmas Day ain't National Health Day, ya know," Vector tells me with a slap on my shoulder before he scratches his head and sends me a quizzical look as he asks, "Is there even a national health day? I've got no clue."

"I don't know either, but there really ought to be one," I point out as I pick up the glasses of milk while Vector picks up the plates of cookies. We bring them to the wooden table in the other room and arrange them in front of the three chairs surrounding it before sitting down next to one another. Looking around myself in concern, I point out, "Isn't it a bit strange that Charmy isn't awake yet? I know he didn't sleep well last night, but I would have thought he would be awake by now."

As if on que, a bright yellow and black blur comes flying into the living room and whizzes to the table. Charmy plops down on the empty chair grinning from ear-to-ear as he exclaims, "Merry Christmas, Espio and Vector! Can we open presents now? Please, please, please?"

"Don't ya want breakfast first?" Vector asks, looking down at his plate of cookies, clearly wanting to eat first. "It ain't everyday Esp lets ya eat cookies for breakfast."

Charmy, who's been too excited to look at what's on his plate, suddenly glances down and grins when he sees two sugar cookies in front of him. He picks up the one with red frosting first and takes a big bite out of it, saying, "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

"I agree," I reply with a confident nod before reaching over under the table and taking Vector's unoccupied hand. He looks startled at the sudden gesture, but then squeezes my hand affectionately. "Can you even imagine that last year none of us knew each other?"

"That's a weird thing to think about," Charmy says after a moment, still stuffing his mouth with cookie. "You and Vector are the best things that ever happened to me!"

"Yer not just sayin' that to stay on Santa's good side, are ya?" Vector jokes since he's already inhaled his cookies.

I smile as I nibble on the edge of one of my own cookies as Charmy rolls his eyes and says, "I'm seven-years-old! Of course I know that Santa doesn't exist. You and Espio are the ones who buy me presents!" I watch Charmy's smile falter before he asks in a feeble voice, "_Did _you buy me any presents?"

"Of course we did," I reassure the bee before he can get upset. "Vector and I each have a present for you. You can open them as soon as you finish breakfast."

"Oh boy!" Charmy exclaims, stuffing the rest of his cookie into his mouth and swallowing it quickly before saying in a rush, "Okay, I'm done. Can I go open presents now?"

I'm not finished eating, but clearly waiting is torture for Charmy and I'm not about to make him suffer. Nodding, I get up from my chair and reply, "You may. I just have to get your present. Go ahead and wait in the living room if you'd like. I'll be there shortly."

I don't need to repeat myself twice. Charmy has already flown out of the room and is bouncing up and down on the sofa in the living room. As I get up to fetch Charmy's present from where I've been hiding it in the closet, Vector takes my wrist and pulls me around to face him as he points out, "You've got frosting all over yer lip, Esp!"

Before I can protest, Vector runs his tongue over my lips very sensually before he takes a step back from me and says, "I've got a surprise for ya! Yer never gonna guess what it is!"

* * *

_I'm sorry that the review replies are shorter than usual. I'm feeling _really_ sick tonight. Anyway, what do you guys think Vector's surprise is? Review please! :)  
_


	88. Gift Giving

**Saints-Fan-12: You would think so, but Vector just doesn't change. I'll go read your chapter next. :) Thanks for reading!  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: *hugs you back* Thanks so much! I need lots of hugs right now and lots of luck too. I hope your prayers work. Thanks so much for caring. It means so much to me. :) Don't worry too much about your psychic powers failing you. I think mine fail me ever time I try to use them, lol. I actually don't think anyone predicted Vector's surprise correctly. Thanks for the congratulations! I'm very surprised that people are bothering to read this. I thought it was going to be an epic failure when I first started posting it. I'm glad that people are reading it though. As stupid as it sounds, this fic and chatting with my readers is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. Thanks so much for everything. I really appreciate your friendship.  
**

**Toni the Mink: Omg, you caught up! Yay! *throws a party for you* Thanks for catching up and for all the reviews you sent me along the way. You are so right about Espio being a softie when it comes to Vector. The two are idiots for one another. :P Surprisingly enough, Vector's surprise isn't sexual. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**purplehedgie: Nope, but the song title sounds frigging hilarious! *goes to look up the song now* I absolutely hate cow milk as well. Just thinking about it gives me shivers. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Thank you! I hope I get better soon too. Hm...well, the horn cover is more like Esp's Christmas present, so I wouldn't say it's the surprise. Let me know what you think of this chapter.  
**

**SurroundedInDarkness: Oh no, you're sick too? *hugs back* It seems like everyone is sick this time of year. Do you know what you have? That's okay! Maybe we can skype some other time. Lol, how was the documentary? :P  
**

**andypandy123: I'd say it wouldn't hurt to know. It's not a bad surprise. Thanks for hoping I feel better and for reading!  
**

**Mormar1: Hehe, you'll find out about the surprise very soon! :D Thanks for the review!  
**

**Guest: I guess I did! I get sick a lot for some reason. D: It does seem like Esp is starting to get a little more comfortable with being attracted to Vector although yeah, I'd definitely say that Vector is more into the whole physical contact thing. Esp seems to think it's "wrong" to want Vector. Poor guy! Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: *hugs* I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the picture! You're so nice. Please wish me luck for tomorrow. I really need it.  
**

**Guest: Wow, you've been reading this fic all night? I'm impressed! I could never suffer through reading my fic for that long. I'm really glad that you feel like you can hear Vector's and Esp's voices in your head while reading this. :) Hope you keep reading!  
**

**NMason1997: Thanks a bunch! I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get better at this rate. =/ Christmas is one of my favorite holidays as well. I mean, who doesn't like presents? It is pretty crazy to think that the three didn't know each other a year ago. So much has happened since then. Hm, so you think that this will be Espio's best Christmas yet then? Thanks for the congratulations! I'm honestly very surprised that I've gotten so many reviews. This fic isn't all that good, but my readers are amazing! I hope you like this chapter. ^^  
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**LuluCalliope: *huggles back* I'm trying to! It's no fun being sick. I forget when I stopped believing in Santa. I think I was six or seven? My parents didn't do a good job trying to keep it a secret from me. I'm so sorry about the fight! It was over anime? That seems like something your dad should not fight with you over. Are you okay now? Whenever you tell Espio to tell the truth, I hear Genie in my head now. I can't wait for Disney World like SO much, you know? Thanks for reading!  
**

**zgirl16: I don't know actually, but I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, so I guess I'll see then. You'll find out about the surprise soon. That's awesome that you're drawing the covers for your stories. I wish I could do that. How's Espio coming along? Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Thanks! I have to go to the doctor tomorrow. *sighs* You'll find out about the surprise soon! Thanks for the review.  
**

**RegularSonicFan: Yay, I'm so glad you liked the chapter! And yup, cookies for breakfast was Vector's idea. I think Vector cleaning Esp up was my favorite part of the last chapter. And ikr? You should always be worried when Vector has a big idea! It's bound to be bad. Playing with the puppies sounds like fun! I wish I wasn't allergic to dogs. I'm feeling really nervous about something at the moment. I'll PM you when I can. Sorry for being so slow. D: Thanks for reading!  
**

**MFG: Lol, Charmy is always ruining the fun, isn't he? Don't worry though; there will be more opportunities for kissing! Thanks for continuing to read this.  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: It's totally okay! I'm so sorry you almost froze to death though. That sounds awful! Are you okay now? Hm, what game should we talk about...*thinks* Wait, didn't you say you have Mario Kart? We could talk about that maybe if you have it? I guess I sort of wrote Charmy after myself since I found out about Santa around that age. My parents suck at keeping secrets from me. How did you find out that Santa doesn't exist? You'll find out what Vector's surprise is soon! Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: Aw, you were worried about me? That's so sweet of you to worry! *hugs tight* I almost didn't update since I was feeling crappy, but I had nothing better to do. :P I hope I get better soon too! I'm so tired of being sick. Oh well. Anyway, that is way too funny about your brother and the crayon! Talk about irony, huh? Did you tell him to use purple because you were thinking about Espio? Yup, there is totally nothing better than Espio. Amy would be stupid not to see that. I agree though, it's best for her to keep to Sonic. Honestly though, I don't see anything attractive in Sonic. What about you? Okay, I'll tell you who saves Esp! *pauses for suspense* It's Veccy! Eggman is definitely going to be Espio's enemy in this, lol. They'll have two big encounters. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXVIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I retrieve Charmy's and Vector's Christmas presents from the closet, wondering what Vector's surprise might be. Knowing Vector, it could be just about anything. Presents tucked under my arm and anticipation building up inside me, I return to the living room where Charmy just can't seem to sit still. He's resorted to flying around the room and doing loops around the Christmas tree. As I set the present for Charmy down under the tree, a thought crosses my mind for the first time. I wonder if Vector bought me anything. Of course he doesn't have to and I don't mind if he doesn't, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps he did happen to pick me up a little something. If he did, what might it be?

Charmy immediately flies down to the bottom of the tree where I just put his Christmas gift. I go to the couch and perch on the edge of it, resting Vector's present in my lap. I really hope he likes it. I bought him the music player because his headphones seem to be attached to him, but what if he doesn't like it for whatever reason?

A second later, Vector enters the room wearing a bright red santa hat on his scaly head. Charmy bursts out laughing and Vector shakes a finger at him, saying, "I'm just tryin' to get into the Christmas spirit here! 'Course, maybe Esp would look better in a santa hat. Whaddya think, Charm?"

Charmy glances up from where he's eying the present under the Christmas tree and gets a big, silly grin on his face as he says, "Yeah! Put it on Espio!"

"Vector, I really don't think-" I start to protest, but it's already too late. Vector has already dumped the large red felt santa hat on my head. It's far too big for me and falls over my eyes so all I can see is the bright red of the fabric. Charmy's giggles increase and I figure I must look rather comical from under the Santa hat. Finally, Vector slides it up over my eyes and says, "Ya make a real good santa, Esp!"

"That's just lovely," I reply flatly before plucking the hat off of my head and arranging it back on top of Vector's head. Raising an eyebrow, I mouth at him, "Don't you want to get Charmy's present?"

"Huh? Oh, right," Vector nods before his cheeks turn pink. He sends me a sheepish glance before disappearing behind the couch. I peer over the rim of the sofa and see Vector on the floor with his head under the couch. A moment later, he retreats from underneath the sofa with a shopping bag in his hand. Apologizing to Charmy, he says, "Sorry it's not wrapped. I did buy a bag ta put yer gift in, but I guess I forgot where I put the bag."

"It's okay," Charmy replies without seeming to mind at all. "I don't care much about wrapping paper or bags. I just like presents!"

"Heh, don't we all? Close yer eyes for me a sec," Vector tells Charmy with a toothy grin on his face. Charmy immediately squeezes his eyes shut. Vector pulls out a video game from inside the bag and tiptoes as quickly as a crocodile can tiptoe across the room. Putting the present into Charmy's open hands, Vector exclaims, "Ya can open yer eyes now!"

Charmy's eyes immediately fly open and a huge grin appears on his face as he looks down at the video game in his hands, cheering, "Yay! I love video games and I've never even heard of this one before! Thank you, Vector! Can I play it right now, Espio? Can I?"

"You can if you like, but there is still another present for you to open," I reply, motioning at my present for Charmy still resting at the base of the Christmas tree.

"I'll open this one before I play my game," Charmy decides, eagerly reaching out for the gift. I watch him closely, hoping that he's going to like his present. I wish I could have gotten him a nicer camera, but the one under the tree was all I could afford this year. Charmy rips the wrapping paper to pieces in seconds and pulls out the camera. His eyes go wide and he flings himself towards me, wrapping tight little arms around my neck as exclaims, "I wanted a camera_ so _bad! This is the best Christmas present ever!"

I wrap an arm around Charmy and hug him tightly as I sigh with relief and reply, "I'm very glad you like it."

"I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Charmy cheers as he flies back over to his video game and tries to open it and mess with his new camera at the same time. It looks as if he's going to be occupied for quite a while.

Turning to Vector, I shyly hand him the present still on my lap and murmur, "Here. This one is for you."

"For me?" Vector echoes as if he's completely shocked that I've thought to get him a present. "Geez, ya didn't have to get me anything! I've already caused ya enough trouble by invitin' myself to live here with yeh and all that."

"I wanted to get you something. Besides, I was the one who invited you to live here. You really are part of our family now. Charmy certainly thinks so and so do I," I admit for the first time, trying to hide my impatience. I'm typically a very patient chameleon, but I really want to know whether or not Vector likes his present.

Vector finally runs a finger along the package until he finds a crease in the wrapping paper. He grabs hold of the crease and yanks the wrapping paper off of the gift in one easy motion. I fiddle with my hands as I watch Vector unwrap his present. The large crocodile fumbles with the box the music player is wrapped in for a few minutes before he finds a way to tear the box open. The music player falls into one of his hands and his eyes go wide.

"How'd ya know that I've been wantin' one of these?" Vector demands incredulously as he looks from his music player to me. Feeling a little embarrassed, I blush and shrug my shoulder. Vector grins and waves me over to him, adding, "C'mere and give me a hug! Yer the sweetest little thing ever, ya know that?"

I'm not sure if "sweet" is really a word to use to describe me, but I'm certainly not going to turn down a hug from Vector. When he's in front of Charmy, Vector always acts affectionate towards me and nothing more. I always feel safer when all three of us are in the room together for this reason. As I move across the couch towards Vector, he catches me in his big, strong arms and pulls me into his lap before hugging me gently against his chest.

Flash! A blinding light causes both Vector and I to flinch and glance across the room. Charmy sends us a grin and holds up his camera, saying, "I got a picture of you two!"

"Let's not print that one out," I say quickly, trying to scoot away from Vector before Charmy can take more embarrassing photos.

"Why not?" Vector asks, firm hands on my waist as he gently tugs me right back onto his lap before he adds, "I thought we agreed on goin' public with our relationship?"

I think about this for a moment and realize that it probably is about time that Vector and I go public. I have no intention of breaking up with him anytime soon, so we're going to be a couple for a while unless Vector decides to dump me. Deciding to give in, I sigh, "I suppose so. I still don't want embarrassing pictures around the house though."

"A hug ain't anything to be ashamed of," Vector points out before plopping his white shopping bag into my hands. "The rest of the stuff in there is fer you, Esp. Sorry again about not wrappin' it or anything. Like I told Charmy, I really did buy a bag. It's the thought that counts, right?"

I'm pleasantly surprised that Vector bought me a gift. I highly doubted that he would bother to get me anything. Slipping a hand inside the bag, I reply, "Of course it's the thought that counts."

Loud video game music fills the air as I pull out something warm and soft from within the bag. It sounds like Charmy has already gotten into his new game. Smiling absentmindedly, I look at the item in my hand in surprise. There's a warm, purple scarf much thicker and warmer than my old flimsy one in my palm.

"This is for me?" I ask Vector, very touched that he would go to the trouble to buy me something to keep warm with.

"Yeah, unless ya know of another chameleon called Espio livin' here," Vector replies with a twinkle in his eye before he motions to the bag and adds, "There's more for ya in there."

Almost unable to believe that Vector actually bothered to buy me more than the scarf, I reach into the bag and pull out soft, warm mittens the same color as the scarf. I can't even count how many times I've gone outside and had my hands freeze. Vector has bought me the perfect gift! Since I felt one more item in the bag earlier, I reach inside it one last time and pull out the final item. It's another piece of the cozy lilac-colored fabric, but I can't quite tell what it is.

"It's a horn cover. It goes over yer horn to keep it warm," Vector explains. "Hope ya like it."

My eyes start to grow watery as I look down at all the gifts on my lap that Vector has kindly bought for me. Blinking furiously in an attempt not to cry, I murmur in a wavering voice, "Oh, Vector, this is all so very nice of you. Nobody has ever gotten me such nice gifts before."

"You deserve every one of 'em," Vector replies, meeting my eyes and whispering, "Just meetin' yeh has changed my life."

I send a sideways look in Charmy's direction. He's still busy playing his new video game and doesn't seem to be paying any attention to Vector or me. Throwing caution to the wind and letting my overflowing emotions take over, I reach up and wrap my arms around Vector's neck before whispering, "Thank you so much."

"Yer welcome, Esp. There's really no need ta cry..." Vector replies, a firm hand on the small of my back.

"I'm not crying. I'm just happy," I tell Vector before leaning forwards and lightly brushing my lips against his.

"Guess I ought to buy ya more presents just to get more free kisses, huh?" Vector asks, eyes sparkling as he tilts my chin up and wipes the few droplets of water on my cheeks away with his fingertip.

I give him another sentimental smile and press my lips against his one more time. It_ is_true that nobody has ever bought me such nice things before. We didn't really celebrate Christmas back with my chameleon family. Well, alright, we did, but nobody ever bought me gifts. Last Christmas was obviously the worst. Bryce went out with some friends, got drunk, and then came back to the house to torture me as usual.

A bright light suddenly blinds me, causing me to go scurrying across the couch away from Vector. Charmy is holding up his camera and gives me a sheepish grin as he says, "Sorry, Espio, but I had to take a picture. I've never seen you two kiss before."

"What are ya talkin' about, kid?" Vector asks teasingly as he slides across the couch and wraps an arm around my shoulder, adding, "I kiss Espio all the time!"

"Great," Charmy replies sarcastically before turning back to his game. "Just don't do it in front of me all the time!"

"So ya still think kissin' is gross?" Vector snickers while I poke him in the side, trying to get him to stop this embarrassing conversation.

"Um..." Charmy starts out, mostly distracted by his video game at this point. "I guess it's not as bad as I thought it might be. It's gross, but it's not really, really gross."

Vector chuckles at Charmy's response before tucking me against his side. I rest my head on Vector's shoulder and am content just to sit here for the rest of the morning and early afternoon while Charmy has an easy time staying occupied with his new game and his camera. By the time evening comes, Charmy has taken at least a hundred pictures and has already passed ten levels in his game. Wanting to get out of the house for a bit, an idea crosses my mind.

"Would you two like to do some Christmas caroling? It's a perfect winter day outside," I point out.

"Sounds like fun to me," Vector chimes in, getting off of the couch and rearranging his santa hat so it sits at a jaunty angle on his head. "I'm a musically talented croc!"

"Sure, why not?" Charmy replies in response to my suggestion, setting down his video game controller and going to get his hat and mittens from the closet. "I don't think I've ever been Christmas caroling before. Can we stop by Cream's house? I want to tell her merry Christmas!"

"We can go wherever you like," I tell Charmy as I slip my new mittens over my hands. Vector sees what I'm doing and helps to wrap my warm scarf tightly around my neck. After that, he slips the horn cover over the horn on my forehead, causing an intense ripple of pleasure to go spiraling through me. I shiver, lose my balance, and awkwardly stumble into the crocodile. My horn is probably the second most sensitive part of my body. Just the slightest touch to it can cause me intense pleasure or pain depending on the way you touch me.

"Steady there, Esp," Vector says, catching me as I tumble into him.

"You did that on purpose," I accuse the crocodile, catching the mischievous look in Vector's eyes. I elbow him lightly and then open the door to the house, waving the crocodile and the little bee after me as I add, "Let's go."

* * *

_I have a lot to say today, so let's start at the beginning. Firstly, I just want to say that I owe a lot to you guys! Thank you all so much for sticking with this fic and making it worth writing. You're the best! Secondly, how do you think Christmas caroling will go for the Chaotix? I'm sure Vector's voice is just lovely. *sarcasm* I have my weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow, so please wish me luck for it! I'm really hoping for some good news this time. Lastly, I've started writing a Pirates of the Caribbean story, but I'm not sure whether or not to post it. I know Pirates of the Caribbean and Sonic are not at all related, but if any of you would bother reading it, please let me know! Okay, I think covered all the bases, lol. __Review please! :)  
_


	89. Christmas Caroling

**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction! The caroling will go so-so. xD Thanks for the review!  
**

**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: *hugs tightly back* D'aww, thanks so much! I swear your reviews are the highlight of my day! The appointment went decently, thank god. I'm not better or worse, which is good news for now, you know? Lol, something sexual is coming in the next chapter. Vector was just saving it for later. :P All I can say is run like hell when you hear that Vector is going to be singing. Wow, this was maybe your favorite chapter so far? Awesome! That's great to hear. :D Omg, omg, omg, you like Pirates of the Caribbean too? That is soooo awesome! *high fives you* I just posted the Potc story actually, so if you want to take a look at it, I would LOVE that! ^^ Do you have any favorite Potc characters or ships? Thanks so much for praying for me and wishing me luck. You're such a great friend. I really look forwards to our little chats on here!  
**

**the14demons: It's okay! Good luck with your homework and with taking care of your puppy. :) Thanks for wishing me luck! I definitely think you're right about Vector going to mess up the songs. Thanks for the review!  
**

**purplehedgie: It was definitely a fluffy chapter. Tomorrow's chapter will be...not so fluffy. xD I think Esp has a really nice singing voice, but that's just me. Oh god, touching is horn is never a good idea unless you want to turn him on, lol.  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Don't worry about it! That's totally okay. :) How was the carnival? I hope you had fun at it. And yup, Esp was really happy in the last chapter. Hope you like this one!  
**

**Alicia: Yeah, I posted my Potc fic because why not, you know? xD Omg, if my mom ever leaves me alone for a while, we should watch a movie together! Remember how we used to do that? The appointment went decently, I guess. I'll either email you more about it after this.  
**

**Guest: Thanks! I don't really think I'm that good of a writer, so I always get so shocked when I get reviews. Thanks for leaving me comments on this fic! Yours are always some of my favorites. :) Oh my god, Vector singing about finding the computer room would be hysterical! You don't like Potc? :P That's alright! I did decide to post it though. Hopefully, someone will read it, but you never know since I love my weird pairings. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**NMason1997: Wow, thanks so much! I'm glad that you thought that the last chapter was touching. I try to put a lot of different emotions into my fics, but I don't know if it shows through or not. Espio's going to have his best Christmas ever right up until the end of this chapter. :P Yes! It would be so awful and awkward if they had gotten gifts for each other that they didn't end up liking. I've had that happen to me before a lot of times. The last chapter made your night? Aw, that is so nice of you to say! I'm so happy that you're still enjoying this story. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**LuluCalliope: It's okay about shorter reviews! Are you still feeling tired? I hope not. I feel the same way. I've been staying up late a lot lately. You're totally right; Vector can't sing to save his life. xD I posted my Potc fic if you want to read it. I'd absolutely love it if you did! I have a feeling not many people will read it. I hope you had a nice day at school and that you're not so tired now. *hugs*  
**

**andypandy123: I definitely agree, but if it's Vector playing the piano, then you never know. xD Thanks for reading! Oh, and thank you also for accepting my friendship request on skype!  
**

**zgirl16: Lol, ikr? Everyone should run away before Vector starts singing! xD It's okay if you don't want to read the Potc story. I love those movies, but they're not everyone's thing. I wish I could see your picture of Espio! I bet it looks awesome. ^^ Thanks for reading!  
**

**ShadowChaotix: Hehe, well, actually the santa hat wasn't the surprise! You'll get to read about the surprise in this chapter. ^^ Thanks for reading it!  
**

**RegularSonicFan: Aw, I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! I laugh thinking about Esp and Veccy taking turns wearing the santa hat. xD Omg, trying to hold back laughing in public is so hard, isn't it? I always fail at that and burst out laughing and get all these wtf looks from the people around me. Yeah, I've always been allergic to dogs, which totally sucks. I don't think I'm allergic to anything else though. How about you? Yeah, it sucks being busy so much! I feel so worn out right now. *sighs* Omg, yeah, Vector's neighbors should definitely get ear plugs! I'll definitely check it out! Probably tomorrow though because I'm half-asleep right now. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Guest: Oh my god, you're making me blush so much right now! You really think that about my stories? Thanks a million!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, it's okay about the caps. I don't mind them at all. I'm lazy too, so I would definitely not be getting the phone if I were you. xD Oh geez, guys never listen, do they? That's the problem with them. *shakes head* Woo, Mario Kart is awesome! I think my favorite course is Koopa Cape (I've only played the wii version). What's your favorite course? I took it pretty well...I guess I always thought the whole santa thing seemed suspicious. Geez! Your grandpa needs to shut his mouth and stop ruining the fun. And aw, it's okay! I understand about the keyboard. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector, Charmy, and I step out into a winter wonderland. Although it's not snowing right now, there is a solid layer of glittering snow covering the ground. Snow twinkles from the tree branches and casts a mystic glow upon us despite the fact that it's evening. I can't help but smile to myself at how nice today has turned out to be. Glancing to my left, I see Vector tromping happily through the snow with his santa hat almost falling off of his head. Charmy is right next to him bundled up in his red and white striped scarf and hat. I'm toasty warm in the new winter gear Vector bought me for Christmas. For once, my fingertips aren't numb and I'm not racing back to the house to escape the cold.

"Wait, aren't we suppose to be Christmas caroling?" Charmy points out after a few moments of our pleasant walk.

"Right. That was kinda the point of this, wasn't it?" Vector nods before his eyebrows crease and he looks like he's thinking hard about something. Turning to me, he asks, "Whaddya think we should sing, Esp? I know a damn good version of Jingle Bells I could teach ya."

"How about we just stick with one of the original Christmas songs?" I interject quickly. I don't know what Vector's version of Jingle Bells sounds like, but it most likely contains swearing and/or possibly dirty lyrics. A song that fits my high spirits comes to mind and I suggest, "What about 'Joy to the World'? Do you two know that song?"

"Of course we know it," Charmy replies, rolling his eyes at me. "Who_ doesn't _know that song?"

"Yeah, I know it too, not like I'm religious or anything though," Vector points out with a smirk as he notices a group of houses clustered together up ahead. "Look, boys! We can Christmas carol around here and see if anyone will let us in. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will offer us some cookies or hot chocolate!"

"That would be awesome!" Charmy replies before starting up a chorus of Joy to the World in as loud of a voice as he can possibly sing in. Vector quickly chimes in with his horribly off-key voice and is joined by me moments later. We make quite the motley crew with Charmy's high-pitched voice, Vector's gruff voice, and my deep voice. Not one person opens their door for us as we go from house to house Christmas caroling. I'm honestly not surprised considering how off-key Vector's singing is. I don't mind it myself though. Truth be told, I'm just thankful that we're all here together enjoying Christmas on this beautiful winter night. It's more than I ever have dreamed about having only six months ago.

Despite the fact that I'm completely unfazed by the lack of attention to our Christmas caroling, Charmy starts to seem a little put out. Putting his hands on his hips, he frowns and whines, "Why hasn't anyone opened their door for us yet? I want cookies and hot chocolate!"

"That's actually a real good question, Charmy," Vector nods as he reaches up to scratch his head. He gets a snarky look on his face and elbows me before pointing out, "It must be Esp's singin' voice that's the problem. Yer a real good singer and everyone knows how good a croc's voice is."

"Oh yes, I'm sure my voice is what the problem is," I reply in a dry, sardonic voice. "Of course it would have nothing to do with your voice."

"My voice?" Vector echoes, feigning mock annoyance at my question. "What are ya sayin'? Yeh don't like my voice?"

"That's not at all what I'm saying," I reply in an even tone. "I like your voice very much. You wouldn't be Vector if you changed your voice."

"Heh, that's sweet of yeh to say," Vector says, using my compliment as an excuse to wrap an arm around my waist and draw me closer to him. "I love yer voice too. Ya know that regardless of however much I tease ya that I still love ya to pieces, right?"

"No, I didn't know that," I reply, still using my ironic tone of voice as I flick my fingers playfully at the arm Vector has insisted on wrapping around my shoulders.

"Well, now ya do," Vector says, leaning down and planting a sloppy kiss on my forehead. He smacks my fingertips playfully off of his arm and continues on, "Don't try and fight me because it ain't gonna do ya any good. We're a couple and I can put my arm around yeh if I want to."

"Ick, you guys need to get a room," Charmy complains as we round the corner. Night is falling fast and already the stars have come out and are gleaming down at us from the heavens. "I'm getting bored. Can we go to Cream's house and then go home? I want to play with my video game some more or take some pictures!"

"That sounds fine. We're almost to Vanilla's house. It's just around the next corner here," I reply as the three of us continue our peaceful walk through the snow. As we near Vanilla's light yellow home, a tremor of anxiety runs through me. What will people think when they hear that Vector and I are a couple? What will they say? Realizing that Vector's arm is still wrapped tightly around me and that it doesn't look like it will be moving anytime soon, I point out, "So I suppose Vanilla will be the first to know about us?"

"Huh?" Vector asks, looking confused before he registers what I'm asking him. His cheeks turn pink. Too pink. I know that he's not just cold as a sheepish look crosses his face and he admits, "Miss Vanilla kinda knows about us already."

"Vector!" I exclaim, a bit annoyed that he didn't respect my wishes of keeping our relationship a secret. "You did promise not to tell anyone."

"I know, I know. I didn't really tell though. Miss Vanilla kinda guessed it. When I broke up with her, I told her there was someone else in my life. She guessed all on her own that it was you. I couldn't exactly lie to her, so I just said that yeah, it is you. She doesn't think any less of either of us, so don't ya worry yerself about it," Vector replies as we near the house.

Now it's my turn to have my cheeks turn red. Glancing up at Vector worriedly, I ask, "Is it really that obvious that there's something between us?"

"What can I say, Esp? Ya can't stop love," Vector shrugs nonchalantly, obviously not caring if the whole world knows about our relationship. As we start up the driveway to Vanilla's house, Vector pipes up, "Guess we should probably start singin' since we're supposed to be Christmas carolin' here. Let's sing 'Jingle Bells' this time."

Vector starts out a horribly scratchy-voiced version of Jingle Bells. Charmy and I join him in singing and I inconspicuously cross my fingers behind my back, hoping that Vanilla will open the door for us despite Vector's awful voice. After all, not one a single person bothered to open their door to us tonight. Perhaps Vector's voice is even worse than I realize since I'm mostly used to it. I find that I needn't worry though because the door to Vanilla's house opens even before we reach it.

"Hello, you three!" Vanilla greets us in a warm voice. "What a pleasant surprise! It's very good to see you. How has your Christmas been?"

"Great! Esp got me a brand spankin' new music player!" Vector says immediately, squeezing my shoulders and causing me to blush because of the way he's treating me in front of Vanilla. "How about yerself, ma'am? Are ya havin' a nice Christmas?"

"Yes, it's been very nice. A few of my relatives visited earlier," Vanilla says before turning and calling into the house, "Cream, could you please bring us some of the cookies I just baked? Charmy is here to wish you a merry Christmas."

Charmy's eyes immediately light up as well as Vector's as he bursts out in an excited voice, "You have cookies?!"

"I do," Vanilla nods, smiling sweetly at Charmy's reaction to the cookies. "They're freshly baked."

A few seconds later, Cream appears in the doorway with a plate of cookies. She offers them to all of us before she wishes Charmy a merry Christmas and gives him a hug. I politely decline a cookie since I've had more than enough sweets for one day. Vector, greedy as always, takes three cookies and Charmy takes two. Normally, I'd chastise him about having too many sweets in one day, but it_ is _Christmas and I can't quite bring myself to point this out to him today.

Charmy and Cream chatter together about their new Christmas presents while Vanilla and Vector blab about things I'm not all that concerned about. I typically make an effort to join into the conversation, but tonight I'm very tired after getting only a few hours of sleep last night and am content to lean against Vector's side and smile politely while I pretend that I'm paying attention to the conversation. By the time Vector and Charmy say their farewells to Vanilla and Cream, I'm practically asleep.

Once the door closes and the two of us turn towards the sidewalk to start the thankfully short walk home, Vector pokes my side lightly and asks, "Yer not fallin' asleep yet, are ya, Esp? Ya have to be awake for my special surprise. Don't tell me ya forget about it."

I raise a curious eyebrow at Vector. I actually did forget about his surprise, but there's no need for him to know that. Tilting my head up to the crocodile and doing my best to stay awake, I ask, "What is your surprise, Vector? I'd be lying if I said I'm not curious about it."

"I ain't just gonna tell ya!" Vector exclaims, looking horrified at my question. "Yer just gonna have to wait until we get home to find out. Lucky for you, we're almost there."

It is fortunate that we're almost back to our home because I'm about to fall asleep on my feet. My legs are tired and I want nothing more than to sink onto the sofa with my head against the cushions and Vector by my side for the rest of the night. Unfortunately for me, that's not how the rest of the night is going to go.

I forgot to lock the door, so the three of us enter the house two minutes later without any delays. Vector takes my hand and Charmy's hand before leading us to the couch. He pushes us both down onto it before tromping over to the piano and saying, "Bet ya didn't know I've been practicin' some Christmas tunes on here for ya! I've been making sure to practice while you boys were outta the house."

"Ooo, are you going to play some music for us, Vector?" Charmy exclaims excitedly, bouncing up and down on the couch from next to me. I really don't understand how he always has so much energy. It must be because of all of the sugar he's eaten today.

"I sure am, kid! Now just kick back and listen. This here's 'Silent Night'," Vector announces before beginning to play the piano.

I find myself cringing after just the first few notes. Vector is concentrating very hard on his piano playing, but his hand keeps slipping on the keys and he hits a wrong note every two seconds. It's really the thought that counts though and I appreciate Vector trying his hardest to play Christmas carols for us. A little smile flickers around the corners of my lips as Vector plays Silent Night. It's rather ironic that the big, boisterous crocodile chose to play a quiet, sentimental song out of all the different Christmas tunes there are. I'm certainly not complaining though. It's nice for a change.

After the first song, Charmy looks like he has an earache and quickly excuses himself from the room, claiming tiredness. He hugs Vector and myself before snagging his camera on the way to his bedroom. I have a strong feeling that he's not going to bed and will be taking pictures in his room for the next hour or so. Vector proceeds to attempt and fail to play another Christmas song. I'm curled up on the couch sleepily and am barely listening to Vector's performance since I'm having a difficult time staying awake.

"Geez, Esp, I played a hell of a lot better when I was practicin' these songs for ya. Guess yer making me nervous! ...Uh, Esp?" Vector adds when I don't respond right away. I glance up sleepily and blink my eyes at him, trying to make myself pay attention to what he just said. Vector shakes his head affectionately at me and gets off of the piano bench before he starts over to me and says, "Yer not appreciatin' this too much since yer tryin' to sleep, huh?"

"It was all very nice," I lie drowsily since the thought was indeed nice. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

"I can see that," Vector points out with a smirk. "Want me to carry ya to the bed?"

Normally, I'd refuse this offer and insist on walking to the bedroom myself. However, my legs are weak and flimsy and I don't particularly feel like getting up right now. Allowing my eyes to fall shut, I reply, "If you don't mind, then yes."

"'Course I don't mind!" Vector replies, all too eager as he leans down and scoops me into his arms before pulling my small body against his chest. He holds me much too close to him and starts to stroke my thigh with one hand as he carries me to the bedroom. I lay my head against his chest and practically fall asleep once more.

When we finally reach the darkened bedroom, Vector pulls the door shut behind us before going straight to the bed. He yanks the covers down from top of the bed and lays me on my back on the middle of the white, virginal sheets. This is when I really ought to realize that my perfect Christmas Day is about to take a turn for the worse. After all, Vector should have laid me down on the left side of the bed, not on the center of it.

* * *

_Many thanks to everyone who wished me luck with my appointment today! I'm no better or worse, which is good news for now. Who thinks that there will be trouble in the next chapter? Oh, and this is really random, but I did decide to post my Pirates of the Caribbean fic. It's called "Poisoned Apples" and if anyone wants to read and review it for me, I will love you forever! xD Okay, I'll stop self-advertising now, hehe. __Review please! :)  
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	90. Insatiable Desires

**Saints-Fan-12: Lol, that's exactly what stupid Vector is going to do. *shakes head at Vector* Thanks for the review! Btw, I updated my Potc fic again if you want to read the next chapter of it. I'm so happy that you read the first chapter! ^^  
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**RegularShowandSonicrulez1: Wow, really? My story and our chats make your day? I am so glad to hear that! *gives you another hug* You definitely do not make your reviews too long! I love long reviews! Whenever I get a long review, I start squealing like an idiot. Esp had definitely better watch out. Vector is always up to something he shouldn't be up to, isn't he? When will that stupid croc learn?! xD Oh yeah, Vector should totally go on the X Factor. I'm sure he would win! *more sarcasm* I hate that show too. That, and American Idol. It's just not my type of thing. Ikr? It's so awesome to meet a fellow Potc fan! We have so much in common. Those three are all great characters. Is there anything in particular you like about them? I tend to like the Potc baddies for some reason, don't ask me why! Omg, you really liked my Potc story that much? *blushes* I am soooooo happy to hear that! Seriously, it made my day! I wasn't sure if I should post it or if anyone would read it, you know? I always feel so insecure about my stories. But anyway, I updated that one and this one! Hope you like the updates and thanks for chatting with me! :D  
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**the14demons: One of your predictions is right! Good job! I'm glad you're starting to get less homework. That's great news! Aw, your puppy sounds cute, but I can understand how taking care of one can be tiring. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**purplehedgie: I'd say that Vector's surprise has a second part to it. :P Wow, I'm so glad that this story helps you with stress. That's a great compliment, thanks! This chapter is kind of...intense. xD  
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**Chibi-Guest: Vector is doing what you think he is doing! Bad Vector! *shakes finger at him* He needs to learn his lesson about not pushing Esp. And ikr? He needs a lot more piano practice! Thanks for hoping I get better soon. I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: I'm honestly surprised I got any reviews for it! I wonder if anyone will keep reading after the first chapter or not. Hm. Guess we'll have to wait and see! I'm really enjoying working on it though, so I guess that's what matters. Btw, I should be on skype around 12:45 if you want to talk. ^^  
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**Guest: You would think that Vector would have more sense than to try and get it on with Esp when he's half asleep, but apparently not! Let's just say that it's definitely going to get awkward in the bedroom. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**NMason1997: Trouble is definitely brewing! I'm really glad to hear that you liked the last chapter so much. I totally get what you mean about the right amount of cheesiness. I mean, I tried really hard to keep this story light-hearted and funny, but I also wanted to give it a deeper meaning, which is how I came up with Espio's back story, you know? Hehe, yeah, I think we all knew that Vector would try and sleep with Esp at the end of the day. He never learns, does he? You'll see if a certain chameleon stands up for himself or not in this chappie. Hope you like it!  
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**LuluCalliope: Thanks! I just hope I can make it through next week as well. *hugs back* I'm sorry you're still tired, but I'm glad that you're doing well in your classes! Omg, chemistry is such a pointless, stupid subject. I failed it miserably. I can get on skype at around midnight maybe. What time can you get on? Lol, yes, Espio better get ready for an unpleasant surprise. Thanks for reading this and my Potc fic! :D You're such a good friend.  
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**Toni the Mink: Hehe, Vector's piano playing was pretty cute even if it was an epic failure. I'm sad to say it, but Vector is not going to put Esp on the right (left in this case xD) side of the bed. Trouble is coming! Hope you like this chapter.  
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**zgirl16: The surprise was the piano playing, hehe. I'm glad you liked the chapter! Aw, I'm sure you're great at drawing. :) I've had a lot of polls up and down lately. I don't think I have any up at the moment. Thanks for reading!  
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**ShadowChaotix: I think you can probably read the other fic without knowing anything about Potc, but don't worry, you totally don't have to read it. That's definitely where I got Vector playing the piano from. The bar episode is my favorite Sonic X episode, I think. No Vanilla in it, thank god. Thanks for the review!  
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**RegularSonicFan: Yay, I'm so glad that you thought the last chapter was funny! I had fun writing it. Vector totally failed at Silent Night, didn't he? Oh well, it's the thought that counts. However, I have to point out that Veccy is _not_ thinking right now. Making a move on Esp is a bad idea like you pointed out. That's great that you're not allergic to anything. Omg, yeah, that about to pass out feeling is awful. I have a headache today and I think it's from being so tired. I will! Sorry I haven't done that yet. I haven't been on dA for a bit. Feel free to send me another message about what's on your mind! I'll try to get back to you ASAP. Sorry I haven't gotten back to our longer message yet. D: Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnOriginalPenNameHere: Yay, you got your phone back! *parties* Awesome. xD Espio is lucky and also not-so-lucky. Vector's voice isn't exactly...uh...music to your ears. Guys never listen and I always end up getting fed up with them. No wonder I don't have a boyfriend. Ooo, I love Bowser's Castle! It's an awesome track. What character do you usually play with in Mario Kart? That is so true about your grandpa! Why spoil the fun? D: And aw, no problem! We all have computer issues sometimes. Thanks for the review!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXXX  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I close my eyes sleepily, but despite the fact that my eyelids are closed, I'm all too aware of the bright vermilion eyes staring at me. Very tired, I force my eyelids open and see Vector looking down at me just like I expected him to be doing. His eyes are aflame with some sort of emotion I'm too fatigued to try and identify. Wondering why he hasn't laid down yet, I wave my hand to the sheets next to me and murmur in a sleepy voice, "Aren't you going to come to bed? It is rather late and you don't want to be tired tomorrow."

Vector nods and I feel a dramatic shift in the mattress as the large crocodile plops down beside me. I close my eyes again before Vector's dizzying spicy scent goes flying up my nose. Whipping my eyes open, I find Vector millimeters from me on the bed, longing and desire written all over his face.

"What are you doing?" I ask him suspiciously, not liking the dark look behind the irises of his eyes.

Vector decides to show me instead of tell me. His long, wet tongue slips out of his mouth and starts lathing the side of my neck. I'll admit that the hollow of my neck is a very sensitive place for me. Apparently, Vector has already figured this out. He takes advantage of me and ravishes my throat with long sweeps of his sticky tongue before lightly biting at the soft scales there. Despite the fact that I'm tired, Vector's attention is sending lightning bolts of pleasure straight through me, making sleep impossible.

I slowly part my lips to tell Vector to stop, but the cunning - I can believe I'm describing Vector this way since he's usually a bit slow - crocodile takes advantage of the situation and claims my lips, placing his ginormous hands on my chest and running them down to my stomach. Pinned down and unable to say anything, I give up as Vector hungrily licks and nips at every corner and angle of my bruised mouth. Eventually his lips leave mine and start traveling down.

Before dropping below my stomach, Vector reaches to my side and takes one of my hands into his. He takes hold of the glove on my hand with his shiny white teeth and rips it off before flinging it across the room. I don't see what the point of this is as I'm too busy wondering why my heart just leapt into my throat. Vector certainly sees a point in this though. He repeats the same motions with the glove on my other hand before disappearing from view.

Paranoia sets in on me as I wonder where he's gone to. Suddenly, I feel my sneakers being tugged off almost violently. Two loud crashing sounds greet my ears as Vector carelessly tosses my shoes across the room. He picks up my right foot and slides a finger up and around my toes. A tingling sensation runs through me, and despite the fact that nothing is keeping my mouth shut at this point, I don't tell Vector to stop.

My head falls back against the pillow as wet saliva suddenly dribbles onto my lower leg. Vector's hands travel up, his fingers molding into the shape of my calf before going up further still. He starts kissing my thighs, causing melting heat to rush down below my stomach. My hands automatically grab the sheets and tangle up in them as I bite my lip to keep my moans to myself. Hot, wet lips press across my hipbone and then start towards my crotch. Something strange is happening within me and is starting to scare me. The unstoppable flood of strange desire seems to take over my lower body even though I don't want this to go any father and need it to stop immediately. Vector will stop here, won't he? He knows better than to push me...

Or perhaps he doesn't know better. I feel a large, powerful hand force its way between my thighs before trying to push them outwards. My heart starts thrumming frantically against my chest as I see that Vector has lost control and will take me right here and now unless I put a stop to it.

"Vector, we _have _to stop," I whisper, my voice ragged and breathy.

For a second, Vector doesn't stop. He keeps his hands placed firmly between my trembling thighs. My pulse races and goes into overdrive as I look up at him from where I'm lying flushed and sweaty on the bed, still clutching the sheets with fear reflecting in my eyes. I push the thought out of my head that tells me that Vector might pretend not to hear my plea.

"Why do we gotta stop?" Vector asks me in a throaty voice, his own pupils dilated in lust as he looks up and down my body that seems to be burning up beneath him. "Yeh want me. Admit it."

"I...I'm not ready," I stammer, sweat dribbling down my forehead as I realize that Vector has still not removed his hands from between my thighs. "Vector, please."

"Goddammit, Esp!" Vector suddenly yells, smacking his fist against the sheets next to me.

My eyes fly open wide and I wonder for a moment if that fist was supposed to go crashing into my chest. I try and tuck myself into the sheets away from Vector, but he grabs my shoulder roughly and yanks me around so we're nose to nose. I can feel his hot breath against my neck and can easily spot the sizzling rage in his expression.

"Yer such a damn tease, ya know that?" Vector shouts at me, practically breaking my eardrums since we're only inches away from one another.

"Please don't shout," I whisper, trying to get Vector to get a hold of himself before he either shatters my eardrums or does some real damage to me.

"I'm gonna shout if I want to and yer gonna listen," Vector snaps although he does lower his voice a few notches. Still eye-to-eye with me, he goes on, "All ya ever do is tease me, Esp. Yeh let us get to a certain point and then ya shove me away without any thought for anyone but yerself! Yer so selfish! I've done everything I can for ya and yer still holding back. I know why too. It's 'cuz ya think yer too good for me. I'm sick and tired of all yer stupid meditating and 'keeping yer body clean' antics. If ya always thought yeh were so much better than me, ya never should have agreed to bein' in a relationship with me to begin with!"

Tears prick the corners of my eyes. Am I really selfish? I have given up just about everything to make Charmy and Vector happy. I slave away at the cafe for hours on end so Charmy can eat and have a decent place to live. I've opened my home up to Vector as well since he had no other place to go. Despite all this, am I still selfish?

"I'm sick of ya, Espio! I coulda had someone like Miss Vanilla, y'know, but I chose you instead," Vector rants, clearly having been suppressing these feelings inside himself for quite some time now. "Guess I made the wrong decision, huh? It's obvious ya don't love me like I love you. I should just break up with ya."

Vector leans away from me and my mind immediately starts racing. I can't let Vector leave me like this! In this sort of rage, he could easily walk out the door and right out of my life. It would destroy me to see him with Vanilla after everything we've been through together. I _need _Vector in my life now. He's as essential to me as the air I breathe.

"Don't leave. Please," I implore Vector, hating to hear myself beg, but not sure what else to resort to at this point. I lean up and grab his wrist, searching his eyes as I murmur in a quavering voice, "Take me if means you won't leave me. I...I couldn't stand that."

"Yer a lot weaker than ya try to look, ya know that? Yer arrogance just masks yer insecurities," Vector spits at me as he gets off of the bed and glares at me. "I don't want ya now or ever. Why would I want someone who's not my equal, huh?"

"I never said that," I whisper, truly frightened that Vector will leave me for good in this sudden rage of his. "There's something you don't understand. If you calm down and listen, I will tell you what it-"

"Enough of yer dirty little secrets! I don't wanna hear 'em," Vector cuts me off before he stomps towards the bedroom door and gives me a nasty look from over his shoulder as he growls, "Shaddap and sleep, Esp."

Wham! The door slams shut behind Vector, leaving me all alone in the dark. I sit up in bed and find that I'm shivering. I don't understand how my body went from hot to cold in seconds, but I'm certain that it has something to do with the panic rising in my chest. What if Vector leaves me? What then? I'll still have Charmy, yes, but now that I've had Vector in my life, how will I live without him? I already have so many regrets. I should have acted less arrogant when I first met Vector and I shouldn't have acted like I was better than him.

I yank the sheets around my shaking figure and wipe the back of my bare hand against my cheek. It comes away wet from tears I didn't know I was crying. Vector is right - I am weak. I'm so weak that I need him in my life more than anything else. Why oh why did I fall in love with the short-tempered crocodile? Chaos forbid that I get into a situation like this ever again!

I try and curl myself into the sheets to sleep, but despite my exhaustion, I can't relax my body enough to fall into slumber. I keep thinking about Vector and what he said to me. Is it really that bad of me to resist him? If Vector knew about my past, I'm sure he'd understand. Then again, perhaps not. Perhaps he wouldn't even care.

By the time morning comes, I haven't slept a wink. My scales are dull and pale and my eyes are dark and red-rimmed from crying and lack of sleep. Unsure what I'm going to find in the living room, I pad silently down the hallway, crossing my fingers behind my back that Vector hasn't left. When I reach the living room, I find Vector on the couch, resolutely facing away from me. Alright, so he hasn't left. That has to mean he's not as upset as last night, right?

Taking a deep breath, I hope that we can just start over and say in a false cheerful voice, "Good morning, Vector."

"Mornin'," Vector replies grouchily, not even bothering to turn his head from where he's still sprawled out on the couch.

I fiddle with my hands and try and figure out how to get him to forgive me for all the things I've apparently done to upset him that I wasn't aware of until last night. Knowing how much Vector loves food, I suggest in my same falsely happy voice, "Can I get you something for breakfast?"

"Nah," Vector answers immediately.

I stare at him inn shock. Never before has Vector turned down food in all the time I've known him. Unsure what to do at this point, I sink miserably into one of the wooden chairs by the table. If Vector won't take food, there's nothing he will take from me and I'm out of ideas of how to get him to forgive me. I absolutely loathe being in this kind of situation. I despise being at another being's mercy. It's my nature to want to hold my own and not care about anyone else in the world. Love has changed that for me though. _Vector _has changed me.

"Hey guys!" a genuinely cheerful voice comes from across the room as Charmy comes flying into the living room with a grin on his face. His grin slowly disappears as he takes in my nervous expression and Vector slouching on the couch with his arms across his chest. Hesitating in midair, Charmy asks, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," I reply in a hollow voice, not wanting Charmy to know that Vector and I are fighting. I hear Vector snort at my words from across the room and wince. Waving Charmy over to me, I ask, "Would you like me to fix you some breakfast? I can make pancakes or waffles if you like."

"Um, I don't know," Charmy replies, looking from me to Vector and clearly noticing that something is going on between us. Suddenly, the phone starts ringing at maximum volume. Charmy's eyes light up and he immediately starts into the kitchen, yelling, "I'll get the phone!"

Once Charmy disappears from view, I realize that this may be my only chance to talk to Vector without the little bee around. Despite the trepidation I feel towards facing the stubborn crocodile, I force myself to my feet and start over to the couch. I can hear Charmy talking animatedly in the other room, but ignore him since I need to focus on Vector right now.

I come to a halt next to the couch and look down at Vector. He refuses to look at me and still has his arms folded firmly across his chest. In a tentative voice, I ask, "Can we talk? I need to tell you something."

I made up my mind last night to tell Vector about Bryce so he can finally understand my aversion to sex and why it frightens me so much. Unfortunately, Vector responds in the worst way possible and replies in a flat voice, "There's nothin' to be said."

Chewing my lip at this comment, I try and think of another way to convince him to talk to me, but instead end up asking, "Are we...no longer together?"

"I dunno," Vector says again in his same flat voice. "Guess it's up to you, seein' as this is yer house I'm stuck livin' in it."

These words hurt and I draw myself up to my full height before replying in an icy voice, "You could be out on the streets. The least you can do is show me some respect."

"Yeah, yeh could've showed me some respect too," Vector contradicts.

I turn away from him and refuse to say another word. This conversation is officially over.

* * *

_Geez, Vector, you're such a horny bastard! Anyway, who do you think might be calling the Chaotix? __Review please! :)  
_


	91. Envious Emotions

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to be replying to reviews tonight because I'm extremely tired and I have a fever. Sorry again about this! I've had a bad day all around, but I figured an update with no review responses is better than no update at all, right? Thanks for understanding everyone. :) I hope you like this chapter!  
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* * *

**Chapter LXXXXI  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Normally when we get a phone call, I'm the first one to get the phone if I'm not too lazy. Out of the three members of Team Chaotix, I'd say I'm the one most impatient to get sent on another mission that will actually require us to use our detective skills. Out of the three missions we've been sent on so far, we've only had to use our skills for one of 'em. I'm startin' to think that Team Chaotix is never gonna get anywhere at this rate. It ain't helping how Espio and I are both ticked off at each other at the moment.

Look, I know I should just leave the stubborn little chameleon alone, but I can't seem to help myself when it comes to him. He's forever teasin' me with his slender, slightly curvy body and he's always sending me all kinds of sultry glances out of those big amber eyes of his. Last night was the farthest we ever got and then Espio decided to cut himself off from me. He never thinks, does he? At least, I know he doesn't think about _me_. All he thinks about is himself and what he wants. We can fondle and make out for a bit, but when he decides it's time to stop, then we have to stop. I almost couldn't stop last night and that's really botherin' me. I can't get like that again with Esp. To think that I might have actually raped him...argh, let's just not go there.

I sit on the couch and keep my eyes glued to the wall opposite me. I threatened Espio last night. Said I'd break up with him for bein' such a tease and for driving me crazy. Did I mean it? Nope. I'll never be able to break up with him even if I really want to. Still though, the nasty side of me wants to make him think that maybe I will just get up and leave him. Espio deserves it for all the vexation he's caused me. From now on, I'm not gonna be able to kiss him, touch him, or do any of the stuff I really wanna do with him. There's not gonna be another scene like last night between us. I know that if there is, hell's gonna break loose and someone is gonna end up gettin' hurt.

Espio is standing a short distance away from me, tail flicking from right to left in agitation. He refuses to look at me since I just tossed a few insults in his direction. He tried to talk things through with me, but I basically told him to shut his trap since I really don't feel like talking calmly with him right now. I don't like the way Espio has me wrapped around his finger. I jump to obey his every command. It just ain't right. A big, tough croc like me should be dominant, not a stubborn, arrogant chameleon!

Charmy's chatter from the kitchen comes to a halt, telling us that he's off of the phone. A moment later, the bright yellow and black blur comes flying into the living room. Looking positively gleeful, the little bee exclaims, "Guess what? We've got another mission! We're actually going to do some real detective work!"

Despite my bad mood, I tear my eyes off of the wall in front of me and ask Charmy curiously, "Say what?"

"It was Sonic I was talking to on the phone," Charmy exclaims all in a rush so that I have to struggle to understand what he's sayin'. "He says that there's something really important that he wants to talk to us about and that we should come over to his house right away. It's top secret!"

"Hm. Guess we should get going then. We've gotta help out if our pal is in trouble," I state, pulling myself up from the couch and starting towards the door with Charmy right behind me. Espio doesn't make a move and continues standing stiffly where he's been standin' for the last five minutes. As soon as I have the door open, Charmy immediately flies outside. Espio still stands like a statue while he gazes out the window with blank, empty eyes. He looks sick, but I don't feel bad for him. In a gruff voice, I ask, "Comin', Espio?"

"Yes," the slight chameleon replies in a dull voice before he turns and steps towards the door. He keeps his head down and his eyes on the floor as he brushes past me. For once, his tail is hanging limply from his body instead of bobbing in the air. It's as if he's been stripped of his pride.

Deciding to let Espio take care of himself, I shrug my shoulders at his mood change and step through the doorway as well. Espio is just standing there next to the door with his head down and his arms around himself. His strange antics are startin' to bug me, so I ask, "What are ya waitin' for?"

"I don't know the way to Sonic's house," Espio informs me in his even voice.

"Oh, right. I forgot ya said yeh don't have any friends," I reply, a mean note in my voice as I stomp past Espio and out into the snow.

I don't care if I'm insulting Espio or if I'm makin' him feel bad. After all the strife he's caused me, Esp deserves a little pain. For some reason, I'm in the mood to pick an argument with him. I kinda hoped that my comment would get him to argue with me, but instead Espio has just retreated within himself and looks even more melancholy than before. At least he's not tearing up and acting all stupid and sentimental. I can't stand it when he does that.

Sonic's house isn't too far from Espio's house, so we manage to get there in about five minutes. I stride up confidently to the gray door of the darker gray shaded house and knock. Espio stands in my shadow and Charmy hovers excitedly by my side.

Creak! The door to Sonic's house opens almost as soon as I knock. That blue hedgehog sure is fast. Sonic grins at us and waves the three of us inside, saying, "Hello, you three! I'm so glad you could come. We've got some trouble and could really use your help with a few things."

"Anything for a buddy of mine," I reply as I tromp through the doorway and into Sonic's clean, but sorta empty house. I figure he's too busy out running and saving the world to worry about decorating.

Sonic leads us through the hallway and into his living room where there are four figures already waitin' for us. Tails is messing with some sort of silver gadget in the palm of his hand, Knuckles is lounging on the couch with his face all screwed up about somethin', Shadow is leaning up against a dark green cushy chair with an expressionless look on his face, and Rouge is standing next to Shadow with her eyes focused on Knuckles. Knuckles pretends not to notice, but I see him send a quick glance in her direction after a moment.

As the four of us join the group already in the living room, I hear a soft thump from next to me and turn just in time to see Espio trip and land on his knees on the ground. His cheeks flame bright red and only I probably know how much of an embarrassment fallin' down in front of everyone is for him.

Tails is the first to look over at Espio in concern, asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Espio replies quietly as he gets to his feet and stands a few inches away from me. I swear there's some kinda wall of tension between us that everyone seems to notice because there's a long pause in which Sonic and Knuckles look from me to Espio with concerned looks on their faces.

Feelin' kind of awkward and not liking the way everyone is staring at Espio as if he's dyin' or something, I ask, "So ya said there's something top secret we should know about?"

"Yeah, it's Eggman again," Knuckles sighs dramatically, turning his violet eyes from Espio to me. "He never gives up! Sonic, tell him what we know."

"Alright, Knuckles," Sonic nods before turning to the three of us and saying, "Eggman was spotted around here about three weeks ago, but he hasn't been seen since then up until yesterday. Rouge spotted him skulking along the edge of town. Apparently, she has an eye for criminals as well as jewels. Anyway, three Chaos Emeralds have been stolen and we're pretty sure Eggman has them. He's been after the Chaos Emeralds for a long time. If he collects all seven of them, he'll have the power to do just about anything he wants to do. We can't let that happen."

"Hold up a sec," I say, raising a hand as I try to get all this straight. "I know Rouge had a Chaos Emerald 'cuz she sent us to look for it for her before. I didn't know there were more of 'em though. So we've gotta find_ three _Chaos Emeralds this time?"

"Yes, but it won't be easy," Shadow, who's stayed silent throughout this whole conversation, interjects. "Eggman has a high IQ and even though he looks stupid, he's not."

"Shadow is right," Rouge nods. "One lost Chaos Emerald is one thing, but three stolen Chaos Emeralds are another thing altogether. Do you boys think that you're up to the challenge of finding all three of them before it's too late?"

"Heh, I think yer forgettin' who yer talking to!" I exclaim, puffing up my chest and looking confident as I continue on, "We're Team Chaotix! 'Course we can find the Chaos Emeralds."

"Not to put a lot of pressure on you three or anything, but you're going to have to hurry. Chaos Emeralds are disappearing by the day at this rate. We need to find them as soon as possible," Knuckles points out. "Even my Chaos Emerald was stolen and I keep an eye on it almost all times."

"It looks like you need to keep an eye on it at _all _times," Rouge emphasizes, giving Knuckles a little smirk.

"Hey, why are you talking?" Knuckles retorts, giving Rouge a glare. "You lost your Chaos Emerald too! I'm not the only one here who lost one obviously."

"True. I suppose that makes us even then," Rouge replies nonchalantly before she takes a step in Knuckles' direction and adds, "What do you say to looking for the Chaos Emeralds with me? Two pairs of eyes are always better than one."

"Why are you asking _me _to go with you?" Knuckles asks, trying to look even more annoyed despite the fact that his cheeks are turnin' bright red. He waves across the room and mutters, "Go with Shadow and Omega. They're your friends. I'm going to help Sonic and Tails."

"Fine," Rouge says with a careless toss of her head. "I just thought I'd offer."

I glance between Rouge and Knuckles, easily able to tell that there's somethin' going on between them. Not wanting to deal with another couple's love problems, I clear my throat and say, "Guess the three of us will get goin' then. There's no need for anyone to worry. Once we start a job, we finish the job. Those Chaos Emeralds yer lookin' for are as good as found."

"Thanks, Vector," Sonic replies cheerfully. "We'll all be keeping an eye out for the Chaos Emeralds too. Once you know something, give us a call or drop by!"

"Will do. C'mon you two," I say to Charmy and Espio as I start back towards the door.

"Wait. Espio, I want to talk to you for a minute," Shadow tells the chameleon standing a few feet behind me. Espio looks kind of shocked at Shadow's statement, but nimbly steps across the room to him. Chatter breaks out between Sonic, Tails and Knuckles while Shadow leads Espio into a corner and starts talking to him in a low voice.

I tap my foot impatiently and wish their conversation would hurry up. I don't know what Shadow is talkin' to Espio about, but I don't like the way they're looking at each other with such serious intensity in their eyes. Espio gives Shadow a curt nod before the black and red hedgehog starts talking again. I try eavesdropping, but Shadow talks too low for me to hear what he's saying. After five minutes of this, I start to get paranoid. What the hell are they still goin' on about?

Unable to resist, I tromp over to the two stiff figures standing in the corner and put a possessive hand on Espio's shoulder as I interrupt, "Alright, time ta break it up. Every moment we waste here gives Eggman another moment to steal another Chaos Emerald. C'mon, Espio."

"I'll keep in mind what you told me," Espio tells Shadow quietly before turning and following Charmy and me back out of the house. I'll give this to Espio - at least he's obedient.

Once we're outside in the cold, I try to start comin' up with a plan for finding the lost Chaos Emeralds. Unfortunately, I can't seem to think straight and my brain seems to be focused on whatever Shadow and Espio were talking about earlier.

"So what did Shadow want?" I ask after a few seconds of tryin' and failing to come up with a plan.

"He was telling me more about Eggman. Apparently, the two have had several interactions in the past," Espio explains before he turns and shoots me a reproachful look out of the corner of his eyes as he adds, "I'd have preferred it if you hadn't interrupted our conversation. I'm not your property, Vector. I can talk to whoever I like."

A lot of retorts come to my mind, but since I'm gonna have to use Espio's brains for coming up with a plan to find the Chaos Emeralds, I take a deep breath instead and say, "Look, let's just put what happened earlier aside and work together, okay? No hard feelings here."

Espio sighs and then finally gives in, "If that's what you'd like. I will think nothing of earlier from here on out."

Charmy immediately picks up on what we're talking about and turns to face us, pointing an accusatory finger in our direction as he exclaims, "Ah ha! So you two _were _arguing earlier!"

"We weren't exactly arguing, Charmy," Espio says, looking uncomfortable. "We were just having a disagreement."

Charmy gives Espio a blank look before pointing out, "Um, isn't that the same thing?"

"Not exactly," I cut in, not wanting to keep talking about the drama that went down between Espio and myself last night. We've got a mission to worry 'bout right now. Our stupid love life problems are gonna just have to wait. Turning my eyes to Espio, I ask, "So, whaddya got? I'm sure you've already thought up a plan for findin' the Chaos Emeralds, so let's hear it."

* * *

_Sorry again about the review responses, guys. =/ Anyway, do you think that Espio has a plan for finding the Chaos Emeralds? Review please! :)  
_


	92. Double Tasking

**Hello everyone. :) I'm not going to be responding to reviews for a couple of days because I'm really deficient on sleep right now and I'm really exhausted. That doesn't mean that I don't read and appreciate my reviews though! They mean the world to me, so just because I'm not replying to them for now doesn't mean I don't care about them. Sorry about this, but things are getting out of hand around here again. I hope you like this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXXII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Normally, I would say that Vector is right. I am usually able to come up with plans for hunting down Chaos Emeralds within a few seconds. However, my mind seems to be working much slower than usual today. I feel like I'm failing myself as I search all corners of my brain and come up with absolutely nothing. Vector and I have decided to put the past behind us and just concentrate on our work for now, but that doesn't make things better between us in my opinion. I don't know where this leaves us. Are we still a couple or are we merely teammates that live together?

"I honestly don't have a plan, Vector," I tell the crocodile, feeling ashamed of myself.

"Oh, c'mon, Espio, don't be like that," Vector rolls his eyes, clearly thinking that I'm holding out on him even though I'm not. He waits for me to say something, but then notices my dead serious expression. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Vector says, "Fine then. Guess ya want me to do all the work this time, huh? Let's see then..."

Vector trails off and stares blankly at the wall of a brick building in front of us. I don't mean to make myself sound superior to Vector, but at this rate, we'll be standing here until tomorrow waiting for him to come up with a plan. Vector isn't the brightest. He's not a horrible detective by any means, but planning things out simply isn't his strength. Charmy must realize this too because he sends me a dubious look out of the corner of his eyes. I exchange his look and try harder to come up with a plan, but nothing comes to my mind.

"Well, we could always just try searching around the town on foot," I point out the obvious solution to our problem. "Rouge did say that she saw Eggman at the edge of town. Why don't we go there and look for him? Who knows? He might have a hideout nearby. Besides, I tend to think better while I'm walking."

"Hm. Ya got a point there," Vector nods, looking thoughtful as he turns and starts down the sidewalk with a determined look on his face. "We'll go to the edge of town then and do a little investigatin'. In the meantime, keep yer eyes open, boys! Yeh never know where a Chaos Emerald is gonna turn up. Hell, we don't even know for sure if Eggman is involved with 'em."

This thought had not occurred to me before but now I suddenly realize that Vector is right. There is a possibility that Eggman might not be stealing the Chaos Emeralds even though it is likely. We will have to keep this in mind during our investigation. Every little detail counts when you're on a mission.

The three of us reach the edge of town within ten minutes. Vector immediately suggests we split up and look for the Chaos Emeralds in different directions. I know that he's suggesting we split up merely because he doesn't want to be with me. The thought hurts, but I stay cool and composed and say that I will search the right half of the town with Charmy while Vector searches the left half. I insist on having Charmy with me because Vector is a bit unpredictable when he's so moody and I don't want him giving Charmy details about our argument. Luckily, Vector doesn't protest and allows my request with nothing more than a shrug before he turns and stomps off to his left. I watch him leave, feeling a jolt of sadness from somewhere within my chest.

As soon as Vector leaves, Charmy immediately pipes up, "Why are you and Vector mad at each other? Why were you fighting?"

Sighing, I motion for Charmy to follow me as I start towards my right to search the right half of the town for Chaos Emeralds. I'm easily able to keep my eyes open for anything shimmery as I reply to Charmy's question, "Vector and I got into a small disagreement last night. It's nothing you need to worry about though."

"You're avoiding my question!" Charmy complains as he hovers next to me. "I asked _why _you were fighting."

I hesitate before answering Charmy's question. Telling Charmy the truth that Vector is upset with me because I refuse to sleep with him does not sound like a good plan. I try and come up with a lie, but my mind is still fuzzy and blank. I'm not sure what's wrong with me today. Perhaps the lack of sleep is what's causing my usual intelligence to dull.

"I'd really rather not talk about it," I finally tell Charmy, sending him an imploring look that asks him not to push the subject.

Looking like he's having a really hard time not asking more about the argument, Charmy bites his tongue and replies, "Okay, I guess."

The two of us lapse into silence and I realize that I haven't been looking for Chaos Emeralds and have been thinking about Vector instead. Damn. I need to get a grip on myself and keep my emotions balanced. I cannot let the argument with Vector get in the way of my work. I'm here on a mission for the greater good. My relationship with the crocodile I love does not matter right now. However, try as I might, Vector's accusations from last night keep popping up in my head and I find myself asking Charmy about them.

"Charmy, do you think I'm arrogant or selfish?" I ask the bee, waiting almost nervously for his answer.

"You? Selfish? Of course not! That's a really silly thing to ask. You're not selfish at all!" Charmy points out cheerfully, making me feel just a bit better. He frowns and thinks for a moment before adding, "I don't know what 'arrogant' means. What's that?"

"Arrogance is like pride," I explain, hoping that Charmy will give me the answer I want to hear once more.

This time, Charmy hesitates and shrugs his shoulders before admitting, "Well, maybe a little, but it's not a bad thing really. Why? Did someone tell you that?"

"Vector did," I admit with a frown, trying to keep myself looking for Chaos Emeralds while I chat with Charmy although I'm finding that concentrating on two things at once is becoming exceedingly difficult today. I'm going to blame this on the fact that I didn't get any sleep last night.

"That's weird! Why would Vector tell you that? I thought Vector loved you," Charmy points out, looking very confused.

"I'm not sure why he said it, but I'm starting to think that perhaps he's right," I admit with a dejected sigh. Not wanting to depress Charmy since I'm suffering enough for the both of us, I point out, "All couples have disagreements from time to time even if they love each other. It's perfectly normal."

"Oh. Vector still loves you then, right?" Charmy asks probably the worst question he could have asked me.

My throat feels constricted and my chest gets tight. _ Does _Vector still love me? I would like to think so, but he was so upset last night that he threatened to break up with me. I don't even know where our relationship stands anymore. Kicking my sneaker against the ground, I murmur quietly, "I hope so."

"I don't get it," Charmy says bluntly, always straight to the point since his mind works in a very innocent way. "Why would Vector call you those things?"

Seeing that Charmy isn't about to let this go anytime soon, I try and think of something to say to somewhat explain the situation to Charmy. After a moment's thought, I say, "Something I did upset Vector quite a bit. I think he lashed out at me in his anger, but what he said also had some truth to it."

"That's stupid. You shouldn't say untrue things about someone just because you're mad. That's lying!" Charmy frowns, also looking like he's forgotten all about how we're supposed to be searching for Chaos Emeralds right now. "But what did you do, Espio? Tell me!"

"It...has to do with trust," I state after a moment. "As much as I trust Vector, I cannot trust him one hundred percent. We've only known each other for a few months."

"Hm. Well, I think you should be able to trust Vector," Charmy says after a moment.

As much as Charmy is trying to be helpful, he really isn't helping my mood right now. Why is everyone trying to make me feel guilty for refusing to sleep with Vector? I shouldn't be forced into something like that. It isn't right. I've been raped too many times and if I let Vector do to me what Bryce did, I won't be able to separate the two of them in my already delicate mind. They will both become my enemies and I won't want anything to do with Vector ever again.

Charmy and I finish our search around town and then go to meet Vector at the place where we split up earlier. On the way back, I keep out a vigilant eye for Chaos Emeralds since I'm no longer chatting with Charmy, but I find nothing. Vector isn't going to be happy. A failed mission always makes his mood worse than usual.

Just as I predicted, Vector is pacing around when we meet up with him thirty minutes later. The agitated flicking of his long scaly tail and the way his eyes are narrowed tell me that he's not the least bit happy right now. Whirling around to face us, Vector skips niceties and asks, "Did yeh find 'em?"

"No," I shake my head, staring Vector right in the eye, determined not to look ashamed in front of him for something that isn't my fault. The missing Chaos Emeralds are certainly not my fault. To keep Vector's anger from exploding, I quickly add, "Perhaps we ought to go home for today and think up a plan for tomorrow. I believe we're all a bit distracted from the task at hand at the moment."

"Whatever ya want," Vector shrugs before turning away from me and trudging gloomily towards home. Charmy and I follow him at a short distance. Even the optimistic, friendly bee knows better than to try and talk to Vector right now. The three of us walk home with a thick silence engulfing us. When we finally reach the house, I step forwards to unlock the door and then step insist without a word. I hear loud footsteps from behind me and know that Vector is right on my heels.

Once I'm inside the door, I go to sit at the wooden table to think and do some planning. To my surprise, Vector and Charmy both follow my lead and take chairs next to me at the table. Maybe I am a bit more of a leader here than I thought. Although Vector is the official boss of Team Chaotix, he seems to look up to me for plans and ideas concerning our missions.

"We don't have many clues about this mission," I start out since I feel like I really ought to say something. "We do know that three Chaos Emeralds are missing and that their disappearances are likely linked with Eggman. There isn't much more to know about the Chaos Emeralds, but we could learn more about Eggman. Perhaps we could do a bit of research on him and see if that leads us to anything? Research could help us in finding out where his supposed hideout is located."

A silence follows my statement. I frown, wondering if I've just said something foolish since neither Charmy or Vector are saying anything. After a moment, Charmy says, "That's a good idea, but how are we going to do research?"

"The computer, of course," Vector exclaims, getting to his feet and immediately starting down the hallway, adding, "To the computer room!"

"Yay! I love getting to use the computer!" Charmy adds enthusiastically as he he zooms after Vector.

I'm the first to leave the table and I think it has to do with the fact that my heart isn't really into this mission. My personal problems are distracting me. Life would have been so much easier if I hadn't fallen in love with Vector. I curse myself a few times for my idiocy and then follow Charmy and Vector to my bedroom where the computer is located.

By the time I reach the bedroom, Vector is already seated at the stool in front of the computer and is browsing the internet with Charmy at his shoulder. I go to stand at Vector's other shoulder, wanting to see what he's learning about Eggman. Apparently, I make Vector nervous because he immediately stiffens and sends me an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't ask me to leave, but keeps sighing dramatically to let me know that I'm not wanted.

Eventually, Vector decides that he's had enough. He suggests, "Why don't ya go meditate or somethin', Esp? Charmy and I have got this covered."

Feeling sad that Vector is pushing me away, I simply nod and retreat to the bed. Surprisingly enough, I decide to take Vector's advice and decide to try and meditate. I close my eyes and try to clear my head of all thought. No matter how hard I try, uneasy thoughts of Vector stay glued to the front of my mind, so I decide to make a plea to the spirits instead.

_ I am sorry for being arrogant, selfish, and thoughtless. I will try and improve myself. Please help Vector forgive me.  
_  
While I'm in the middle of this thought, Charmy suddenly yells in my ear, "Guess what, Espio? We found something!"

Trying not to look like I've almost had my eardrum shattered, I rub my ear gently and give Charmy a wry look as I ask, "Oh? What is it that you've found?"

"It's a dating site! Eggman has a profile on it and everything! Apparently, he's looking for a date! Come and look at this!" Charmy bubbles, grabbing hold of my wrist and pulling me off of the bed and across the room so I can see what he's talking about.

I glance over Vector's shoulder and see that sure enough Eggman has a profile on the dating site. It's a bit on the comical side since I can't imagine someone like Eggman going on a date, but I suppose that everyone wishes for someone to love them at the end of the day, even cold-hearted evil scientists, crude, careless crocodiles, and abused, foolish chameleons.

"This is interesting, I suppose," I admit as I notice that Eggman has his phone number posted on the website. He encourages anyone who might be interested in a date to call him. I doubt he'll ever have any luck with that. Smiling ruefully, I shrug my shoulders and say, "I don't see how this does us any good though."

"It does us a hell of a lot of good," Vector says, turning around on the stool to face me, a mischievous smirk on his face as he adds, "Don't ya get it?"

My blood runs cold and I have a feeling that Vector is up to no good as I shake my head quickly and reply, "No, I don't get it. Fill me in."

* * *

_Uh oh, Vector clearly has a plan. What do you think it is? Review please! :)  
_


	93. Faking Genders

**Hey guys! Thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter. :) I'm glad to see that people are still bothering to read this. I came up with this chapter and the next few chapters because of a silly picture of Espio I saw on Tumblr one time. I bet you'll be able to figure out what the picture looked like by the end of this chapter. xD Hope you like it!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXXIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

There is a reason why I typically come up with all the plans for Team Chaotix and not Vector. Vector's plans either simply don't work or they're extremely far-fetched and are about impossible to put into motion. When I see that mischievous twinkle come into Vector's eyes, I can tell that he's plotting something I'm not going to like. I haven't figured out why Vector and Charmy are so excited about this dating site they just found, but I'm certain I'm about to find out why very soon. Vector, however, seems to like building up the suspense and hasn't told me what his plan is yet.

"Well, Vector?" I press after I've waited for a ridiculous amount of time. "Are you going to tell me what it is that you're thinking about?"

"I was kinda waitin' for you to figure it out on yer own. Yer usually real smart about these sorts of things," Vector starts out. I give him a blank stare, not sure whether that was supposed to be an insult or not. Vector goes on, "Well, Eggman's obviously lookin' for a date if he posted his telephone number on this damn site. Whaddya bet that he'll immediately accept the offer of the first person who gives him a call and asks him for a date? I mean, Eggman's gotta be kinda lonely."

"I suppose that's probably true," I reply carefully, still not understanding where Vector is going with this. "I'm not quite sure what your point is though. How does this help us? Are you saying that we should call Eggman on the phone and try to get him to talk with us about the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Nah, doin' that would be stupid. Eggman's not stupid. He won't talk to us about the Chaos Emeralds over the phone. He might talk about 'em on a date with a pretty girl though, especially if she happened to mention how fond she is of jewels," Vector says with a sly smile on his crocodile face.

"Perhaps he would show or talk about the Chaos Emeralds on a date if he was trying to impress the girl. It's not one hundred percent likely, but the idea does have a bit of merit," I nod after thinking this through. "I don't see how this helps us though unless you're planning on hiring a girl and asking her to go on this dangerous mission for us."

"Nope, I wasn't thinkin' that. We've already got ourselves a girl," Vector says, settling back in his chair.

My eyes immediately go to Charmy. He's the one with the fairly girlish voice since he's so young. I would never in a thousand years have Charmy go on a date with Eggman all alone though. It's far too dangerous and I don't know what could happen to him. Vector is not sending Charmy on this mission and that's that.

Crossing my arms resolutely across my chest, I frown at Vector and start out, "We're not sending Charmy. I don't care if you think it's a good idea or-"

"I'm not talkin' about Charmy," Vector rolls his eyes.

"You're not?" I question suspiciously. Vector shakes his head and just keeps on grinning his croccy smirk at me. I try to figure out what Vector is so smug about until a rather crazy thought passes through my mind. I put a hand on the wall behind me to keep from falling over and whisper, "Me, Vector? You want _me_to do this?"

Vector's smirk turns even more nasty as he nods and says, "Yer the perfect candidate for the job, Espio. Admit it. You've got slight curves, purple scales, pretty eyes..."

"But I'm not female," I protest, eyes hardening as I realize that Vector wants me to fake being a girl, go on a date with Eggman, and try to find out something about the Chaos Emeralds while on the date. "Besides, I don't have a feminine voice."

"Fake it. It ain't that hard to do. And you've gotta admit that ya do look female. Nobody's gonna know the difference unless yer plannin' on opening yer legs for 'em," Vector contradicts, eyes twinkling wickedly at me and smug smirk still plastered all over his face.

"I...I can't do this," I shake my head, backing straight into the wall. Ouch. My head spins dizzily after smacking against the hard surface.

"Oh really? So yer gonna put yerself in front of the rest of us and refuse to help us out, huh?" Vector accuses me, reminding me of how he told me I've been extremely selfish lately. "Do ya want to get the money we're gonna get for collectin' the Chaos Emeralds so Charmy can eat or not?"

I wasn't feeling guilty up to this point, but the mention of Charmy causes me to frown and give Vector's plan a second thought. It's true that we are low on money and that it's hard for me to do the grocery shopping these days. Ugh. Vector wins. I'll do this, but only for Charmy's sake.

"Fine," I say in a clipped voice since Vector is the boss and I don't dare risk getting into another heated argument with him. As I resign myself to this horribly low standard, I suddenly realize a problem with this plan and point out, "Just how do you expect me to dress like a girl when I don't have a single feminine item in the house and we have no extra money?"

"Uh, good question," Vector admits, scratching his head and clearly thinking hard to make his "brilliant" scheme work. Unfortunately, he comes up with a solution to the problem after only a second and goes on, "Miss Vanilla, of course. She can make ya somethin' to wear in a jiffy. All we've gotta do is go over there, let her take yer measurements and go pick up the clothes tomorrow."

"I see," I reply shortly, still not overly enthused about this idea. I suppose that it does have potential, but it's extremely awkward and low for me to have to dress as a girl and go on a date with Eggman. Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible, I sigh and turn to Vector and Charmy, saying, "I suppose we ought to go now then. Would you like to come along and play with Cream for the afternoon, Charmy?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Charmy bubbles, already zooming towards the door. "I can't wait."

Sighing dramatically, I twist my mouth into a resolute line and stalk past Vector after Charmy, hissing in a deadly low voice on my way out, "I hate you."

"Sure ya do, Espio, sure ya do," Vector replies, rolling his eyes and clearly not believing a word I'm saying as he follows Charmy and me to the front door. He's right; I don't hate him. I would be lying if I say I am happy with him at the current moment though. Vector came up with this plan to humiliate me and so far, it's working.

It doesn't take very long to reach Vanilla's home. On the way there, Charmy does all the talking and flies between Vector and myself. I figure this is a good thing to keep Vector and myself from arguing. Keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead of me, I refuse to look at Vector on the way to Vanilla's house, wishing with all my heart that we weren't fighting. When things between the two of us are good, everything is just fine. When things between us are bad, they're hell.

Finally, we reach Vanilla's house. Vector is the first to pound eagerly on the door. It only takes a moment before the door cracks open quietly and the cream-colored rabbit appears. She smiles at Vector and says, "Vector! What a lovely surprise! Do come in. What can I assist you with?"

"Some detective work actually," Vector replies as he steps right on inside the house as if he owns the place. Charmy and I follow him at a respectful distance. While Vector goes on to explain the humiliating mission that I've agreed to undertake, Charmy whispers in my ear that he's going to go play with Cream for a while. I nod and wave him off before sighing and following Vector into the living room. Not for the first time, I wish I have been given different colored scales. Anything but fuchsia would have been fine.

Once I finally bother to pay attention to where the conversation is going, I hear Vanilla asking Vector, "So you would like me to make a dress for Espio then?"

"Yeah. Is that gonna be too much of a problem, ma'am? We'll pay ya when we get our reward for findin' the Chaos Emeralds," Vector promises her.

"It won't be a problem in the slightest. I have my sewing kit right here in this drawer," Vanilla says in her pleasant voice as she opens a drawer and pulls out a tape measure. "All I need to do is take Espio's measurements and I should have something prepared by morning."

"Perfect. Thanks a lot, ma'am," Vector says before stealing a sideways look at me and taking the tape measure from Vanilla, adding, "I can do the measuring for ya so yeh can write down the measurements if ya want."

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Vector," Vanilla replies, sitting down on a floral patterned chair while picking up a pad of paper and a pencil.

I send Vector a glare, knowing that he's not offering to do the measuring to help Vanilla out. Instead, he's doing it to get close to me and make me feel uncomfortable. Sure enough, Vector wastes no time in sidling over to me and measuring my height. I can't help but feel like I'm on display.

"Geez, yer a lot shorter than I thought ya were," Vector points out as he measures my height, his hot, sticky breath already on my throat.

As Vector calls out my height to Vanilla, I shy away from him and try to defend myself, murmuring, "Please don't be rude. I can't change my height."

Vector ignores my inquiry and wraps the measuring tape tightly around the smallest part of my waist, his hands constantly slipping and finding excuse to stroke and caress my abdomen and belly. I hate how he's teasing me right now. I have no idea where we stand at the moment, so touching me like this is cruel and just plain wrong. I can't help the rush of butterflies to the pit of my stomach when Vector places a hand against my scales.

Next, Vector measure my hips, which doesn't go any better than the waist measuring. Trying to act unfazed by all this silly measuring, I stare straight ahead of myself and don't let Vector know just how much he's bother's me. Perhaps if I ignore him, he'll stop with this nonsense already.

Unfortunately, my wishes are in vain. Next, Vector drops to his knees in front of me and starts wrapping the tape measure around the upper part of my thigh. I have absolutely no idea why this measurement is necessary, but if I open my mouth, I'm not sure what will come out of it at the moment. I bite my tongue and refuse to give Vector eye contact even as his fingertip vigorously rubs against the inside of my leg in an attempt to...what? What does Vector want here? I believe he just enjoys making me feel uncomfortable.

Vanilla glances up from where she's been recording my measurements and says, "Oh, that measurement won't be necessary, Vector."

"Alright," Vector replies, trying to mask his disappointment while I send a prayer of thanks to Vanilla for saving me from another moment of awkwardness.

I decide that I'm safe to look down at this point and meet Vector's eyes with a smirk on my face. Apparently, that's the wrong thing to do when a horny crocodile still has a hand wrapped around your leg. Vector's fingertips travel up my thigh a few more inches and then squeeze the scales there. Hard.

"_Ah..._" I let out a little noise of discomfort as Vector pinches my extremely sensitive flesh before standing up.

Vanilla glances over at me in concern and asks, "Are you alright, Espio?"

"Fine, thank you," I reply stiffly before giving Vector my deadliest glare. It doesn't seem to bother in the least.

"I think I have all the measurements I need," Vanilla tells us in her whimsical voice. "Everything should be prepared by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks a lot, ma'am. We can always count on yeh to help us out. Now we've just gotta find Charmy. Where is that kid?" Vector asks, looking around in annoyance.

"Let's just let him stay here and have a sleepover with Cream tonight," I reply softly, touching Vector's arm to get his attention before he starts screaming at the top of his lungs for Charmy to get over here right this second. "It's late and I'm sure he'll have more fun with Cream than with us."

Vector thinks this through for a moment before deciding that I have a point. The two of us bid Vanilla farewell and then start out onto the streets. Evening has fallen and the sky is very dark already. Vector and I purposefully refrain from talking to each other. It's hard for me not to point out the way he harassed me earlier, but I find that keeping the peace between us is the most important thing to me right now. However, the thick silence that builds up between us is almost unbearable. By the time we reach the house, I'm not only upset with Vector, but also miserable.

As soon as we're inside the doorway, Vector gives me a light shove towards the kitchen and says, "Guess ya better go give Eggman a call and set up yer date, huh? I'll be in the livin' room watching TV. 'Course, I may have to turn it down to listen to ya tryin' to speak like a girl."

Vector chuckles to himself and then walks off, leaving me fuming and flustered. Vector is doing this all on purpose just to get revenge on me for not submitting to him the other night. It's childish and pathetic, but at the end of the day, he is my boss and I end up doing whatever he wants me to do.

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_Vector is being a jerk, that's for sure. How do you think the phone call will go? Review please! :)  
_


	94. Twisted Love

**Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a nice weekend. Thank you all so much for the reviews from the previous chapter! Reading them always makes my day. Here's the chapter we've all been waiting for...Esp is going to give Eggman a call and Vector is going to get a little out of control. Hope you guys like this chapter. :)  
**

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**Chapter LXXXXIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

While Vector goes to lounge on the couch and watch TV, I stalk off to the kitchen to call Eggman. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of what I'm doing, but tell myself I have no choice. At this point, the plan has already been put into motion and I can't back out of it now. I do wish that Vector wasn't being such a jerk about the whole thing though. All he ever does is smirk at me and try to make me feel uncomfortable these days. Hmph. The least he could do is refrain from snide comments. Is that really too much to ask for?

Apparently so. Vector clearly has not forgiven me for the previous night and is not going to for a while. I shake my head at just how pathetic this situation is. Vector is mad at me for refusing to sleep with him. Could there be a worse reason for arguing with your lover? I don't think so.

Finding myself at the telephone, I simply stare at it for a few minutes and bide my time. After a long three minutes, I force myself to stop procrastinating and pick up the phone. I remember Eggman's number and dial the digits quickly into the telephone before reminding myself that I'm going to have to change the pitch of my voice. This is so humiliating.

Ring, ring, ring! I listen to the beeping of the phone and hope that Eggman won't pick up. Unfortunately, on the fourth ring, a voice answers and says, "Yes? This is Dr. Robotnik speaking."

Taking a deep breath, I take on a feminine voice (one that Vector is probably laughing over in the other room) and murmur, "I noticed your profile on the 'Destined Lovers' dating website. When I saw your number, I thought I would give you a call."

"Ah ha! Splendid!" Eggman says in a voice much too eager for my liking. "Are you calling about a date then, my dear?"

I cringe at being called "my dear" and am glad I haven't eaten at all today so I don't have to worry about getting sick to my stomach. Glad that Eggman can't see the look of disgust on my face, I take a minute before regaining my composure and reply simply, "Yes. Do you think we could set one up for tomorrow perhaps?"

"Heh, heh, heh. You're an eager one, aren't you? I like that. Just let me check my schedule here a moment. It's not easy being the world's greatest scientist," Eggman replies with a chuckle. There's a moment's pause before he replies, "Yesterday afternoon will work. We can meet just outside the edge of town. Do you know where the beach is? I will be waiting for you behind the clump of palm trees at the far left end of the beach. I'm sure you understand why these precautions are necessary."

"Yes, of course," I reply even though my stomach is already sinking at the thought of being so far away from the town. For some reason, the town feels safe to me.

"Good. I will see you tomorrow at the proper time then," Eggman says in satisfaction before he adds after a moment's thought, "And just what is your name?"

"...Espina?" I state as more of a question than an actually reply to Eggman's inquiry. Coming up with female names quickly is not my specialty.

"That is a very nice name indeed. I look forwards to seeing you tomorrow, Espina, dear," Eggman adds before his line of the phone goes dead.

I stare at the telephone in my hand in disgust for a long second before placing it back on the counter. I don't like Eggman one bit. My reason for becoming a detective was to fight evil. Eggman is obviously an evil scientist. Instead of fighting him like I really ought to be doing, I'm going to end up fraternizing with him. Vector may try to push me into flirting with him, but that will be where I draw the line. Speaking of Vector, I ought to go see what he's doing and find out if he is going to sleep in my bed tonight after our argument.

I step out into the living room and immediately come to a halt, my stomach flip flopping at the pornography film displayed on the TV. Vector is eying the screen with glassy eyes and seems to be getting turned on by the way the female rabbit moans in pleasure as a male hedgehog pins here up against the wall and rips her dress in two. Despite his intense interest in the film, Vector hears me approach and turns around, a strange looking bottle in his hand.

"There ya are. I was listenin' in to yer conversation. I've just gotta say that ya make a damn good girl, that's for sure," Vector snickers as I blush in embarrassment.

I decide not to comment on Vector's latest insult and instead jab a finger at the TV screen, pointing out in a hard voice, "I don't allow pornography here. If you're staying in my house, you're not going to watch that kind of trash. There are at least ten TV channels with decent content on them for you to choose from."

"Geez, relax already, won't ya? I'm not gonna force ya to watch it," Vector tells me with a roll of his eyes before taking a long slug from the bottle in his hand.

I stiffen even more as I identify the scent on Vector's breath. Alcohol. After everything I've done for him, he's broken two of my rules tonight. I never should have let him do the grocery shopping last week. He's clearly spent my money on alcoholic drinks. My hands clench and I grind my teeth together.

"Vector, we've been over this!" I sigh in exasperation. "I don't allow drinking or pornography here! Either listen to my rules or get out."

"Heh, I'd like to see ya try and push me out," Vector slurs as he ignores my request and deliberately takes another long sip from his bottle.

I believe I've done a good job keeping it together today. I haven't lost my temper once with Vector, but now he's pushing me just a little too much. What if Charmy was here right now and caught Vector drinking and watching these horrible images on TV? Shuddering at the thought, I glare at Vector's and hiss, "Fine. Do what you want. I'm going to bed and I'm locking the door. Don't even think about trying to break in."

"Why the hell would I wanna do that?" Vector asks before carelessly throwing his worst insult at me yet, "Yer nothin' special. Besides, yer body is all scarred up. I can do better."

Hot, angry tears race to the corners of my eyes. I can't even make myself process what Vector just said to me. In a shaky voice, I demand, "Take that back."

"Why should I, _Espina_?" Vector taunts me as he purposefully grabs the remote controller and turns up the volume of his disgusting film.

Unable to take a second more of this, I whirl around and stalk out of the room, angrily wiping away the tears that are steadily running down my face. Vector just doesn't know when to stop, does he? I can't believe he brought himself to say the last thing he said to me. I felt as if I had just been stabbed in the chest when I heard his hurtful words. There is a good chance that he only said what he did because he is clearly drunk. Alcohol and Vector are a terrible combination. You don't have to be a genius to figure that out.

I lock the door to my bedroom and collapse on my bed all alone and miserable. My body is fatigued after not sleeping last night, but I can't seem to sleep. Vector's insults keep swirling around and around in the forefront of my mind. His last statement was the worst. He practically said I was worth nothing to him. Vector used to call me beautiful, someone special that he cherished and loved. Now, I don't think he likes me even as a friend. Knowing this makes me feel like someone is gripping my heart and trying to squeeze the blood out of it.

Despite everything, I don't end up sleeping at all and I get up at dawn feeling terrible and even more exhausted than I felt the night before. I tiptoe out of my bedroom and into the hallway to see what Vector is up to. He's passed out on the couch and the TV is still turned on. Sighing, I turn it off and go to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. Perhaps it can help me wake up a bit since I feel like I'm sleepwalking. As I trudge towards the kitchen, I find that I feel as if I'm dragging a ten pound chain behind me. Life seems to have gotten much more complicated in these last few days.

After I fix myself a cup of coffee, I slump into a chair at the wooden table and avoid thinking about the mission that is hanging over my head. Eventually, the loud snores from the living room stop and Vector wakes up. He tromps into the kitchen with bleary, bloodshot eyes. I give him a hard stare, not forgiving him for yesterday.

"God, ya look horrible," is Vector's first sentence to me. "Did ya forget to sleep last night?"

"No. For your information, I _couldn't _sleep last night," I emphasize. "There is a difference."

Vector decides not to continue our conversation and strides into the kitchen. I hear him banging around in there for a few minutes before he returns to the living room crunching noisily on a power bar. Not bothering to wait until his mouth is empty, Vector states, "We should get goin' to Miss Vanilla's place since yer goin' on that date this afternoon."

"I suppose so," I reply, getting stiffly to my feet and stepping over to the door. I open it and slip outside, not bothering to see if Vector is following me or not. From the loud thuds of heavy feet on the ground behind me, I'd say he is definitely following me. Figuring we ought to discuss this afternoon's mission, I ask, "Do we have a plan for later?"

"Eh, I was just gonna let you handle it," Vector shrugs carelessly, obviously wanting me to do all the work. "I'll follow the two of ya around from a distance if yeh want me to just in case things go bad and ya need me to intervene."

Normally, I'd be grateful for this offer, but today, I do not want Vector to think of me as weak. I bring myself up to my full height and give him an imperious look before replying, "I can take care of it on my own just fine, thank you. I'm not stupid, Vector."

"I never said that ya were. I was just tryin' to help, geez," Vector replies.

The two of us refrain from speaking to each other on the rest of the walk to Vanilla's home. Once there, I step aside and allow Vector to be the one to knock on the door since he's the one who knows Vanilla best. The friendly rabbit smiles and welcomes us inside the house at once, bringing us to the living room as she says, "I finished the dress last night and I have a spare wig I bought for myself for Halloween once. You can use them both for the disguise if you like. Charmy and Cream are still sleeping. Is there anything I can get either of you?"

I shake my head, but Vector asks hopefully, "Is there anything to eat around here?"

"I have some doughnuts in the other room. I'll go get some for you," Vanilla replies kindly before disappearing around the corner of the room and leaving Vector and I all alone.

Not quite sure if I really want to see the dress or not, I warily step over to the couch and pick up the piece of cloth lying there. The dress is a light blue color and has light yellow and white thread decorating the neckline. Sighing, I hold it up and admit that it is a perfect fit. Feeling Vector's eyes on me, I suddenly feel more naked than usual and quickly slip the dress over my head before sending the blonde wig a dubious look. It looks like Amy's hair, just blonde. Figuring that I might as well get this over with, I put the wig on and turn back around, feeling very self conscious.

Vector stuffs his fist into his mouth to keep from guffawing and says between chuckles, "You really do make a sexy girl, ya know that? Eggman won't be able to resist ya lookin' like that. Except, yer skirt is a little funky. Lemme fix it for ya."

Too busy straightening the wig, I don't realize what Vector is doing until he's on his knees on the floor with his head under the skirt of my dress. I can't see what he's doing under there, which makes me incredibly nervous. I'm not sure if Vector is still drunk or not, but knowing Vector, he probably is. With drunk Vector around, there's no telling what he might do.

"What are you doing?" I ask after a few long moments of feeling hot breath all up and down my legs. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Vector's snout bumps right against my private parts. I kick him as hard as I can and stammer, "V-vector!"

Vector sticks his head out from under my dress, a large hand covering his nose. Blood is streaming from it, but I don't regret kicking Vector one bit. I glower at him while he mutters, "You've sure got one nasty kick there..."

Not in any mood to put up with his teasing any longer, I give Vector my death glare and hiss, "Stop toying with me, Vector. You've been harassing me ever since our argument. If you keep this up, I am leaving Team Chaotix and am taking Charmy with me. You'll be on your own again."

"Relax, Espio," Vector says, rolling his eyes again. It seems to be a new habit of his. Despite his bloody nose, Vector is staring at me with something a lot like lust in his eyes. Suddenly, I realize something I didn't understand before. Vector must be into cross-dressing. No wonder he wanted me to dress up as a girl so badly. Vector goes on to say, "'Sides, I can handle Team Chaotix without ya. I'm an intelligent croc."

"I'd like to see you last one day without me," I snap, giving Vector an ugly look before turning and stalking towards the door. "Enjoy your afternoon with Vanilla. I will be working for the good of our _team_."

* * *

_Drunk Vector is back! How do you think the date in the next chapter will go? Review please! :)  
_


	95. Saving Angels

**Hey guys! Thank you all very much for the reviews for the last chapter. :) I've not been having the best weekend ever, so I've really been looking forwards to my online time when I get to come on FF and check out what you guys think of my chapters. This chapter is (hopefully) suspenseful! I hope you guys like it.  
**

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**Chapter LXXXXV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I storm out of Vanilla's house feeling used and ridiculed. Vector is not respecting me and this kind of treatment is simply not going to continue. If Vector keeps this up, I will personally see to it that he is out of my house by the end of today. He won't stop sexually harassing me, laughing at me at every opportunity that arises, and insulting me whenever he can. I can't believe out argument has gotten to this point. Isn't it pathetic how a silly little disagreement has turned into an unspoken war between the two of us?

Shaking my head at Vector's pettiness, I step across town, only vaguely aware of how ridiculous I look dressed like a girl. As much as I'd prefer not to admit it, Vector is right in a sense. I do look female decked out in this light blue dress and blonde wig. I look like Amy in chameleon form.

It doesn't take me long to reach the edge of town. From there, I step carefully through the tiny grains of sand that make up the beach. Eggman told me to meet him at the left side of the beach by the clump of palm trees there. Squinting my eyes, I make out the faint outlines of the group of trees off in the far distance. A shiver runs down my spine as I start towards them. The trees are very far away from the town. If Eggman decides to do something to me, nobody will ever know.

Telling myself to live up to my expectations, I square my shoulders and set my jaw before starting out towards the edge of the beach. It doesn't matter that every step in this direction is taking me away from humanity. I can take Eggman on any day, no matter that I'm weak and exhausted. I haven't slept in two days or eaten since then, but now is not the time to think about this.

I reach the grove of trees sooner than I would have liked to reach them. Telling myself not to hesitate, I walk right around the grove of trees and find none other than the evil genius scientist waiting for me there. I've never seen Eggman in reality before. He's much taller than I thought he would be. The man towers over me and the gleam in his eyes is certainly on the unnerving side.

"Ah, Espina. I've been waiting for you. You are just as lovely as I imagined you to be," Eggman says, reaching out and offering me a ginormous hand as he adds, "Why don't we walk along the beach?"

The very last thing I feel like doing is letting Eggman touch me, but refusing to take his hand will get me into trouble. Keeping my disgust to myself, I give him my hand and start walking swiftly next to him as he walks contentedly along the shore. A thick silence falls between us. I really ought to say something, but nothing comes to my mind. It's as if there is a thick cloud in my head that is preventing me from coming up with anything intelligent or interesting to say.

Eggman is the first to speak and asks, "So how did you come to find my profile on 'Destined Lovers'? I don't blame you for giving me a call as soon as you found my page. You certainly have good taste, heh, heh."

I bite my tongue to keep from cringing at Eggman's awful sense of humor. His laugh is grating and rough and makes me wish I had earplugs. Deciding to use the start of this conversation to help get me where I want to be, I reply, "I noticed on your profile that you have quite the reputation. I also noticed that you're a jewel collector, are you not? I collect jewels as well. Unfortunately, they were stolen from me and I haven't seen a beautiful gem for a very long time now."

I hate the way my voice sounds even to my own ears. My sentences are choppy and seem recited. I'll be very surprised if Eggman doesn't see right through my scheme. However, he seems to be going along with it so far because he actually sounds just the slightest bit sympathetic as he says, "It is a very low thing to take jewels from a lovely lady such as yourself."

"Thank you," I force myself to say in response to Eggman's compliment. Deciding to push my luck just a bit, I look up at Eggman with wide, innocent amber eyes and request, "Will you show me some of your jewels? It has been so long since I have seen a gem of any sort..."

Eggman hesitates and comes to a halt. My heart pounds rapidly against my ribcage. Is he seeing through me to my underlying intentions? I prepare myself to run if it becomes necessary, but Eggman doesn't turn to me with an accusing finger. Instead, he thinks for a moment and admits, "I suppose I could bring you back to my spacecraft and show you my gems if it would really mean that much to you. However, there is one condition. It isn't that I don't trust you, but I cannot take the risk of having anyone know where my spaceship is located. I'm going to have to blindfold you for now if you want to see the gems. Is this an acceptable?"

Fear clutches at my heart. Being blindfolded will mean several things. Firstly, I won't be able to see. Eggman could take me anywhere and I won't have any idea where I am. Secondly, being blindfolded puts me at Eggman's mercy. He could do anything to me while I'm blindfolded. Lastly, blindfolds remind me of Bryce and the way he used to tie them around my head before pounding into my body and spitting derogatory insults at me the entire time.

"I accept," I murmur in a very quiet voice, trying to keep my fears to myself. I have to pull through this for Team Chaotix despite my inner apprehensions.

Apparently, Eggman can sense my fear because he speaks in a gentle voice as he takes a handkerchief out from his pocket and ties it around my head, "You needn't worry, dear Espina. I would not trick someone like yourself. Come. I will lead us to where we need to be."

I nod slowly and take halting steps as Eggman leads me along to only god knows where. I keep thinking that I'm going to run into a tree or a building at any moment, but nothing happens. Eggman and I walk along in complete silence. I find it incredibly awkward, but I think Eggman must be used to silence since he doesn't try and break it.

Just when I'm starting to think that we've been walking for quite some time, I hear the clang of a door open and close and feel metal under my feet. Cool air rushes onto my face and I know that I'm no longer outside. The handkerchief is removed and I can see once again. Using my quick reflexes, I scan the room I'm inside and take in my surroundings. The walls, ceiling, and floors of this spacecraft are all made of metal. Strange, unidentifiable machines are all over the place. Unfortunately, no Chaos Emeralds are anywhere to be seen.

"Welcome to my newest creation," Eggman says, waving his hand around the room proudly. "This ingenious spacecraft will help me to take over the world someday. Come right this way and I will show you my greatest treasures. I have only been able to obtain three of the seven precious gems, but I think you will like them."

"I'm sure I will," I reply, knowing that Eggman must be referring to the Chaos Emeralds. So he does have them after all!

Eggman strides along with his hand still gripping mine tightly. I keep a wary eye open as we enter another metal room and then another. I'm glad to see that there are not any robots within any of the rooms we have passed through yet. If robots were here, they would no doubt cause trouble for me.

After passing through five consecutive rooms that all look rather similar with their shiny metal walls and the peculiar machines sprinkled throughout them, Eggman leads me to a room in which there are three glittering gems placed on a steel table in the middle of the room. There is no mistaking the fact that these are indeed Chaos Emeralds.

"What do you think? Beauties, aren't they?" Eggman asks, still gripping my hand as he looks proudly over his collection of stolen jewels.

"Gorgeous," I reply, realizing that I need a plan of how to obtain the emeralds for myself and then get them out of here. I should have been thinking about this earlier.

"I found them all myself," Eggman continues out. "Personally, I like the sapphire in the center there the most. It's a rare treasure, that one."

"Mhm," I reply, mind still foggy and unable to talk to the evil scientist and come up with a plan for stealing the Chaos Emeralds at the same time. Fortunately for me, I don't have to come up with a plan. Instead, one presents itself to me without me even having to work for it. Perhaps fate has finally decided to show a little mercy on my tough predicament.

"You'll have to excuse me for a moment. I have an experiment that must be checked every few hours. Do not worry though. I shall return," Eggman tells me before releasing my hand and striding out of the room, letting the heavy metal door fall shut behind him.

Seeing that this is my chance for action, I look around frantically to make sure I'm alone in the room before stepping towards the Chaos Emeralds in the center of the room. I don't see anyone or anything watching me, but Eggman isn't stupid. I have a feeling that something or the other will go wrong as soon as I pick up the Chaos Emeralds from the steel table. Unfortunately, there is no time for me to sit around and think about this. I need to get the Chaos Emeralds now while I have the chance. Eyes still flicking around the room nervously, I reach out and pluck up a Chaos Emerald.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! A raucous alarm sounds as soon as I touch the first Chaos Emerald. Damn. I've been detected and now there is no time to waste. I must collect the Chaos Emeralds at once and then make a run for it.

Not about to waste any more of my precious time, I reach out and gather the remaining two Chaos Emeralds into my arms before I rush to the door. I grab the handle with one searching hand and pull on it. Nothing happens. Panic sets in on me and I put all my effort into yanking on the door handle. At this point, I'm forced to accept the fact that the door is locked. Eggman is as intelligent as I thought he might be. He wouldn't just take the chance of leaving me alone with his treasured Chaos Emeralds in this room. Locking me in with them was a sure way to make certain I wouldn't be going anywhere without his knowledge.

Unsure what to do now, I clutch the Chaos Emeralds against my chest and try to do some fast thinking. Usually, I can come up with plans on the spur of the moment, but not today. My heart pounds in my ears and my mind is still blurry and slow from lack of sleep and emotional stress. I'm trapped and I don't know how to get myself out of this situation.

While I'm still panicking, the door flies open and Eggman stomps inside. His eyes glint wickedly at me and his shadow looms over my slight figure as I'm caught red-handed with his jewels in my arms. Eggman steps forwards, backing me up against the wall. I glance around him, wondering if I can dodge him and flee out the door since it's been left open. My idea is quickly snuffed out when Eggman grabs the collar of my dress to keep me from running.

"I did wonder whether or not you were a spy in disguise with the way you seemed so curious when it came to the Chaos Emeralds. Who are you really?" Eggman asks me.

Having had enough of playing a girl, I drop my ruse and reply in my normal voice, "Espio the chameleon."

"Oh? Not even a girl after all, I see. You are smarter than most of the spies sent here to obtain knowledge of my plans," Eggman chuckles evilly. "Sadly for you, this little game of ours is going to have to come to an imminent end. I cannot let you go for obvious reasons, so there is really only one thing to do."

My breath catches in my throat. I have no idea what Eggman will do to me, but it certainly sounds like he plans on ending my life one way or another. There's nothing for me to do at this point. I'm trapped against the wall with nowhere to run and no one to turn to. It looks as if I must face death and I will do so bravely. I lift my head to stare at Eggman defiantly, and in doing so, notice a patch of green sneaking around the room just outside of the one with the Chaos Emeralds inside it.

Could it be...no, of course not. Vector wouldn't have followed me here, not after our argument from earlier. However, the green blur suddenly comes into focus and I'm able to make out the shape of a large, scaly crocodile. Vector glances around himself, trying to act inconspicuous. Finally, he glances into the room where Eggman and I are face-to-face. Vector's eyes widen and rage fills his every feature.

Eggman takes a syringe out from his pocket and says, "I'll try and make this quick since you impress me with your intelligence. I've concocted this little mixture from scratch in the last few days and I'm curious to see if it actually works or not."

I give Vector an imploring look. This is no time for him to be slow. If he doesn't hurry up and make a move soon, Eggman will inject me with what is probably poison and then there will be no telling what will happen to me. The poison will most likely result in my death.

Vector looks around for a weapon and wastes no time in grabbing one of the strange metal machines in the corner of the room and ripping it away from the wall. He heaves it over his shoulder and charges into the room, shouting at Eggman, "Let my buddy go or I'll knock ya senseless!"

* * *

_Yay, Vector is here to save the day! :D Do you think the two reptiles will escape from Eggman unscathed? Review please! :)  
_


	96. Best Buds

**Hello everyone! Ugh, I'm really not a fan of Mondays. Thanks for giving me something to look forwards to when I come home after school! I'm glad to hear that you guys liked the last chapter. I've been feeling kind of down about my writing lately, so thanks for cheering me up with your comments. ^^ I had fun writing this next chapter. I hope it shows through. Let me know what you think of it!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXXVI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Despite the fact that he still has the syringe in one hand, Eggman pauses what he's doing at the sound of Vector's voice. His eyes widen when he sees that the big crocodile has one of the massive metal machines over his shoulder and is poised to use it to strike at any moment. Unfortunately, Eggman doesn't release me when he turns to look at Vector. The horror written all over his face tells me that Vector has made a grave mistake by messing with the machinery.

"Put that back right now, you meddlesome fool!" Eggman orders Vector, all signs of sympathy vanishing from his face.

Vector's vermilion eyes harden and he leans back before swinging the metal edge of the machine at Eggman, shouting, "Too late, Eggman! I said let my buddy go or I'd knock ya out. Guess I'm just gonna have to knock ya out. If I were you, I woulda tried bein' a little nicer!"

The metal edge of the machine goes slamming into Eggman's head with a dull thud. The evil scientist wobbles precariously before falling forwards directly towards me. Before the heavy scientist can squish me against the wall, Vector casts the machine aside with an ear-splitting crash before rushing towards me and shoving Eggman so that he falls backwards instead of forwards. Clearly only stunned and not dead, Eggman lays flat on his back, not making a single move.

My heart pounds against my chest and I watch as the syringe skids to the floor a few feet from Eggman. Vector just saved my life. If he hadn't followed me here, I would most likely not be here right now. I still have the Chaos Emeralds in my arms, but the alarm in the spaceship is still shrieking incessantly in my ears. Trying to process everything that just happened, I look up at Vector with wide eyes, still shocked that he followed me here despite all our arguments and everything else that went down between us over the last few days.'

Suddenly, hot, wet lips press frantically against my mouth. Caught off guard, I look up at Vector in shock, surprised that he's kissing me now of all times. Tearing himself away from me, Vector exclaims, "God, Esp, never ever scare me like that again, ya hear me? I coulda lost ya for good..."

Before I can reply, a sizzling sound comes from our left. Vector and I both whirl around to see that the strange metal machine Vector threw against the wall earlier is steaming and making crackling sounds. I don't know what's happening to it, but it certainly looks like trouble. Suddenly, a loud robotic voice fills the air around us.  
_  
Project 221 has been triggered._

I have no idea what Project 221 might be, but it has an ominous sound to it and judging from the way the machine next to us is continuing to steam and fizzle, something bad is about to happen. Vector clearly thinks the same thing because he grabs my wrist and starts yanking me towards the entrance of the little room we've been huddling in.

"I've got no clue what Project 221 is, but it sure doesn't sound good. Let's get the hell outta here!" Vector exclaims as he races towards the doorway, still yanking me along.

My mind is strangely numb from my near death experience and my body processes things extremely slowly. One of the Chaos Emeralds slips from my arms. I'm racing along behind Vector so quickly that I accidentally trip over it and stumble to the ground. I lay there in shock for a moment before scraping the floor with my hands to scoot the Chaos Emerald back to me.

"This is no time for messin' around! We dunno what's gonna happen to this place. Get the emeralds and let's go!" Vector urges me as I collect the Chaos Emeralds and press them against my chest.

As I struggle back to my feet, Vector sighs and suddenly scoops me up into his arms before racing both of us towards the entrance of the spacecraft. I feel a little uncomfortable at being carried bridal style in Vector's arms, but decide that Vector is right and that this is no time to worry about petty things. I don't think I want to find out just what Project 221 is. Thick smoke is coming from the direction we just came from. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this entire spacecraft is going to blow up.

Vector's feet pound against the metal floors of the spacecraft as he carries me and the Chaos Emeralds to safety. All I can do is cling to his neck and pray to the spirits to help us get out of here safely. The smoke chases us towards the door, but Vector is doing a surprisingly good job of trying to beat it to the entrance of the spacecraft. I had no idea that Vector could run so fast. I suppose he's running faster than usual since both of our lives as well as the Chaos Emeralds are at stake.

Thick smoke starts to whiz by us, turning the air around us to dense fog. I accidentally inhale some of the smoke and start choking violently on it. Vector clings to me more tightly than before, hauling me closer to his chest and yelling through the smoke and incessant beeping reverberating around the metal rooms, "Hang in there! We're almost to the door!"

My eyes are dripping from the smoke in my eyes and in my lungs. Squinting ahead, I realize that Vector is right and that there is a faint patch of blue in the distance. More smoke enters my lungs and another cough rattles through my body. I start to feel very dizzy and very tired. If Vector doesn't get us out of here soon, I'm going to pass out.

I don't know how, but somehow or the other, Vector and I manage to go flying out of the smoky spacecraft and out into the chilly air outside of it. I gulp in oxygen and continue clinging to Vector as he runs forwards as if the devil himself might be after us. Only once we're a good distance away from the spacecraft does Vector pause and lean against a palm tree. Apparently, Eggman's spacecraft is located at the very edge of the vast beach. It is a rather good hiding place. Nobody ever comes this far down the beach.

For a long few minutes, Vector and I simply pant and gasp for air as we try to calm our racing hearts. So many thoughts that I can't seem to keep up with fly through my mind. What would have happened to me if Vector hadn't intervened? Would Eggman's syringe have killed me? If Vector and I had stayed in the smoky spacecraft any longer, would we have died?

Ka-boom! A thunderous explosion sounds from the direction we just fled from. My grip on Vector's neck tightens and I dig my fingers into his back as I watch part of the spacecraft explode before me. Either Eggman is dead or is in a terrible condition right now. I'm just going to be glad it was him and not Vector or myself.

"Geez, that was quite a blast!" Vector points out, the first of us to regain his breath. He looks down at me and asks in a gentler tone, "Are ya alright there?"

"Yes," I say quietly even though my heart is still pumping much too quickly.

"I'm gonna set ya down then. My arms are killin' me," Vector points out as he carefully sets me onto my feet next to him. I don't blame him for needing a break. Running through a smoky spacecraft with a seventy-pound chameleon with heavy Chaos Emeralds in his arms couldn't have been easy for Vector.

"Yeh ready to go home?" Vector asks me, eyes fixed ahead of us on something in the distance. I can see a glimpse of the town from where we're standing. Luckily, home isn't too far away from here.

Still a bit shocked and numb from what just occurred, I simply nod and take a step forwards. The two of us walk side-by-side, neither of us feeling the need to speak since we're both lost in our own thoughts. I have lots to say to Vector, but I can't seem to make my head form words right now. I will talk to Vector once I get over my shock.

The two of us make the long trek down the beach and then back into town. I hide the Chaos Emeralds against my chest with my arms. Thankfully, nobody spots them or bothers to give us a second glance. I'm still in my dress disguise and still have the blonde wig on my head, but I've long since forgotten it. I'm merely grateful to be alive.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of walking even though if couldn't have been more than thirty minutes or so, Vector and I reach our home. I'm glad Charmy is still at Cream's house. Now I'm ready to speak to Vector and it will be easier to talk to him without a hyperactive little bee buzzing about.

Vector kicks the door open and the two of us hurry inside as if we're afraid that the smoke might still be chasing us. Slamming the door shut firmly behind us, Vector turns to me and exclaims, "Well, that was quite the mission! Yeh got the Chaos Emeralds and we're both still alive, so I guess we should just be happy with that, huh?"

"Vector, we could have _died_," I point out quietly, still holding the Chaos Emeralds against me in a death tight grip.

"Let's not think of it that way. We're safe now and that's what matters, isn't it? I ain't ever gonna send ya on a mission alone again though. I was an idiot to do that in the first place. Yer gonna have to forgive me for it," Vector says, sending me a sorry look.

Needing to figure out what's going on between us at this point, I search Vector's eyes and watch in disappointment as he glances away from me and takes a step backwards. The words leave my lips before I know I'm speaking them, "I don't think the question is whether or not I can forgive you, Vector. I think it's a question of whether or not you've forgiven me."

"Yeah, I've forgiven ya," Vector says, looking at the ground and shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably before he says all in a rush, "Look, Esp, I've been a real jerk to ya these last few days. I'm sorry. I've treated ya rotten, gotten drunk a few different times, and messed with ya in ways I shouldn't have. Ya have a right to kick me outta here if ya want to. I'll go without a fuss."

My spirits lift and I forgot everything as Vector apologizes to me. If the near death experience was what it took for Vector to forgive me, then I'm going to be grateful for it. Shaking my head, I reply, "I don't want you to leave. I accept your apology. I have one question for you though."

"Yeah? What's that?" Vector asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Did you make the right choice?" I ask, referring to our argument the other night when Vector said he wasn't sure whether or not he had made the right choice by choosing me to be the one he wanted a relationship with. I believe that his answer to this question will answer all of the many questions I am still wondering about. I want to know whether or not he meant all those insults he drowned me in the last few days, I want to know if he still loves me, and I simply have to know where we stand in terms of our relationship.

An extremely guilty look crosses Vector's face and he slowly looks over at me with sheepish eyes as he says, "Aw, Esp, ya knew I didn't mean that, didn't yeh? I was angry and drunk when I said that. It was stupid and I never meant it. I was just real upset with myself and the situation. What I said just sorta popped outta my mouth. Guess I wanted ya to feel bad. I'm sorry."

"Are you _sure _you didn't mean any of what you said to me over the last few days?" I press, wanting to make sure that Vector is thinking through everything he is telling me.

"'Course I didn't mean any of it! Like I said, I was just angry at myself. I can't stay in control around ya. Everything ya do...well, it drives me crazy. Every flick of yer tail and shake of yer hips makes me wanna grab ya. I'm sorry, but it's just the way it is," Vector states with a shrug of his shoulders.

I chew my lip. This wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but at least Vector didn't mean any of the insults he gave me during the last few days. Choosing my words carefully, I ask, "Where does this leave us then? Are we still a couple or are we...something else?"

"I dunno," Vector replies truthfully. "I'm gonna just be honest with ya here. I love the hell outta ya, but I don't think I can be in a relationship with yeh when yer so insistent on keepin' yerself clean or whatever yer deal with that is."

"I understand and respect that," I nod, trying to ignore the sadness that has started flooding through me. It makes sense that Vector is going to break up with me because he can't control himself around me. It's the best for both of us really. Why must I be so sad about it though? Not wanting Vector to think that the reason I'm holding back from him is because I think I'm better than him, I quickly explain, "It's not because I'm a saint trying to keep himself clean, Vector. It's because of something else."

"What's the sumthin' else? I don't get why ya wouldn't want ta feel good. That's all makin' love is about, ya know," Vector points out.

I told myself before that I would tell Vector about Bryce at this point, but after everything that's happened today, I can't bring myself to speak of it. Shaking my head, I just say, "It's nothing important."

"Okay, look, I'm not gonna push ya, but this is the type of thing that causes problems between us. It's these secrets that are givin' us problems, Esp. Ya get that, don't yeh?" Vector sighs before going on, "I don't wanna be mad at yeh anymore. We're goin' to be the best of friends from here on out and that's that. Sound good?"

"Yes," I nod, feeling my heart sink just a bit. Glad that we're no longer arguing, I lean towards Vector to kiss him lightly on the mouth as I whisper, "Thank you for saving my life earlier."

"Er, it's fine, but don't," Vector says, holding up a hand to stop me from kissing him. "We're best buds now, remember?"

"Ah. Of course. I apologize for forgetting that already," I say, turning away from Vector so he can't see the hurt in my eyes.

It's too late and Vector has already seen the pain in my expression. He gently takes my shoulder and turns me around to face him, saying in a softer voice than usual, "I'm real sorry, but it's all or nothin'. If we keep goin' the way we've been goin', we're just gonna end up pissing each other off every five seconds."

"You're right," I nod firmly, doing my best to keep a blank face before I decide to tackle another pressing matter and request, "Will you please stop drinking?"

"Oh. That," Vector says flatly, avoiding my eyes again. "I can try, but sometimes it's kinda hard to stop..."

Damn. Vector has an addiction to drinking already. Trying not to let my anxiety about this show, I nod and say, "I understand, but please at least try for me."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Vector nods. "Anything for my best Chaotix buddy."

"Thank you," I reply with a stiff smile before taking a step towards the bedroom. "I need to rest. It's been an exhausting day."

"Yeah, you do that," Vector nods as I start down the hallway. Once I'm halfway there, Vector calls after me, "And Esp? I love ya, you know. ...But as a best friend of course."

"I...feel the same way, Vector," I lie before ducking into the hallway, feeling my heart shatter straight down the center.

* * *

_So apparently Vector has a drinking addiction and now the two have broken up. Where do you think the reptiles' relationship will go from here? Review please! :)  
_


	97. Eerie Calm

**Hey everyone! I can't say that I like Tuesdays much better than Mondays, lol. Thank you all for the great reviews though! They're the highlight of my day. :) I see that lots of you were surprised to read that Vector broke up with Espio and not vice versa. I thought it would be a nice twist in the story. This chapter is a little boring, but I promise you that there is lots of excitement to come in the next few chapters. Hope you like this one!  
**

* * *

**Chapter LXXXXVII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Once inside the bedroom, I rip off my dress and throw the blonde wig across the room in disgust. I hope to never have to use these disguises ever again. My feet carry me straight to the bed. I collapse on top of the sheets and allow my body to sink into the bed. I honestly can't believe that Vector just broke up with me. Never in a million years would I have thought that Vector would be the one to suggest a break up in our relationship even if worst came to worst. I always thought that Vector would be able to handle anything tossed in his direction. Apparently, this is not so. There is one thing that Vector obviously can't handle. That one thing is me.

Sighing, I try not to let myself take this letdown too hard. Breaking up might be the best for both of us. After all, with us no longer officially together, Vector won't spend his time trying to push me into sex. He'll find someone else to press and prod. I should be grateful for this, but I'm not. Perhaps it's just because I'm exhausted after such a long day. Things will be better after I've gotten some rest.

...They're not. If anything, I feel even worse the next day despite getting a full night's sleep. So many things are on my mind right now. There's the break up to think about although why it's still on my mind I don't know. There's nothing I can do about it at this point. There's also Vector's drinking problem that's put me on edge. He seemed to be trying to tell me that he's developed an addiction. Addictions can be dangerous things. They can turn people violent and completely twist their personality. I would know after experiencing that with Bryce first hand.

Supposing that there are things to do this morning such as returning the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic and his friends, I slip out of bed and pad to the bathroom. Just one glance in the mirror tells me that I look as bad as I feel. My eyes are dark and bloodshot, my scales are still dull and almost dry looking, and it even looks as if I've lost a few pounds over the last couple of days.

Too disgusted by my own appearance to stay in the bathroom for long, I quickly retreat into the living room. To my surprise, Charmy is home from Cream's house and is sitting on the floor playing his video game while Vector lounges on the couch, which seems to have become his new bed lately. I hesitate in the hallway, enjoying the view of Charmy and Vector together in the living room. If I didn't know about last night, I would say we're still a happy family.

"Mornin', Esp," Vector calls over to me from where he's lounging on the couch. "Sleep well?"

I'm glad to hear that Vector has decided to act friendly towards me again. Feeling slightly encouraged, I step around the wooden table and to the couch where Vector is yawning widely. Deciding to lie, I reply, "I slept decently, I suppose. Do you mind if I sit here?"

"'Course not," Vector replies, shifting into a sitting position to allow me room on the couch next to him. "There's some cereal on the counter for breakfast if ya want it."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry right now," I reply, sending Vector an intent look out of the corner of my eye. He looks like a mirror image of me with dark circles under his eyes and dry scales covering his body. What's worse is that I can still smell alcohol on his breath. I certainly hope that he hasn't been drinking already this morning.

"Yer not tryin' to starve yerself, are ya?" Vector asks me, frowning slightly as he sends me a sidelong look. I find it rather ironic how despite the fact that we made up after our argument yesterday, we still can't quite bear to look each other full in the face like we used to do.

"No, don't be silly. Why would I try to do that?" I ask Vector in surprise, having no idea where he got that strange idea from.

"I dunno. I'm just makin' sure my best bud is takin' care of himself, that's all," Vector says, his voice a bit of a slur.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm just fine," I reply before my forehead creases and I add, "Just make sure that you are taking care of_ yourself_, Vector."

"Uh...right," Vector replies, looking sheepish since he knows I'm referring to his drinking habit.

"We probably ought to return the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic and his friends this morning or this afternoon. It's not polite to keep them waiting. They might still be searching for them right now," I point out worriedly. "Perhaps you would like to take a shower and brush your teeth before we start over to Sonic's house?"

I put emphasize on the brushing your teeth part since I don't want everyone at Sonic's home to smell the alcohol on Vector's breath. I'm hoping that he can get over his sudden addiction quickly without any real harm being done. Deciding that today is not the day to argue with me about anything, Vector nods and yawns widely before getting up from the couch and tromping down the hallway to the bathroom. I watch him go with longing eyes on his back.

"Oh, hey Espio!" Charmy's cheerful voice suddenly sounds from in front of me. I turn and give him a haphazard smile. Charmy has passed a level on his video game and seems to have just noticed my presence in the living room. When he sees my face, Charmy frowns and asks, "What's wrong? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine. Did you have a nice time at Cream's house?" I ask Charmy, trying to divert the subject since I really don't want to have to think about what's bothering me.

"Yeah, it was fun. Vector told me about how you stole all the Chaos Emeralds right out from under Eggman's nose yesterday! You're awesome! I wish I had been there to cheer you on," Charmy sighs wishfully before a frown appears on his face once again and he adds, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong? You look sad."

I consider telling Charmy the truth for a moment. Charmy is going to find out about Vector and me sooner or later. Looking at my hands twisted together in my lap, I admit in a quiet voice, "Vector and I broke up. You needn't worry about it though. Nothing will change for you. Vector will still live here and the two of us are still best friends."

"What?" Charmy asks, his voice much louder than usual and his eyes wide in confusion. "But I thought you guys loved each other!"

"I do love Vector, but there are complications in relationships that have nothing to do with love sometimes. Vector was the one who initiated this. Although I still love him, I can't say what goes through his mind. As I said before, this won't change anything for you, Charmy. You needn't concern yourself with our affairs," I point out, not wanting Charmy to be upset.

Unfortunately, it's too late to keep Charmy from getting upset. His eyes are watery and his lip is trembling. Oh dear. I never should have gotten into a relationship with Vector. It's not only making me miserable, but it's also causing Charmy to cry. I shake my head at my own idiocy and starts towards the little bee to gather him up into my arms and reassure him that all will be well when the loud, frantic ringing of the phone blasts through the air.

"I'd better get that," I sigh, resisting the urge to curse. I throw Charmy a tender glance and add, "Don't be sad. It's for the best. I will be right back."

Looking determined not to cry, Charmy nods and wipes his eyes on his wrists. Still feeling guilty, I go to the kitchen and quickly pick up the phone before the incessant beeping drives all three of us crazy. Putting the phone to my ear, I say, "Hello? This is Espio speaking."

"Hey, Espio. This is Amy Rose," the bright pink hedgehog speaks into the phone. There's a moment of silence between us before she goes on, "I wanted to apologize for the party. I didn't mean to upset you or anything. Vector kind of got mad when I kissed you, didn't he?"

"A little bit, but Vector gets upset at every little thing these days," I admit ruefully in a quiet voice since Vector is still in the bathroom. "I'm not upset."

"Oh good. I was worried about that," Amy sighs in relief. "I tried asking Sonic out on a date, but it didn't go so well. Can I stop by your house tonight by any chance? I could really use someone to talk to. Sometimes it seems as if I don't have any friends."

I don't answer right away. I'm not really in the mood to speak to Amy Rose of all people right now, but the more I think about it, the more I realize we're in the exact same situation. We've both been turned down by our loved ones and are both feeling dejected. Perhaps I really should talk to Amy since she's most likely feeling as rejected as I am right now.

"Yes, you may come over if you'd like. What time would work will for you? I was thinking around seven pm," I suggest, knowing that Vector and I will be back from Sonic's house for sure by then.

"That works great! Thanks so much for doing this for me, Espio. I'll see you tonight!" Amy says, sounding a little more happy as she hangs up the phone.

I reluctantly hang up my phone, hoping that I'm not going to regret my decision to invite the obsessive hedgehog over. Amy is a nice girl, but I wish she would tone her affections for Sonic down a few notches. If she asks me to pose as her boyfriend again, I'm going to have to say no. Last time I did that turned the entire evening into a big mess.

Vector strides into the kitchen just as I'm hanging up the phone. After a shower and brushing his teeth, Vector looks quite handsome. His green scales gleam in the lighting and his breath is minty fresh without a trace of alcohol on it. He waves an arm at me and says, "C'mon, Esp! Let's get goin'."

"Coming," I reply, feeling a little jealous since Vector looks so much better than me this morning. Perhaps I really should have taken a shower. Chewing my lip, I follow Vector to the doorway and notice Charmy sitting on the floor right where I left him like a little statue. Not wanting him to feel upset, I offer, "You may go over to Cream's house again if you'd like, Charmy."

Charmy nods, but doesn't say anything as Vector and I step outside with the three shiny Chaos Emeralds tucked into Vector's arms. As we start in the direction of Sonic's house, Vector frowns and turns to me, raising an eyebrow as he asks, "What's gotten into Charm?"

"I told him we broke up," I admit. Not sure if this will upset Vector or not, I add, "He was going to find out sooner or later."

"Oh. Yeah. Guess yer right," Vector says in choppy, broken sentences. His typical crocodile grin disappears off of his face and he just stares blankly in front of him before adding, "But this is good, ain't it? We're not fightin' anymore and we're both happy."

Happy? I wish I was happy, but I can't say that I am. However, for Vector's sake, I nod and reply, "Yes, it's very good."

An awkward silence falls between us after that. I don't have anything more to say and neither does Vector. Despite the fact that it only takes a few minutes to reach Sonic's house, the walk seems to take forever. At one point during our trek, Vector seemed to reach out absentmindedly to take my hand. He caught himself just in time though and quickly jerked his hand back to himself. Vector doesn't even want to touch my hand anymore...

Finally, we reach Sonic's house after a horribly awkward walk. Vector pounds on the door and waits. Like before, Sonic whizzes to the door and pops it open before you can say one-two-three. The blue hedgehog's cheery face pops around the doorway and he grins when he sees the two of us, exclaiming, "Hello, you two! Come on in! My home is your home."

"Thanks, pal," Vector tells Sonic as he politely waves me inside the house first before he follows me in.

I wait for Vector just within the doorway and walk by his side as the two of us go to the living room together. Vector sends me a sad sort of smile as we follow Sonic into the living room. I frown inwardly. Why are we doing this to ourselves? We're both clearly miserable like this. Can't we come up with some sort of arrangement to stay in a low-key relationship together?

"So what's up?" Sonic asks us as he sinks onto the couch and waves around the room at the empty chairs surrounding us. The only other person here is Tails, who is also sitting on the couch with Sonic.

"We got yer Chaos Emeralds," Vector explains triumphantly as he dumps them onto the small coffee table in the center of the room. "Er, actually I should rephrase that. Esp here got yer Chaos Emeralds for ya. He was absolutely amazing. We never would have gotten our hands on them without him."

I blush bright pink at Vector's words while Tails picks up a Chaos Emerald and exclaims in awe, "Wow, you got the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Yup, and it's all thanks to my buddy," Vector says, looking like he wants to take my hand or wrap an arm around my shoulder. After a moment, he seems to think that this isn't going to hurt anything and wraps a tight arm around my shoulders. It feels...right. I lean against Vector, not caring what kind of impression we give off to the others anymore. I miss him.

"I'm impressed!" Sonic exclaims, "Thanks a ton, you guys. I searched the town a few times, but didn't see any sign of the emeralds anywhere. Here's your check."

Vector eagerly reaches out for the check that should hopefully pay for our next grocery bill as Tails comments, "Well, you were searching really quickly, Sonic. It's easy to miss things."

"You're right, Tails," Sonic nods somberly before thanking us one last time and adding, "Thanks again, you two! I guess I can always count on Team Chaotix to pull through for us."

"Don't ya worry, we'll always be here ta help out. We never turn down work that pays. See ya guys later," Vector says before striding towards the door, his arm no longer around my shoulders.

I follow Vector to the door, still feeling sad inside despite the fact that our mission has been completed successfully. Will things ever be the same between Vector and myself? This strange peaceful relationship isn't going to last long. It's going to blow up in our faces if we let it go on for too long. Vector wants me and I miss him. Something is clearly going to go awry sooner or later.

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_Aw, so now everyone is miserable! *facepalms* Who do you think will snap first? Vector or Espio? Review please! :)  
_


	98. Drunken Lies

**Hi guys! Ugh, I know there is something I need to do, but I can't seem to remember what it is now. Don't you just hate those moments? =/ Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :) Like I said yesterday, the next few chapters will get a little more exciting. This one has a bit of a twist in it. Let me know what you think of it!  
**

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**Chapter LXXXXVIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector and I walk home from Sonic's house in the same awkward silence that we faced earlier. Vector is being nice enough, but he's just not being Vector. It feels as if I've lost not only my lover but my best friend as well. I sigh to myself, not sure what to do at this point. I suppose all I can do is wait and see what happens. Talking things through with Vector never seems to work. It's not helping that he's gotten a sudden drinking addiction now. Despite the fact that he's hiding it well, I can hear the slur in his voice. He was obviously drinking this morning.

Finally, we reach our home and I hurry to pull the keys out from inside of my glove as quickly as possible so I can get out of this painful predicament as fast as I can. After unlocking the door with fumbling fingertips, I hurry inside and search around the living room for Charmy. The little bee is nowhere to be seen. He must have taken up my offer and gone off to visit Cream. I don't blame him for wanting to get out of here. The strange tension between Vector and myself seems to grow by the moment.

Feeling like I should say something just to break the silence, I state, "It was nice of Sonic to pay us so generously for finding the Chaos Emeralds for him. Now we have enough money for groceries. We're getting low on milk, cereal, fresh fruit, and vegetables."

"Well, ya did risk yer life gettin' those emeralds, so I'd say we deserve all the cash," Vector points out, rolling his eyes at me as he sinks onto the couch and turns the TV on.

I frown as I watch Vector start flicking through TV channels. It feels as if Vector is spending a lot of time watching TV, sitting around, and drinking these days. Before when we were dating, Vector was more active and seemed open to do anything I was interested in doing. If we were together still, I would ask him to go on a walk through the park with me. However, we're not together and I shudder to think of having to spend more time walking around in awkward silence by Vector's side.

"I suppose so, but it was still kind of Sonic to pay us well," I respond to Vector's statement. Wanting to keep him away from drinking at all costs, I suggest, "Would you like me to get you some tea or coffee perhaps? I'm a bit tired this morning and am going to fix some coffee for myself to see if I can wake up a bit."

"Alright, I'll take some coffee then," Vector says, raising his face from the TV to send me a half-smile as he adds, "Thanks, Esp."

"No problem," I reply before turning and stepping around the piano and the table on my way to the kitchen. It's second nature for me to make coffee, so I allow my mind to wander as I pull out two cups and start the coffee maker. As I wait for the coffee to brew, I check the clock and see that the time is passing by quickly. Amy should be here in just a few hours. I haven't told Vector about her coming to visit and think I might just keep that bit of information to myself for now. Vector never seems to respond well to the topic of Amy Rose.

Five minutes later, both cups have been filled with coffee. Taking one in each hand, I walk back into the living room and set my cup of coffee onto the kitchen table before glancing at the TV to see what Vector is watching. Wincing, I find him watching a trashy soap opera. I certainly won't be hanging around the living room and watching it with him.

Stepping directly in front of the TV on purpose, I offer Vector his cup of coffee and say, "Here you go. Are you sure you don't want to watch the sports channel? I thought you liked sports."

"Eh, I only like football really," Vector admits as he takes a loud slurp from his coffee cup and then sets it down on the coffee table. Turning back to me with amusement, Vector points out, "What's it to you? I thought yeh hated sports."

My cheeks flush a light pink since Vector is right. I _do _hate sports, but I hate trashy soap operas even more. I stammer nonsense, trying to find something to say. When nothing intelligent comes to my mind, I fall silent and stare at the ground, still blushing brightly. Vector's eyes are on me. I can feel his heated gaze.

Before I can think of what to do next, Vector reaches up and grabs my face. My eyes widen in shock as Vector leans forwards and slams his mouth against mine before kissing me heatedly all over the lips. I've longed for him so much over the last seventy-two hours that I don't resist and allow his tongue to wet my lips before he presses another hard kiss to my bruised flesh.

Suddenly, it's all over. As if he hadn't realized what he was doing up until this point, Vector suddenly jerks away from me and blushes tomato red. It's not often that you see Vector blushing, so he must really be embarrassed. Frowning, he apologizes quickly, "Uh...sorry, Esp."

"It's alright," I reply, fighting to keep my voice steady. We broke up less than twelve hours ago and Vector is already kissing me on the mouth again. This is clearly not working well. Needing some time to think things through by myself, I take a few steps backwards and say, "I'm going to drink my coffee in the other room."

Vector nods, his eyes suppressing several emotions. I find that strange for Vector. He's not one to hide his true feelings from anyone. Before anything else can go amiss - because believe me, it will if I give it the chance to - I hurry out of the room and back into the kitchen. My coffee is already cold and I scoot it across the counter away from me.

Smash! The sound of shattering glass sounds from the living room. I flinch at the sound and realize that the sound must have been created by Vector since Charmy isn't home right now. It sounds a lot like he's just thrown something across the room in a fit of rage. Sighing, I figure I ought to go see if he's hurt or not.

"Vector?" I call, peering nervously around the corner of the living room to see what he's doing. "Is everything alright in here?"

Vector is on his feet and is pacing around the room, looking upset about something. Although I'm horrible at reading into Vector's feelings most of the time, I'm assuming he's upset with himself for going against the rules he set up for us. No kissing was the first rule he put into place and let's just say Vector has already broken it. There's no way around that point. I hear him cursing under his breath as he looks up at me, a sort of tormented expression on his face. At this rate, we're not going to be able to live together for much longer.

"Er, yeah. It's fine," Vector lies, coming to a halt. I give him a doubtful look, which he refuses to respond to. The moody crocodile suddenly starts towards the doorway, saying, "I've gotta get out of here for a bit."

"Where are you going?" I ask, a bit worried since he still happens to have our check clenched in the palm of one of his hands.

Vector follows my gaze and shifts sheepishly from foot to foot. I'm not sure what he's planning on buying with our money, but it's obviously not a good thing from the way he's acting. Finally, Vector says, "I'll go to the grocery store and pick up some fruits and veggies like ya wanted me to do. Sound good?"

"Yes, I suppose that's fine..." I trail off, still not quite trusting Vector.

Without another word to me, Vector pushes the door to the house open and steps outside before slamming the door shut behind him either intentionally or non-intentionally. I stare after Vector for a few minutes, hoping that he's not about to waste all of our hard earned cash on something silly. It's too late to worry about that now though, so I cross the room to the sofa and perch on the edge of it before turning off the TV. There's nothing left to do but wait here for Amy to arrive at this point.

Luckily, I'm not kept waiting long. A light knock sounds on the door not too long after I sit down on the sofa. Surprised that I'm actually glad to have some company, I immediately get to my feet and walk to the door. Vector forgot to lock it behind him earlier, so all I have to do is pull on the doorknob.

"Hi Espio! Thanks so much for seeing me. You're really nice," Amy greets me as she steps inside the doorway and closes the door behind her with a shudder, adding, "It's really cold outside. I wouldn't recommend going out there if I were you."

"Thank you for the advice," I reply politely before motioning to the couch in the living room and offering, "You may sit down if you like. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"No, but thanks for the offer. I had dinner just before I came here," Amy explains as she follows my lead and steps into the living room. She plops down on the couch and then giggles, "Wow, your couch is really comfy."

"Thank you," I reply before taking a seat next to her since there isn't anywhere else to sit in the living room other than the piano bench. "What would you like to talk about? I'm sorry to hear that you've had trouble with Sonic lately.

"Yeah, it's such a shame, isn't it? I try so hard for him and it's like he never even notices me," Amy sighs melodramatically before going on to tell me about all the times Sonic has rejected her dates.

I nod along and pretend to be listening even though my thoughts are on Vector instead. It's rather ironic how Amy and I have a few similarities. Sometimes I feel like I try so hard for Vector, yet, he doesn't even seem aware of my efforts. I put aside several fears of mine and sacrificed quite a bit for him to make our relationship work. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough for Vector in the end.

Amy pauses amongst her long list of past rejections by Sonic and suddenly points underneath the piano, asking curiously, "Why are there all those empty bottles under there?"

"Hm? Empty bottles?" I repeat, knowing that this can't be a good thing. I follow Amy's finger and notice that she's right. Several empty bottles have been carelessly heaped together under the piano. My eyes narrow and I state in a flat voice, "Those would be Vector's."

"Vector's? You mean you actually _live _with Vector?" Amy asks, looking a bit disgusted at the thought. I nod ruefully, not too happy about living with Vector myself at this current moment. He has no right to trash my house up with his dastardly drinking habits. Amy goes on, "I don't know why you live with him. He's really rude and is nothing at all like you. You could come and stay with me if you wanted to. I have a lot of extra rooms in my house. One of them is for Sonic, but he never comes over."

"I live here because all of Team Chaotix lives here. I like to keep an eye on Charmy," I lie before deciding that I might as well keep my options open in case things turn bad and continue on, "Thank you for the offer though. I will keep it in mind."

"Okay," Amy nods before resuming her rant on Sonic.

The sky darkens outside the window and my mind wanders again. Vector should have been home ages ago if he was just going to the grocery store. I'm positive that he went somewhere else as well by now. I probably don't want to know where that somewhere else is. As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm sure Vector is out drinking.

It takes quite a while for Amy to finish listing all of the times Sonic has rejected her. By the time she gets to the end of her list, she throws her hands up into the air helplessly and says, "I don't think he's ever going to like me no matter what I do for him! Kind of sad, huh?"

"Yes. I'm very sorry," I reply, knowing firsthand how rejected love feels. Pushing Vector out of my head for now, I add, "I wish there was something I could do for you."

A short silence falls before Amy shoots me a look out of the corner of her eyes and admits, "Well, actually there_ is _something you could do for me."

"What is it?" I ask, knowing better than to agree to Amy's plan or suggestion before I know what it is. I have learned a few things from last time I agreed to do her bidding without knowing what it was.

"Well, okay, this is probably going to sound kind of weird. Promise that you won't freak out or anything?" Amy asks, twisting her hands together and giving me a nervous smile.

"I promise," I reply, giving her a calm smile, hoping that my serenity will help relax her.

"Thanks. I knew you would listen," Amy smiles at me before saying, "You know how I was saying that I don't think Sonic is ever going to like me? Well, I was thinking a little more about that the other day. I really do love him, but what's the point in chasing after someone who's never going to like you? It seems like a waste of time when you really think about it, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," I reply, not quite sure where Amy is going with this.

"That's what I thought too," Amy agrees, continuing on, "So I started thinking that maybe I've been wasting too much time on Sonic. I mean, there are a lot of other nice guys in town. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I didn't just kiss you at the Christmas party to try and make Sonic jealous. I really do like you, Espio."

Amy's words come as a shock to me. I never would have guessed that she might have feelings for anyone other than the speedy blue hedgehog. However, I am positive that this time there is nothing I can do to help her with her love life. I think I've had enough of love life problems for ten people in just the last few days with all the turmoil that's been going on between Vector and myself.

Choosing my words carefully, I reply, "I like you as a very good friend, Amy. I am trying to stay out of relationships for now though. It's nothing against you. I just tend to like my privacy."

"Oh, okay. That's totally fine," Amy replies, not looking too disappointed. "If you ever change your mind, you'll give me a call though, won't you? I'm sure I gave you my number."

"Yes, I still have it," I reassure Amy with a small smile.

"Great. I guess I should probably get going then. It is kind of late," Amy admits as she gets to her feet. "Thanks for talking to me. It was really nice of you to listen to what I had to say. People usually just walk away while I'm trying to talk to then. I don't know why. Anyway, I guess I'm off to do some more Sonic chasing! Wish me luck!"

I walk Amy to the door and open it politely for her before saying wryly, "Good luck. Have a nice night, Amy."

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_Hm...so Amy likes Espio after all! Interesting, huh? Do you think Vector is really out doing the grocery shopping or is he doing something else? Review please! :)  
_


	99. Intoxicated Revelations

**Hello everyone! God, I had a rough day. It was nice logging on to FF after school. You guys always have a way of cheering me up. Anyway, I just realized that the last five chapters or so have all been in Espio's POV! I didn't do that on purpose, lol. I think it's time for a Vector chapter, so here's a new one for you. This chapter is basically about Vector struggling with his addiction. I kind of have a personal connection with Vector in this chapter because although I've never been addicted to alcohol, I've been addicted to a lot of other things that were hard to get off of. Um...I'm blabbing now, aren't I? Hope you like the chapter!  
**

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**Chapter LXXXXIX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I don't think I can take this anymore. I spend my days and nights thinkin' about Esp constantly. The little chameleon is never off my mind no matter what I do. The only reason why I've turned to drinking is because it does help to numb my mind a little. If I get drunk enough, Espio slips to the back of my mind temporarily. It's no secret that I can turn kinda nasty when I'm drunk though. I hate the way I've treated my best buddy over the last few days. One bad event led to a whole series of bad events.

Let's start with event number one. The main trigger to all of our problems was the very first argument Esp and I had when he refused to sleep with me. I totally get that he wants to be cautious and careful when he gets into a sexual relationship with someone, but wouldn't ya have thought I would have earned his trust by now? Guess not. It gets on my nerves how he keeps holding back from me without offerin' me a good explanation for it. I know he's had sex before, so why won't he do it with me?

I tried ta put that argument behind us, but treated Esp like dirt in the following days. It was my idea to make Espio dress up as a girl while trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman. I knew that dressin' as the opposite gender would humiliate Espio. Call me a bastard if ya want, but I wanted Esp to hurt in the same way I was hurting. That's why I guilt-tripped him into taking on the stupid mission. 'Course, looking back at the whole thing, I feel awful about it seeing as I almost lost Esp that way. If I hadn't followed him and Eggman to that damned spacecraft, Eggman could have killed the little chameleon without my knowledge. Needless to say, I felt real bad about the whole situation after that.

Yeah, I apologized to Espio after nearly gettin' him killed, but it still doesn't seem like enough. To sate my guilt, I've been drinking even more. What's worse is that I broke up with Espio. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, but when we finally made up, he was standin' there in front of me looking all sexy in his tight little dress (yeah, I've got a thing for cross-dressing when it comes to chameleons) and I knew that I wouldn't be able to resist him if we got back together. Sooner or later, sumthin' would send me over the edge and Esp would be mine whether he wanted that or not.

Here we are now, both of us feelin' miserable and missing each other, but I know that I can't get back with Espio unless I wanna run the risk of hurting him. I'm not gonna run that risk. It might surprise ya to hear this, but I'm a croc with _some _morals. It's only when I get drunk when I turn thoughtless. 'Course, I've been drunk more often than not over the last few days.

Drinking is a bad habit of mine and it's kind of a cycle. When I start thinkin' about Esp and how much I want him, I turn to drinking to get my mind off of him. That, in turn, makes me extra-sensitive and ready to blow up at any minute. When I do blow up, I feel really bad when I'm sober next. To try and get away from the guilt, I drink some more. Argh, it's an ongoing pattern that I dunno how to get out of. What's a croc supposed to do when he's caught up with a lover who doesn't want to be loved?

I broke my word to Esp already, which is part of the reason why I'm feeling so cranky right now. I was the one to break up with him, but guess what? I kissed him full on the mouth already even after blabbin' about how it would be best fer us to break up and blah, blah, blah. Do I have any sense of self control when I'm around that purple chameleon? I'm starting to think not.

When I said I had to get outta the house earlier, my intention was to go to a bar. 'Course, Espio was smart enough to read into that and asked where I was goin' with the check Sonic gave us in my hands. Needing some sort of excuse, I told him I was gonna go to the grocery store to do some shopping for him. That's exactly what I did. I'm a good croc, see? I'm not all bad...

'Course, I didn't quite follow the shopping list Espio made out for me. I got most of the stuff he wanted. Peekin' into the shopping bags In my hands, I can see some bananas, some carrots, a carton of that weird almond milk stuff Espio insists on drinking, and a box of wheaties. The rest of the money I spent on drinks for myself. Shh, ya can't let Espio know about it. I'm already feeling guilty about it, so I've already downed two of the bottles. Espio doesn't quite get it. I_ have _to drink to keep my hands off of him. It ain't my fault!

I stumble back to Espio's house in the dark. I've been gone for quite some time and he's probably wondering what I'm up to. Wait, what's that? Squinting, I can see a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye. As I get closer, I see that it's Amy Rose standin' right outside of Espio's house. She's shutting the door behind her and is now walking off to who-knows-where.

My temper immediately flares and suspicion seeps through my drugged mind. There's only one thing Espio would have been doin' with Amy Rose at this time of night. No wonder Espio kicked Charmy out of the house and sent him off to Cream's house earlier. Hmph!

I kick the door to the house open and immediately start to call for Espio when I realize that I've gotta hide my bottles somewhere first. Too worked up to try and find a better hiding place for them at the moment, I shove the bottles under the couch and then straighten up to look for the little hypocrite. He says he won't sleep with me, but we all know too damn well what he was doin' tonight.

"ESPIO!" I yell, my voice thundering through the small house.

A slender figure appears in the living room a few minutes later. Eyes wary, Espio regards me at distance and asks, "Is something wrong, Vector?"

"You tell me. Whaddya think? Is sumthin' wrong or not?" I ask, trying to stay semi-calm although it sure isn't easy sometimes.

"How should I know? You're the one yelling and giving me a headache," Espio replies in annoyance, rubbing his ears. "Was there a problem at the grocery store?"

"No, I'm not talkin' about me or the grocery store. I'm talkin' about you and Amy," I point out, wishing Espio would stop playing innocent with me. Folding my arms over my chest and trying to look more accusing than hurt, I say, "Y'know, if ya didn't really like me all that much to begin with, yeh shouldn't have agreed to going out with me. It's obvious ya like Amy Rose way better since yer willing to get Charmy and me outta the house and invite her over just so the two of yeh can fool around together."

Espio looks completely lost for a moment before his expressions twists and he glares at me, saying, "I would never sleep with someone unless I was in a serious relationship with them. You and I both know full well that I am not in a relationship with Amy."

"Oh," I reply, starting to feel a little stupid since it's clear that the idea of sleeping with Amy makes Esp's stomach churn. Not wanting to back down quite yet, I ask, "So what was she doin' here then?"

"I don't see why you want to know or why it bothers you. It is my home after all. However, I suppose there's no harm in telling you," Espio replies curtly. "Amy came over here to tell me about how many times she's been rejected by Sonic and about how she's realized that maybe it's time she moved on. She asked me out."

A green monster of jealous rears up inside me and I want to smack something. The words are out of my mouth before I know I'm sayin', "What did ya say to that?!"

"I told her no, of course," Espio says smoothly. "I like Amy as a friend and as nothing more. Enough about me. Let me see what you got from the store."

Feeling like I just made a complete fool of myself, I let the bags of groceries drop to the ground and take a step back so Espio can look through them. He leans over them with his tail sticking straight up. God, does he really have to do stuff like that in front of me? It ain't easy trying to resist grabbing his tail.

_Geez, Vector_, a voice in my mind says. _Get a hold of yerself already! Ya already drank a lot today. Yeh shouldn't be thinkin' about Espio at this point!_

Espio looks up from the shopping bags with a frown on his face as he asks, "Are these all the groceries you bought?"

"Yeah," I reply truthfully, knowin' that Espio is suspicious of something. I avoid his stare and look determinedly at the wall across from me.

"Then where's the rest of the money, Vector?" Espio asks slyly, taking a step towards me, which believe me, is not a good thing for him to be doin' right now.

I purposefully take a step backwards and continue avoiding Espio's piercing amber eyes. I search my head for an excuse as to what happened to the rest of the money, but nothin' comes to my fuzzy mind. Deciding to just give Espio a straight out lie, I say, "I spent it all."

"Oh, please," Espio replies, rolling his eyes. "I know the groceries don't cost _that _much. I'm not stupid. I know that you've been out drinking, Vector. It's not a secret."

"Fine, ya got me there," I sigh, looking down at Espio guiltily since I'm too drunk to try and win an argument with him right now. "So whaddya want me to do about it?"

"It needs to stop," Espio says, searching my eyes imploringly. "It's not just because I'm against alcohol either. It's also for your own good. People tend to act differently when they're drunk. It's not their faults, of course, but bad things happen when people get drunk. Promise me that you'll try harder to try and take better care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble since I know that as long as I'm living here with Espio, there's no way I'm gonna be able to stop drinking any time soon. The little chameleon is such a goddamn temptation to me and drinking is the only way I can keep my hands off of him. You'd think that he could understand this, but nope. Getting annoyed that this entire conversation is revolving around me, I take a better look at Espio. His eyes are bloodshot and dark and I can see his ribs if I look close enough. I jab a finger at him and say, "What about yerself? Yer not takin' good care of yerself. Anyone can see that."

"Let's not worry about me right now," Espio replies with a sigh. "I'm not the one doing anything that might cause harm to another member living in this house. Also, I meant to speak to you about this earlier, but didn't get a chance to. I'm worried about Charmy."

"Charmy?" I ask in surprise, having no idea why Espio might be worried about the little bee when we've got more than enough problems on our hands to worry about as it is. Giving him a confused look, I ask, "What's wrong with the kid?"

"He was very upset when I told him we broke up earlier. I've never seen him so upset before," Espio tells me, wringing his hands together and reminding me of my mother. Wringing her hands together was one of her nervous habits that used to drive me crazy.

"Well, it's yer damn fault for telling him we broke up then," I say without thinking. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how rude I've sounded. Esp is right about the alcohol. It makes me say a lot of crappy things I wouldn't normally say. Before we can get into another argument, I quickly add, "Er, sorry."

Espio is regarding me with a wary look as if he's just realized how drunk I am. Taking a step backwards, Espio sighs and says, "The drinking really does have to come to a stop, Vector. If it gets worse, we're not going to be able to live together anymore."

Dammit. The very last thing I need is another something to stress about right now! Can't Espio see that? Guess not. I bite my tongue and mutter, "Yeah, I got that."

"Good. Keep it in mind," Espio says flatly, folding his arms across his chest. "Now, about Charmy, I see that you don't care, but I do. We need to make more of an effort to get along around him and make him think that everything is fine between us."

"So yer admitting that everything is not fine between us?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You were the one who decided that you didn't want me anymore," Espio says, a bitter, reproachful note in his voice. "It was _you _who decided to break up with me. Don't even think about blaming this on me. I've done nothing wrong here, Vector. Nothing."

"Right. Yer always perfect and I'm always the bad guy," I sigh. I know I'm being really hard to get along with right now, but careless words just keep on popping out of my mouth.

"We're clearly getting nowhere with this conversation. I'm going to bed now. Just think about how you behave around Charmy tomorrow. I care about him more than I care about myself. Remember that," Espio says before giving me one last hard look.

I nod and watch him as he turns and stalks out of the living room. My eyes immediately focus in on the slight sway of his hips and the way the moonlight pours in through the window and makes his scales gleam enticingly at me. God, I want Espio. All this arguing and mess we've created for ourselves is makin' everything impossible for us both to handle. One of us is gonna crack and it's gonna be soon.

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_It looks like things are just getting worse and worse for Esp and Vector! How many more chapters do you think it will be until someone cracks? Review please! :)  
_


	100. Split Souls

**Hey guys! I hope you're all having a great Friday. I'm not much of a fan of the weekends, so I'm looking forwards to Monday already, lol. Thank you very much for the reviews for the last chapter. You guys are awesome! This chapter contains a little sexual content, but not any more than what you've already seen in this fic. If you've stuck with this story up to this point, you know what my writing is like by now. xD Hope you guys like this chapter!  
**

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**Chapter C  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

The morning following the night I met with Amy and confronted Vector about spending all of our extra money on booze finds me sitting on my bed and staring out of the window. It's a peaceful January day. The wind isn't blowing and everything seems very still. For some reason, this sudden stillness feels ominous to me. I sense it is the calm before a storm although my paranoia could be getting the better of me in this situation. Mostly, I'm worried about Vector. His drinking is turning him into a stranger to me. He's not Vector anymore.

Sighing, I suppose I ought to get out of bed just to keep an eye on the unpredictable crocodile. As I step onto the ground and walk quietly towards the door of my bedroom, I wonder if Charmy will come home this morning. I certainly hope so. I know how much he likes Cream, but I want him to feel like this is his true home. Unfortunately, with Vector acting so out of sorts lately, I suppose it is better for him to spend more time with Cream and less time with Vector and myself. Until Vector gets a grip on himself, this is just the way things need to be.

What needs to happen for Vector to stop his drinking? I think he drinks because we broke up. I can't feel sorry for him about this matter. It was Vector who chose to break up with me, Vector who couldn't make compromises for our relationship, and Vector who is in the wrong for trying saying that our relationship must be based on all-or-nothing standards.

I enter the living room and immediately greeted by loud video game music. Smiling to myself, I quicken my steps and hurry to the couch to find Charmy concentrating hard on his game. Not wanting to disturb him, I sit quietly next to the little bee and watch him play his game. Charmy's face is all screwed up in concentration and he looks determined to beat his current level. I've long since learned not to interrupt Charmy during a video game. It's best just to let him finish his level and then talk to him about whatever needs to be said.

As I wait for Charmy to finish playing his game, I look around for Vector. The scaly crocodile is nowhere to be seen. A tight knot forms in the pit of my stomach. I don't know where Vector is, but I'm getting a bad feeling about it. He's always in the living room on the couch. Where could he have gone to?

"Hey, Espio," Charmy says, setting aside his game controller and turning to look at me.

"Hello, Charmy," I reply, noticing that he doesn't seem very cheerful this morning. There's a sad look on his little face that goes straight to my soul. Frowning, I ask, "What's wrong? Vector didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Huh? Why would Vector do anything to me?" Charmy asks, giving me a look like I've lost my mind. "I haven't talked to him really. He went into the kitchen when I got home from Cream's house."

Slightly relieved to hear that Vector hasn't bothered Charmy but still sad that Charmy isn't his normal happy self, I say, "I see. Are you sure nothing is wrong? Did you have a nice time at Cream's house? I missed you yesterday when you didn't come home. I didn't realize you were going to have a sleepover with Cream."

"Sorry about that. I was going to call you, but I sort of forgot. I fell asleep while Cream and I were watching a movie," Charmy admits guiltily. He flies over to me and wraps tight arms around my chest before adding, "I missed you last night. I didn't get my goodnight hug! I'm fine though. Nothing is wrong really."

"If you say so," I reply, feeling like Charmy isn't being quite truthful with me. "What are your plans for today?"

Before Charmy can answer me, Vector comes barging into the living room. As soon as he sees Charmy and myself sitting on the couch, he comes to a halt. There's a guilty look on his face that I don't want to see. After a moment, Vector goes straight to the door without saying a word to either of us. Hm.

"Vector," I call softly, knowing that he can hear me even though he's already across the room. "Where are you going?"

"Er, just out of the house for a bit. It's nice ta get some fresh air sometimes, ya know?" Vector tells me.

I do think that it's nice to get fresh air, but I don't see Vector as the type to get outside only for the sake of fresh air. Hoping that he's not going out to a bar or some other place to get drunk, I give him an imploring look and murmur, "Please take care of yourself, Vector. Would you like some company?"

"Nah, I'm good," Vector says, pushing open the door. "I'll see ya later, Esp."

Vector gives me a long look before he slips out the door and allows it to slam shut behind him. There's something not quite right about the way he just looked at me. He's not looking at me like I'm his best friend. Instead, he's looking at me like I'm the star in one of his disgusting pornography films. The look he gave me sends chills down my spine. Oh Vector, what is happening to you?

Charmy echoes my thoughts as soon as Vector leaves and asks, "What's wrong with Vector? He's been acting weird lately."

"I think it has to do with the fact that he broke up with me, but I can't tell you what goes through Vector's mind," I sigh. As much as I don't want to say what I'm going to say next, it really does need to be said. Turning to look at Charmy, I ask, "Would you like to go to Cream's house for one more afternoon? I'm certainly not trying to get rid of you. I just don't want you around Vector when he's acting odd like this."

"Why? Do you think Vector is dangerous or something?" Charmy asks, his forehead wrinkling up in confusion.

"I honestly can't say," I reply, knowing that Vector says a lot of things he doesn't mean when he's drunk. There's no telling what he might actually _do_ when provoked though. "I promise I'll get this all sorted out soon and everything will go back to normal. "

"Everything? You mean you and Vector will get back together again?" Charmy asks hopefully.

I think about my answer for a moment. I want to get back with Vector, but does he want to get back with me? Unsure of the answer to my question, I tell Charmy, "We'll see. I'll talk to Vector about it."

"Okay! I'm sure you can talk him into getting back together with you. You're awesome, Espio!" Charmy says, giving me a big grin before he flies off of the couch and heads towards the door. "I guess I'm going to go to Cream's house now. I hope you can work everything out with Vector while I'm gone so everything can go back to normal when I get home!"

"I hope so too, Charmy. I promise to try my best. Have a nice time at Cream's house," I call after the little bee as he flies out the door and leaves me all alone.

As soon as Charmy's gone, I turn on the TV and try to watch the news to keep my mind on something other than facing Vector when he gets back home from wherever it is he went. Vector will likely be in a foul mood when he returns. Nonetheless, we really do need to have a talk and see if we can work things out. This ongoing tension between us is making both of us lose our sanity. If I stay calm and try to talk things through with Vector, hopefully things will take a turn for the better.

Time passes by slowly when you're waiting for something or someone. The news doesn't hold my attention for long. The topics it covers are of no interest to me. Finally, after what seems like an eternity of waiting, I hear the door bang open from across the room. Vector is finally home. Good.

Thud, thud, thud. I hear Vector's loud footsteps as he tromps across the room after banging the door shut behind him. Turning around on the couch to look at him, I feel a sinking sensation within me as I notice Vector's cheeks are bright red and his pupils are dilated.

"You've been drinking again, haven't you?" I sigh before slouching on the couch and turning back to look at the news. Anything is better to look at than drunk Vector.

Vector gives me no reply at first. Finally, he comes to stand behind the couch and raises an eyebrow at me, asking, "What's it ta you?"

"I thought we went over this last night. You said you were going to try and drink less. I didn't expect you to quit in one day, but I didn't expect you to go out and get drunk the morning after our talk either," I admit, a frown crossing my face. "I wanted to talk with you about what's been going on lately, but I can't talk to you while you're drunk."

"Sure ya can still talk to me," Vector replies, plopping down on the sofa next to me. "Whaddya wanna chat about?"

Vector's voice is a slur and I smell alcohol all over his breath. However, he seems to want to talk, so I decide to give it a try. Taking a deep breath, I ask, "Why did you start drinking?"

"Geez, can't ya figure that one out for yerself?" Vector asks, his nasty drunken side immediately taking over. I should realize that now is a very good time to leave the room, but I don't. Vector goes on, "It's because of _you_, Esp. Yer the problem here! I can't stand lookin' at ya and not havin' ya anymore. Yer such a damn tease and ya tease me on purpose with all yer tail flickin' and hip swayin'. This is all a game to ya, isn't it?"

"What?" I ask, completely confused. Not once have I acted in a seductive way towards Vector. He must be very drunk if he's reading into things that never happened to begin with. Shaking my head sadly, I start to get up and say, "This conversation is over. Until you can think reasonably, we will refrain from speaking."

I start to take a step forwards when I feel a large hand grab my tail. Frowning, I look over my shoulder and glare at Vector, saying, "Please don't touch my tail, it's sensi - _Vector!_"

The large crocodile yanks me back onto the couch by the tail and pins me down against it. There's something wrong with his eyes. They're glassy and can't seem to focus. I lie underneath Vector with no escape, my heart hammering against my chest in fear.

"What's yer aversion to sex anyway?" Vector asks crassly. "Maybe ya just gotta experience it ta realize that it ain't such a bad thing after all, huh?"

Trying to stay calm, I speak in as even of a voice as I can, "Vector, you're drunk. You don't know what you're doing. Let me go."

Vector's eyes gleam and his lips are suddenly crushing mine, bruising the tender flesh by nipping and biting at it. Vector kisses me with untameable, dark passion before his lips travel downward. A slobbery, wet tongue drags across my chest and then glides to my stomach...

"V-vector, please stop..." I plead as I feel hot breath against my thighs. "I'm not ready for this. There's something I need to tell you before we do anything physical. Just listen to me!"

Vector doesn't listen. He doesn't care anymore. His drunken side has taken over and all he knows is what he wants. My words will not make a difference to him now. Suddenly, my head whirls and a ragged gasp leaves my mouth as Vector buries his head against my crotch. His tongue laps incessantly against the insides of my thighs while his hands travel over every inch of me. Vector pinches the insides of my legs before shoving my thighs apart with rough, forceful hands. I try to keep them closed, but I am as weak as a fly against Vector's overpowering strength. My legs part and I try to coil my tail up as guard against Vector's uncontrollable behavior.

A hand grabs my tail and pushes it aside. My eyes widen in fear as I see what Vector is going to do. I cannot believe that after months of a loving relationship it's all coming down to this. I should have known better from the beginning. I should have known that Vector would only hurt me in the end.

Giving him one last plea, I beg, "Vector, please...please don't do this..."

Vector pays me no heed once again. He yanks off a glove and tosses it carelessly across the room. There's only a second's pause before a rough, cold finger pushes itself into the small opening just below my tail. I grab the sides of the couch for support and let my head fall back against the cushions. I'm never going to get away from this...

Vector thrusts a finger in and out of me over and over again, each time forcing his finger deeper inside me. After a moment, he adds a second finger and presses both of them within me. My breath is ragged and comes in short, fast pants. I try and distance myself from this inescapable situation. I stare blankly at the ceiling and try to pretend that I am anywhere but here, about to be raped by the only person I have ever loved.

Vector's fingers become sloppy. He shoves them into me and then twists them around in the heat of my body, not caring if he's hurting me or what he's reducing me to. Silent tears begin to stream down my cheeks as I continue to stare upwards with my eyes glued to the ceiling. I let my body become limp and no longer resist the greedy fingers curling up inside me. I ignore the burning sensation it's causing within me and force myself to go numb. As soon as this is over, I will leave. I will get out this house and never return.

Vector adds a third finger to the first two and sinks all three of them as deep inside of me as he can manage. A sound of pain comes from the back of my throat. Without warning, everything stops. The blood-stained fingers retreat from my body, leaving me feeling ripped apart and mutilated. Vector shakes his head as if to clear it and suddenly returns to the Vector I know and used to love. He looks over my broken body splayed beneath him, recognition and horror abruptly filling his eyes.

"Esp?" Vector asks in a much different voice, one that contains fear. He leans over me and stares into my blank eyes, begging frantically, "Espio, look at me."

I can't look at him. I _won't_. I lay as still as a corpse beneath Vector and continue staring up at the ceiling, eyes unmoving and body still. My heart continues slamming against my ribcage, but besides for that, I show no sign of being alive.

"Espio, I'm beggin' ya..." Vector places a sticky hand coated with my own fluids against my cheek as he tries to get me to look at him.

I continue to refuse to look at Vector. My tears spill onto his hand and wet his fingertips. Vector's expression turns to one of anguish as he finally faces the truth of what he's done to me. Leaning over me so we're eye-to-eye, Vector begs me again, "Say somethin', Esp! Anything! God, I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean ta hurt ya..."

_ Why, Vector?_ I ask him with my mind since my ability to speak has long since left me. _ Why did you have to do this? I trusted you and you broke that trust. I gave you my love and you threw it back in my face._

Without warning, Vector's eyes glaze and his head drops. I sense his heavy weight about to come crashing down on me as he passes out in a drunken stupor. Before I end up flat as a pancake, I force feeling back into my muscles and slide out from underneath Vector, falling off of the couch and landing on the floor. I lay there for a long time, tears continuing to flow down my cheeks as I wonder why Vector had to break my heart.

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_Well, Vector certainly blew it. Not much more to say than that. What do you think will happen next? Review please! :)  
_


	101. Blood Stains

**Hi everyone. Ugh, I hate Saturdays with a passion! I swear it's impossible for me to get through a Saturday without my mom dropping a bomb on my head or insisting on getting into an argument with me. It turns out that I have to go back to the doctor on Monday, which is something I'm not too happy about. Plus, on top of everything else, my computer is having major problems. I'm worried that it's going to break soon. It took me a half hour to get the damn thing running earlier. Um...sorry about the rant there. Thank you all very much for the reviews for the last chapter. I bet you all kinda saw that coming, huh? Vector raping Espio was inevitable. I guess it was a good thing he was drunk so he didn't completely go through with it. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

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**Chapter CI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I wake the next morning to a painful pounding in forefront of my head. Argh, where the hell am I and why do I have such a killer headache? Feeling dizzy, I force my eyelids open and peer blearily around to find myself lying on the couch in the middle of Espio's living room. It must be mid-morning because sunshine is floodin' in through the window and is reflecting off of Espio's glass bowl in the living room. Bright beams of light ricochet off of all the walls practically blind me.

The pain in my forehead is only gettin' worse. God, what I wouldn't do for an aspirin right now! Say, maybe Espio's got one lying around here somewhere. I dumped his pill stash in his bedroom, but ya never know. He might have some hidden somewhere else. It's no secret that the smaller reptile keeps a lot of mysteries from me.

"Oy! Esp! Where are ya?" I call out in a scratchy voice, raising my head from the cushions on the couch to glance around for Espio.

Silence answers my question. How come nobody is ever around when I need somethin'? Sighing, I try and prop myself up onto my elbow. Isn't it kinda weird that Espio isn't up and about doing something or the other at this time of day? Espio isn't one to sleep in and waste the day away.

"Hey, Vector!" a cheerful voice calls from across the room. Lifting my head, I see a blur of yellow and black whizzing towards me. Charmy hovers in front of the couch and grins happily at me as he says, "I thought you were going to sleep all day long! I got back from Cream's house an hour ago, but you were sleeping really heavily and didn't wake up."

"Sorry 'bout that," I yawn, having a hard time thinking through the pounding sensation in my skull. "Hey kid, do ya know where Esp is?"

"Espio?" Charmy echoes, his grin fading slightly as he thinks about my question. "No, I don't know where Espio is. I've just been in my room since I got home from Cream's house. Why? Is he missing or something?"

"Nah, I just need an aspirin. I've got this damn headache that's makin' it impossible to think straight," I complain, rubbing my forehead with a sticky hand. Huh. That's weird. Why's my hand sticky? Guess I must have been drooling all over it while I slept. An idea occurs to me and I send Charmy a sidelong look as I ask, "Say, do ya happen to know where the aspirin is? I could really use one."

"Well, I don't know where the aspirin is, but I do know where Espio keeps the medicine. I'll go look to see if there's any aspirin there," Charmy informs me before starting to fly out of the room. He comes to a halt about midway to the door and stops to pick up something white from the floor. Flying back to me, Charmy says, "This is your glove, isn't it? It looks way too big to be Espio's. I found it across the floor over there. What's it doing on the floor, Vector."

"Huh?" I ask, lifting my head from where I've just dropped it. I stare blankly at the glove Charmy is dangling in front of me and shrug, "I've got no idea."

"Weird. Maybe there's a ghost in the house! That would be so scary!" Charmy says, dropping the glove on my snout before flying out of the room while sending wary glances to his left and right.

Too lazy to pick the glove up from on top of my snout, I continue laying sprawled on the couch with my nose against the fabric. It's got Espio's sweet scent all over it, so I'm perfectly content just to lay here and do nothing. Team Chaotix doesn't have any missions to go on at the moment, so there's nothing for me to do anyway. 'Course, it would be nice if Esp was around. I could probably make him feel sorry for me if I told him about my headache. Espio makes a real good doctor because he's got those maternal instincts about him.

I wait a few more minutes before I start to feel a little worried. Where the hell is Espio? It seems odd that he'd leave the house without telling Charmy or me about it first. Espio is always goin' on about safety and always demands to know when one of us leaves the house. You'd think he'd tell us when he's leavin' the house too, wouldn't ya?

"I got you an aspirin!" Charmy yells in my ear a second later, not making my headache any better.

Charmy's voice rings painfully inside my head for a few minutes before I'm able to process his words. Sending him a wry look, I hold out my hand for the aspirin and say, "Thanks, Charm."

Crash, bang, boom! As Charmy hands me the little pill, a loud smash comes from the kitchen. Charmy gives me a sheepish look and starts back towards the kitchen, saying, "Uh, I guess I didn't put everything back in the cabinet neatly enough. I'll go put everything back where it belongs now."

I nod absentmindedly and swallow the aspirin before getting a really bad gut feeling. Whenever there's a loud noise, Espio typically comes running and demands to know if everyone's okay and what caused the ruckus. However, the whole house remains silent. There's not a sign of Espio anywhere.

The aspirin starts working miraculously enough and my mind starts to clear. I force myself to sit up on the couch and think more about the mystery of where Espio is. Maybe he's mad at me from the other day. I spent all the money we earned from the mission of collecting the Chaos Emeralds on booze. Uh, yeah, Esp definitely has a reason to be pissed off at me for that. After all, he was the one who completed the mission. All I did was save him from Eggman after he collected the Chaos Emeralds.

Feelin' like I've treated Espio pretty crummy lately, I get up from the couch and trudge sleepily into the hallway before coming to Espio's bedroom door. It's slightly open and although I'm just here to apologize, I don't wanna barge into the room like I own the place, so I knock lightly and whisper, "Psst, Esp?"

No answer. Maybe he's sleepin'. Very quickly, I push the door open and peer inside the dark room. It's completely empty. There's no sign of a slender chameleon lying wrapped up in the sheets. Okay, so Espio isn't here. Maybe he's in the bathroom. I immediately change directions and tromp over to the bathroom. After knocking on the door and gettin' no answer, I push it open to find nobody inside the bathroom either. Dammit, Esp, where are ya?

Starting to get kinda frantic by now since it's just not like Espio to leave like this, I stumble back into the living room and stand over the couch thinking hard. Charmy flies back into the room and raises a curious eyebrow at me, piping up, "What are you thinking about, Vector? You look like you're on a case."

"I'm just thinkin' about Espio actually," I admit, hoping that maybe the kid can help me out with my problem. "I looked for him in the bedroom and the bathroom, but I can't seem ta find him. Kinda weird, don't ya think? Esp doesn't leave without telling one of us where he's going."

"Maybe he told you he was going out and you forgot because of your headache?" Charmy suggests with a shrug. Suddenly, a horrified look crosses his face and he asks in alarm, "You don't think something bad happened to Espio, do you? Do you think he was kidnapped? Should we go off and save him?"

"Geez, calm down already! Nah, I don't think he was kidnapped. He's probably just off doin' something," I say, not sure whether I'm trying to reassure myself or Charmy that Espio is alright.

"Hm. When was the last time you saw Espio? Did he talk to you last night? I talked to him a little before I went over to Cream's house," Charmy informs me, doing a better job of thinking like a detective than I'm doing at the moment. 'Course, with my headache, ya can't really blame me.

"Lemme think," I tell Charmy, scratching my forehead.

My mind goes blank as soon as I try to think. As I scratch my forehead, I find myself smearin' sticky stuff all over it. It doesn't feel like drool and it smells strongly of Espio..._too_ strongly of him. What the hell is on my fingers? I pull my hand away from my head with disgust. Anxiety starts creeping through me. Why can't I seem to remember what I was doin' last night? Something's wrong here. I stare intently at the couch. Suddenly, everything from the previous night comes flooding back to me.

It started out with our argument. I got drunk and came home to Espio wantin' to chat with me. He asked why I had been drinkin', which kinda made me mad because ain't it obvious that he's the reason I've taken to drinking? Esp told me our conversation was over, got up, and then...I grabbed him.

My expression turns to one of horror as every little detail from last night comes flooding back into my mind. There I was, slamming Espio against the sofa and slurrin' to him about how I was gonna make him like sex whether he wanted it or not. There was Espio, pleading and begging me to stop with fear mirrored in his wide amber eyes. Did I listen to him? Nope. Too drunk to do anything but follow my own instincts, I started groping his stiff little body, touching him in places I shouldn't and parting his legs how I wanted them.

It gets even worse. I fingered the poor chameleon without a second's thought or without even realizing what I was doin'. I remember it now. I remember how I shoved my fingers into Espio's reluctant body and how he just kinda died under my touch. The fight went out of him and he just laid there like a china doll and let me do what I wanted to him.

...But then he made a sound of pain that sorta jerked me out of my drunken stupor. I saw what I had done to Esp and tried in earnest to get him to talk to me. The tiny reptile couldn't even bring himself to look at me. He just looked at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, his body unmoving and silent tears spilling down his face. I tried to apologize to him, but in my drunken state, I passed out. Now Espio is gone it's not like I don't know why.

"Damn..." I whisper before letting out a loud series of profanities.

Charmy backs away from me and gives me a weird look before asking, "Um, Vector? Is everything okay? Do you know where Espio is now?"

"No, everything ain't okay, Charmy," I reply, self hate rushing through my body as I grab my glove lying on the couch and yank it over my still sticky hand. "I dunno where Espio is, but I do know where he's not. He's not here. Look, I'm gonna go out and find him, alright? He can't have gotten far. Go play with Cream or beat yer next level on yer video game."

"Aw, but I wanna go help you find Espio!" Charmy whines, following me as I rush towards the door. "Can't I come? I love him too, you know. Hey, do you think Espio left because you broke up with him? I know he's been really sad about it lately. I think you two should love each other again."

"No, ya can't come and that's final. I've got somethin' I gotta say to Esp and I've gotta do it alone," I state firmly before I feel a strange wetness in the corners of my eyes. Darn, I'm crying now and it's the bee's fault for mentioning how I broke up with Espio. It was stupid of me to do that. I love him more than anything else on this goddamn planet and now I just abused him in my drunken spell. If he'll ever take me back after what I did ta him, I'll be the luckiest croc alive. Yanking the door open, I tell Charmy, "I know why he left and it's related to that, I guess. I'm gonna go bring him home."

"Okay. I'll be waiting!" Charmy calls after me as I push open the door and step into the cold January morning.

It's a Tuesday and everything feels real quiet around the town. Not many people are out on the streets at this time of day. I whip my head around from left to right and wonder where Espio could have gone. Wave after wave of guilt pours over me. I can't believe I hurt Espio. Breakin' up with him was to prevent me from forcing myself on him and look what happened. I did it anyway. I'm such an idiot. I hurt Espio, the one I vowed never to hurt. He took what I did to him real badly. Worse than most guys would've taken it.

My heart pounds against my chest as I go from street to street searching for any sign of purple scales, a shiny golden horn, or a curly tail. Nothin' I see matches any of my descriptions. I call out Espio's name time and time again, but only the whistling of the wind answers me.

My fists clench in determination and I swear to myself that I'll search this entire damn town inside and out if I have to in order to find Espio. That's exactly what I end up doin'. I search for him from dawn to dusk. As night falls, I feel a tight hand squeeze around my heart. I haven't found any sign of Espio anywhere and it's gettin' late. It's pointless to search for him any more today. Guess I'm just gonna have to go home until the crack of dawn tomorrow mornin'. ...But what if I can't find Espio tomorrow? What if I can't find the little chameleon _ever_?

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_So Esp ended up leaving after all. Do you think Vector will ever find him or will he have to wait for Espio to come to him? Review please! :)  
_


	102. Forever Gone

**Hey guys. It turns out that Sundays are apparently worse than Saturdays here at the Hell House. Don't worry, I won't give you a full account of what happened though. :P Thank you all very much for your reviews for the last chapter. They definitely helped to cheer me up. Was FF screwing up for you guys last night? I couldn't view my chapters at all until this morning. On a side note, I just want to say that I know I'm really far behind on catching up with PMs, but life is crappy over here right now, so please just give me some time. Thanks for your patience, everyone! Hope you like this chapter. :3  
**

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**Chapter CII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I trudge back towards Espio's house with a heavy heart. It's pitch black outside and all I can see are the few feet directly in front of me. It must be real cloudy out because not a single star is twinklin' down on me. I can't help but wonder where Espio is right now. I know better than to hope that he might have returned to the house while I was out searchin' for him. That just ain't Espio's way. I _will_ find him though. I'll find him even if it means searching for him day after day for weeks or even months.

Finally, I reach the house and pull the door to it open. I step inside the house as quietly as I can and shut the door behind me without makin' too much noise. I try to be quiet in case Charmy's already gone to bed. To be honest, I hope he's in bed. I don't wanna have to face him and tell him that I couldn't find Espio. Unfortunately, as soon as I've taken a step inside the doorway, a yellow and black blur whizzes across the room directly at me. Apparently, Charmy did not go to bed like I had hoped.

"Did you find him, Vector?" Charmy asks me immediately, bright eyes searching mine hopefully.

"No, Charm, I didn't find him," I reply with a loud sigh. Charmy's face immediately falls and he looks upset. Knowing that Esp would want me to comfort him if he was here right now, I reach out and pull the little bee against my chest for a hug. Charmy immediately responds by wrapping his arms tightly around me. He likes hugs. I know that because he always insists on one before bed. I stare out the window with Charmy's little arms still wrapped around me and murmur, "I'll find him though. Don't ya worry about that. I'll search until I find him."

"I don't understand why he left though. Why didn't he tell me? Does he not care about me anymore?" Charmy asks, his voice wavering at the end of his question.

"No, it's nothin' like that. Espio's mad at me. I...I did sumthin' to him that I shouldn't have done," I admit, hoping that Charmy is not going to start hating me because of what I just said. "It's got nothin' to do with you though, Charmy. Espio loves you more than anything on this whole damn planet. Believe me, I know."

"I think he loves you most," Charmy admits, still hugging me tightly.

"Not anymore," I reply sadly, feeling as if little needles are stabbing my heart. Charmy may have been right. Espio might have loved me most, but then I had to go and screw things up for us. This is all my fault and there's no one else to try to push the blame onto in this situation. I've gotta face the consequences of my actions.

"You will find him tomorrow, won't you, Vector?" Charmy presses me as he pulls back from our hug and looks up into my face with big eyes.

"I'll try, kid. That's all I can do. I promise I won't quit searchin' for him until I've found him," I say with determination before sending Charmy a haphazard smile and adding, "Once we start a job, we finish a job. That'll always be our motto as Team Chaotix members. As soon as I find Espio, I'll put everything right again."

"We're not Team Chaotix without him," Charmy points out as a yawn slips from the side of his mouth. Blinking tiredly, Charmy goes on, "I'm really tired. I'm going to go to bed now."

"Alright, you do that. Sleep well, alright?" I tell Charmy as he nods and flies over to his bedroom with his wings down and his face sad.

As soon as Charmy exits the room, I slump onto the sofa and stare at the blank TV screen. I don't even have the will to turn on the remote and watch a trashy soap opera. Nothin' seems to matter except for the fact that Espio is gone. I can't get him off my mind no matter what I do. Espio means everything to me. I swear that if I could, I would do everything in my power to turn back time and redo last night. I should never ever have grabbed him. Instead, I should have listened to his talk. He knew what he was sayin' when he told me to stay away from alcohol. Espio is smart. He always knows best. So why did I feel the need to prove him to that he was wrong and that drinking didn't affect me?

No answer comes to my mind. I guess Espio and I have always had this sort of rivalry goin' on. I've always been jealous of his intelligence and quick mind. I never would have thought I would actually hurt Espio over it though. Dammit, why did I have to get drunk and why did I have to force myself on Esp? Someone tell me what the hell I was thinking!

As I slouch on the couch and continue staring unseeingly at the TV, I make a decision. I'm gonna quit drinking and never go back. I'm gonna get rid of all my bottles in the house and never touch alcohol again. I'll do it for Espio's sake. If he ever comes back, I'll never get drunk around him again.

Mind made up, I go to my stash of booze under the couch and tug every single bottle out from under it. Gathering them up in my arms, I tromp over to the back door and throw all of the bottles as far away from the house as I can. They whiz through the air and make loud smashing sounds in the distance. Espio's backyard leads to the forest, so I can toss whatever I want.

I return to the couch with empty arms and go to sleep. I've gotta at least try to get some sleep so I can do the best job I can while searchin' for Espio tomorrow. However, as I lean down and am about to plop my head down on the cushions of the sofa, I stop and hesitate. The fabric smells so strongly of Espio. It's probably soaked with his sweat and the fluids I forced outta him last night as well as the tears of pain he cried. Crap, I can't sleep here.

Feeling more guilty than I've ever felt about anything in my entire life, I slump onto the floor and decide to sleep here for tonight. It's not very comfortable, but I don't deserve comfort after what I did to the little chameleon. I deserve to go ta hell or to a worse place than that if one exists.

I get about two hours of sleep over the course of the night. Mostly, I think about Espio. Where's he sleepin'? Is he alright? Is he thinkin' about me? Question after question spins around and around inside my head. I start to wonder if I'm ever gonna get answers to my questions. If I never find Espio, I'll never get my answers.

After gettin' up at the crack of dawn, I spend the entire next day searching for my Chaotix buddy. There's no sign of Espio anywhere. I swear I've searched the town inside and out about five times by now, but no matter where I search, I can't find Espio anywhere. It's like he's disappeared off of the face of the planet or sumthin'.

The next five days pass by identical to the last two days. Charmy stays home and plays his video game for hours on end while I go on a wild goose chase for Espio day after day. I'm startin' to give up hope at this point. I guess there's a possibility that Espio could have left town. Can't say I'd blame him if he did. Can't blame him for not wantin' to ever see me again either.

It's the morning of the sixth day and I've just woken up. As I open my eyes and yawn widely, I find that Charmy is awake and is sitting on the couch. That's kind of odd for Charmy. He always sleeps until the same time every morning. What's he doin' up so early?

"Mornin', Charmy," I greet the bee as I force myself into a sitting position and look sleepily around the room. "Did ya have a nightmare?"

"No. I just miss Espio," Charmy says simply. His lip trembles and he says in a rush, "Espio's never coming back, is he? I'm never going to see him again."

Charmy tries to hold back the tears, but it doesn't work so well. He ends up sobbing loudly with big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. I'm not much of a comforter, but for Espio's sake, I decide to at least try and comfort Charmy. I fetch the box of tissues from the coffee table and set 'em down next to Charmy before I plop down on the couch by his side.

"I dunno the answer to yer question and I'm not gonna lie to you by tryin' to answer it. It's got nothin' to do with you though. Espio will always love ya no matter what," I say only what I know to be true.

"But if he really loved me, wouldn't he be here with me now? Wouldn't he have at least wanted to say goodbye to me if he was going to leave?" Charmy asks through his tears.

"It's not that simple. I wish it was, but it's not. Hey, ya know how Espio is always goin' on about spirits and all that stuff?" I question the upset bee, tryin' my best to get him to calm down with an analogy I've just come up with. Giving me a quizzical look, Charmy nods slowly. Feeling kind of proud of myself for coming up with such a good analogy, I go on to say, "Well, Espio will always be with ya in spirit no matter what happens. Yer never really gonna be separated from him."

Charmy takes a moment to think about this before he whines, "But I don't just want Espio to be with me in spirit I want him here with me _now_. I miss him so much!"

"Yeah, I know. I miss him too," I sigh, realizing that I'm nowhere as good at comforting the kid as Espio is. Figuring that I might as well get up and start my daily search, I tell Charmy, "I'm gonna go and look for him right now. Say, can ya think of anywhere Espio might have gone? Like is there a cousin's house or an aunt or uncle's house he might have gone to?"

Charmy stops crying so hard as he takes my question into consideration. Grabbing a tissue, he wipes his eyes as he sniffles, "Not really. I mean, he told me that he hated living with his mom and his cousin. I don't think he'd ever go back there. That's how Espio and I ended up together actually. Neither of us had a family that wanted us."

"So he's not with a family member then. Hm," I muse, tryin' to take a different approach to my search since the things I've been doing before to try and find Espio sure aren't working. "Do ya know anywhere Espio likes to hang out? I dunno, like the park or some other place with lots of nature maybe?"

"I don't know where Espio likes to go. He used to just work at the cafe all day long and then rush home to spend the evenings with me. That was before we started Team Chaotix. Then I got to spend a lot more time with him since he cut down on his hours at the cafe," Charmy explains, his tears finally stopping as he gets distracted by filling me in on Espio's habits.

Suddenly, the answer I've been looking for all along hits me smack in the face. The cafe! Of course! Geez, I've been such a fool not to think to look there earlier. It only makes sense that I'd find Espio at the place of his work. Can't believe I didn't think of that until now. Knowing that there's no time to lose, I immediately start rushing towards the door.

"Where are you going, Vector?" Charmy asks with a nonplussed expression on his face, clearly not understanding my revolution.

"I'm off ta find Espio. I'm pretty darn sure I know where he is. I promise I'll bring him home to ya tonight," I swear to Charmy before heaving open the wooden door to the house and stepping outside.

I usually take my time striding along the sidewalk, but I'm in a hurry today. I jog along the street to get to the cafe, still beating myself up over not thinking to go there sooner. My music isn't pounding in my ears as usual while I run. Ever since Espio left, I haven't had the will to listen to music. The world is dark and unfriendly without the loyal, strong-willed chameleon by my side. Without him, I'm nothing.

After about five minutes, I arrive at the cafe panting slightly. I fling a hand towards the door and yank it open. Practically running inside, I cause a lot of people to look up from their drinks to see what I'm doing. I ignore all the questioning looks I'm getting and stare around the room for any sign of Espio. My heart falls. There's no sign of a purple chameleon anywhere. Dammit. I feel tears of disappointment in the corners of my eyes. I had such a good feelin' about this place and it turns out Espio ain't here after all. Where could he possibly be? He's left, I'm real sure of that at this point. I'm never gonna see Espio again and I'm never gonna get to apologize to him for what I did.

Deciding that I might as well sit down and have a cup of coffee since it's still early and since I don't wanna return back to Espio's house without Espio after promising Charmy I'd bring him home, I plop down onto a chair at the table nearest me and drop my head onto it. How am I ever gonna live with myself if I never get a chance to tell Espio I'm sorry and that I really do love him?

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_Well, Vector is certainly putting his heart and soul into finding Espio even if he isn't having much luck. x_x Where do you think Espio might have gone? Review please! :)  
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	103. Rejected Apologies

**Hello everyone. :) Thank you for the reviews for the previous chapter! It's really nice to have something to look forwards to at the end of the day. This chapter wasn't written too well grammar-wise for some reason, so sorry if the sentence fluency is really off. I think this is a chapter you've all been waiting for though! Let me know what you think of it. ^^  
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**Chapter CIII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
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I sit with my head on the table and feel as if the world is ending. Nah, I'm not just bein' melodramatic. I miss Espio more than anything and I feel so goddamn guilty about what I did to him that it's getting almost unbearable. The awful question of what if I never find him is too much for me to handle. I dunno what I'll do if I never find Espio. Team Chaotix will be ruined and there's no way I'd ever try and throw another detective agency together.

What about Charmy though? I'm not exactly the parental type, but he needs someone to look after him and I guess I'm better than no one. There's absolutely no way I'll ever take another love interest as long as I live though. My heart belongs to Espio and it always will belong to Espio. Argh, why couldn't I have seen that before and realized how special and delicate our relationship was? Now it's too late and I've messed up the whole thing and probably won't ever be able to fix it.

"Sir?" a questioning voice jerks me out of my musing. I look up to see a female gerbil waitress with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes looking tentatively down at me. "Is there anything I can get for you? We have quite a wide variety of pastries and several different drinks to choose from."

"Um, I'll just take a coffee. Thanks, ma'am," I tell the gerbil glumly as she nods and scurries off across the busy cafe to go fix my order.

As I lift my head from the table, I notice that I'm still attracting a lot of curious looks from around the room. Wonder why. I guess it's probably got something to do with the fact that I haven't slept more than six hours in the last five days and I've mentally been tearing myself apart. I've never known what it is like to be depressed up until this point in my life. Now I see why everyone makes such a big deal out of it. Each day seems to stretch on for an eternity and there's nothin' to hope for. My hope for finding Espio has been snuffed out. I'm finally learning to face the reality of this situation.

I wait without any hurry for my coffee and try to clear my head for a while. I'm also startin' to see why Espio took those pills of his for depression. No wonder he wanted to numb his mind. All this stress and feelin' awful twenty four-seven is wearing after a while.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of something - or should I say someone? - purple. Figuring that I'm being stupid even bothering to look anymore, I turn my head to the right and let my jaw fall open. I honestly feel like I'm about ta cry from happiness because standin' across the room from me with a tray of drinks in his hands is none other than Espio!

As the little chameleon slowly makes his way across the room to a table a little ways away from mine, I wave a frantic hand at him and call out, "Oy! Espio!"

The small reptile comes to a standstill, but doesn't take his eyes from the floor. He refuses to look in my direction or acknowledge that I'm speaking to him. Instead, he darts across the room to the couple he's supposed to serve the drinks to and sends them a polite smile as he places a mug of who-knows-what in front of each of them. Instead of passing by my table again, Espio takes the long route to the back room of the cafe and disappears within a closed door.

If I think I look bad, then I've gotta say that Espio looks like hell. I don't give a damn what he looks like, but I can tell he's not takin' care of himself. His eyes are so dark and bloodshot that he's almost a fright to look at full in the face. He looks like he's aged about ten years, not like he's ever exactly seemed like a sixteen-year-old to me, but that's not the point. He needs help.

I'm not surprised that Espio is ignoring me. After what I did to him, I can't exactly blame him for trying to avoid me. However, just because he wants to avoid me does not mean that he's gonna get out of talkin' to me. I've gotta apologize to him and it can't wait any longer.

I get up from my table without a moment of hesitation and head straight towards the door at the back of the cafe, ignoring all of the people in the room who are starin' at me like I've lost my mind. I don't care that I'm not allowed to be in the back room of the cafe. All I care about is Espio. If I've gotta break a few rules to get to him, then fine! It's worth it and more.

I reach the door to the back room and push it open as quietly as I can so Espio won't see me right away and immediately run off. I'm lucky because this room is actually real small. This obviously isn't where all the food and drinks are prepared. This just looks like a sort of washing area. There are dirty dishes lined up along the counter and a large dishwasher is set adjacent to it. Espio hasn't spotted me yet and continues loading the dishwasher with dirty dishes. His tail is down and his movements are slow, showing me that he's lost his usual tenacity.

Glad that we're the only two in the room, I let the door fall shut behind me and step over across the room to Espio. He's so involved in his work that he still doesn't notice me. I clear my throat, but he continues working with a faraway, glazed look on his face.

"Er, Espio?" I finally ask, reaching out and lightly touching his shoulder.

Espio whirls around as if he's expecting someone to attack him and jerks his head up to find me awkwardly lookin' down on him. Espio's amber eyes flame and he backs himself up against the wall, saying in a deadly low voice, "Don't you dare touch me, Vector!"

I've never seen Espio this upset before. His voice trembles ever so slightly and I can see the passion in his eyes as he glares at me from across the room. Knowing that I need ta keep my distance from him, I hold my hands up in an innocent gesture before sayin' quietly, "I'm not gonna touch ya, Esp. I'm just here to apologize, nothin' more."

"Are you _sure_, Vector? Is that what you're _really_ here for?" Espio asks, something wrong with his voice as he continues glaring at me. "I don't trust you. You got what you wanted from me, but how can I know that you're not back for more? I thought you would at least have the decency to leave me alone after humiliating me, but apparently I was wrong."

Uh, yeah, this is obviously not gonna go as smoothly as I hoped it would. Espio's words cut through me like knives. Does he really think I'm here right now to try and force myself him again? Geez, he must really think I'm some sort of cold-hearted croc or sumthin'.

"Esp, I only did what I did because I was drunk outta my mind," I tell him, trying to implore him with my eyes that I didn't mean any of what I did. "I'd never dream of hurtin' ya in a million years. Ya mean the world to me! I'm so sorry. I never meant ta hurt ya. I swear to god that I didn't!"

"My name is Espio and you will address me in that manner when speaking to me," Espio replies coldly, his eyes guarded and a new wall up around himself, blocking me out from what he's really feeling. In a quick movement, Espio whips out a knife from inside his glove and says, "If you get any closer to me, I will hurt you and believe me, it won't be pretty."

I stare from Espio to the knife and feel my heart split into two halves. Espio is practically a completely different person and it's all my fault. The tears rush back to the corners of my eyes and I beg the chameleon, "Please accept my apology! God, I'm so sorry, Espio. I didn't mean it! I never did. I love ya and-"

"Don't," Espio cuts me off, squeezing his eyes shut. I watch as his chest rises and falls rapidly. Eyes still closed, Espio speaks in a slightly less cold tone as he murmurs, "Don't tell me you love me. I spend six long months with you trying to find out the truth about love. I was an idiot and actually believed that you cared for me. I fell in love with you, Vector. I really did. Then all you did was use me..."

Espio is shaking now and his hand has dropped, his knife no longer poised for attack. Espio looks like he's about to have a breakdown and I'm the reason for it. There's nothin' more I want to do than wrap Espio in my arms and tell him I'm sorry over and over again until he believes me. I'd probably just give the chameleon a heart attack though.

Something Espio said is sticking to the forefront of my mind. Very carefully, I ask him, "Do ya still love me or could yeh find a way to ever love me again?"

Espio's eyes open and I find that they're shiny and watery in the light. He's just like Charmy tryin' not to cry, but unlike Charmy, he does a better job suppressing his tears. He looks me directly in the eyes for the very first time, and below the outer anger, all I can see within his amber orbs are miles upon miles of hurt and betrayal.

Turning away from me, Espio says quietly, "Why would that matter to you? All you ever wanted was my body."

"That's not true!" I reply fervently, causing Espio to send me a very dubious glance over his slender shoulder. I think back and realize that I don't have much evidence to support myself on this. I teased Espio, harassed him, and tried to push him into having sex with me more times than I'd like to remember. That doesn't mean that I don't love him though! 'Course it doesn't mean that!

"Love doesn't exist. I know that now. I thought I could give it a second try because I was willing to hope. I hoped you could help me move on and forget, but now I see I was wrong. I've been such a fool for you, Vector. I don't even know why I'm bothering to talk to you right now," Espio tells me, shaking his head as if he's angry at himself.

I cringe at Espio's words. He's given up on love just because I made one teeny tiny mistake 'cuz I was drunk. Well, okay, so it wasn't a teeny tiny mistake. It was a big, huge blunder that really messed him up. I probably hurt him too, not only emotionally but also physically. I hadn't been careful when I was shoving my fingers in and out of him. A big, thick lump forms in my throat, makin' it hard for me to breathe.

"Are ya okay?" I ask him, hoping I didn't damage his fragile figure too much.

Espio turns and gives me a flat look, asking, "What kind of question is_ that_?"

"Er, sorry. I know yer not okay. I just wanted ta know if yer hurt like...uh...physically," I say, not really sure how to word my question in a way that I'll get me an answer from Espio.

"I don't want to talk about it," Espio replies before sighing loudly and saying all in a rush, "Just leave. I don't know why you're here or what you want. You've ruined me enough as it is. Do us both a favor and go back to doing whatever it was you did before you met me. Joining Team Chaotix was the worst decision of my life."

Panic runs through me at Espio's words. If I leave now, I'll probably never see Espio again. He's obviously not forgiven me and I just can't let us leave each other on this note. Trying desperately to think of someway to get him to relent, I seize the first thing that enters my mind and asks, "What about Charmy? Are ya just gonna leave him? He's been askin' for ya. He thinks ya don't love him anymore."

Espio hesitates for the first time. His grip on the knife slackens and the weapon drops to the floor. He doesn't bother to pick it up and thinks hard for a long moment before saying, "You can take care of Charmy. I know you have it in you. Just promise to me never to hurt him."

"I don't wanna have to take care of Charmy and Charmy doesn't want me to be his single parent!" I protest loudly. My voice is raising, but I feel so passionate about this topic that I don't realize that I'm almost shouting. "Charmy wants _you_! You're not me, Espio. You're something different, something better. Come back to the house with me, I'm beggin' ya!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Espio says flatly. He considers my words for a few more seconds before he resigns slightly and says, "If Charmy wants to see me, then send him here, but send him here alone. I don't want to see you."

"But why?" I ask him emphatically. "I've told ya I'm sorry. I can see in yer eyes that yeh still have feelings for me. Can't ya give me another chance? I've gotten rid of all the booze in the house. I'm never gonna touch alcohol ever again. Please give me another chance. I'll do anything for it. Yer my everything!"

I realize that I'm soundin' like a sap, but what the hell? I don't care what I sound like anymore. All I want is Espio back. I wanna prove to him that I can be a good partner for him. I just can't lose him, not like this anyway.

"You should have considered this beforehand. You should have dated me properly," Espio remarks, not falling for me in the least.

"Can I date ya again? I swear I'll do it right this time. We'll do whatever ya wanna do," I say fervently, trying to convince Espio to give me another chance.

"No, I'm done with relationships. All they cause is pain in the end," Espio tells me, staring blankly at the wall behind me.

"Relationships?" I ask, pickin' up on something I didn't notice before. "Ya never really told me about yer last relationship..."

"That's because it wasn't a 'relationship'," Espio says, eyes on the floor.

Feeling like I'm about to uncover a key element to Espio's dark, suspicious character, I take a step forwards and ask quietly, "Then what was it? Tell me what happened."

"I was raped, Vector," Espio says quietly, amber eyes glued to the floor as he speaks in a barely audible voice, "Not once or twice, but over and over again. It went on for months. I almost told you about it earlier, but I couldn't. I'm sure you understand why."_  
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_Omfg, Espio finally told the frigging truth! xD Lol, anyway, what do you think Vector's reaction will be to the news? Review please! :)  
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	104. Ugly Truths

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was really sick, like way more than usual even. Anyway, enough about me. Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. :3 Let me know what you think of this next one!  
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**Chapter CIV  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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A thick silence falls between Vector and myself. The words I've just spoken seem to hang in the air between us as Vector tries to process what I've just said. After months and months of suppressing the truth from him, I've finally come clean. I didn't want to tell Vector the truth. In fact, I never planned on telling him what really happened to me. By admitting it aloud, I'm admitting to myself that it really did happen. Bryce did rape me and made me his slave for many months. I'm not the strong, impenetrable chameleon I try to be.

I can't look at Vector as the thick silence stretches miles between us. Waves of shame roll over me. What will Vector think of me now? I despise admitting my weakness. Being unable to fight Bryce makes me appear frail and feeble. Those two words twist themselves into my mind and make my self esteem drop down a few more notches.

I honestly don't even see why I care what Vector thinks of me anymore. Why does it matter? Vector was just like Bryce and every other male I will encounter during the rest of my life. The idea that love can exist as a pure, innocent emotion between two beings is nothing more than a lie. Love is sex and at the end of the day, that's really all it comes down to. There were times when I thought Vector actually loved me, but I see now that my thoughts were nothing more than hopeful ideas.

After Vector tried to force himself on me in that drunken stupor he was possessed in, I went to the bathroom to see how much damage had been done to me. I was too busy forcing myself to feel nothing at all that I didn't even feel the painful burning by my tail. A few seconds later, I lightly wiped the affected area with a towel. It came away sticky and red with blood. I cleaned myself up the best I could before going to the cafe. The manager had made it clear on several occasions that I was welcome there at all times. It was the best place for me to go.

Having nothing better to do, I took up long hours working at the cafe. I put my mind into my work and continued trying to keep my body numb and my head clear of all emotions. If I think too hard, I will have a breakdown. Already, I'm starting to crack and shatter to pieces just by facing Vector for the first time since our "incident"

I really thought Vector would leave me alone. After all, if you attacked someone, wouldn't you most likely never want to face them again? Wouldn't it make sense that you would do everything in your power to stay away from that certain person you hurt? I would have thought so, but it turns out that Vector is no ordinary person. Vector is not the brightest, and so instead of avoiding me, he's come here searching for me and is now facing me with guilt and shame weighing him down.

I don't know what to think of Vector anymore. I'm shaken up in every way possible and I can barely keep a grip on myself these days without trying to sort out complicated feelings that have to do with my past love for Vector. Part of me still loves him and a part of me hates him. Actually, I suppose that isn't_ quite_ true. I'll never be able to hate Vector even if I try to. I've fallen head over heels in love with him and now I'm caught up tight in the bindings of that horrible little thing called love. I don't believe I'll ever be able to stop loving Vector. Even if he hadn't passed out that fateful night five days ago and had full forcibly raped me, I still would love him. Love is abusive. Love is cruel. Most of all, love makes no sense.

Here I am now, facing Vector and having a very hard time not falling to pieces in front of him. I've tried to act indignant, strong, and angry, but those emotions have quickly dissolved into emptiness and pools of sorrow that are oceans deep. When I look at Vector, the only thing that enters my head is the question of why? Why did he do this to me? Why did he betray me? I loved him so much...

I haven't thought much about the future and already Vector has brought up several questions to me that I don't want to face. He asked me about my future plans, Team Chaotix, and Charmy. I have answers for all three questions although I made them up on the spur of the moment. My future is right here in the cafe. I will drown myself in my work and live here in the back room. Hailey, the manager, doesn't mind. About Team Chaotix, well, you don't have to be a genius to figure out my answer regarding the future of the detective agency. We might as well have been called Team Chaos for all the trouble that the agency has caused me. The matter of Charmy is a bit more complicated. I told Vector to take care of him and to send him here to visit me. Unfortunately, I'm already feeling guilt pile up in the pit of my stomach from that decision. Vector says Charmy doesn't think I love him anymore. Of course I love Charmy. Charmy is everything to me now that Vector tripped up. However, I don't feel like I can be a good parental figure to him anymore. Who am I fooling? I am only Espio, a chameleon who couldn't even protect himself from his own cousin.

There is one question that I have no answer for. At least, not a definite answer for. Vector asked me about us. He wants to date me again. Of course I won't let him. However, there's a small section of my broken heart that wants to give him a second chance. When Vector and I were together and Vector wasn't spending all our money on booze and getting drunk all the time, I was happy.

I've told Vector no. I've told him that I won't have anything more to do with him. That makes sense, doesn't it? He reminded me what love is really about. I feel a bit idiotic since I didn't see it coming. Vector wanted to sleep with me since day one. Wouldn't it make sense that the crocodile would eventually do whatever it took to get that one thing he desired so much from me?

The silence between Vector and myself has gotten so thick that it could be cut with the knife I just dropped to the floor moments before. I wish Vector would say something. It shouldn't matter what he thinks of me anymore. Even if he does think I am weak, it really should make no different to me. Vector and I will never see each other again after today.

Finally, the silence breaks. I feel a finger under my chin. That's Vector for you - always trying to push me into something or press me in a way I don't want to be prodded in. He wants to look me in the eyes, but I don't want eye contact right now. I shut my eyelids tightly and wait to hear words of disdain or possibly ridicule from him.

"Espio, I'm...I'm really sorry. I didn't know," Vector admits, his normally gruff voice quieter and gentler than usual.

"I don't ask for sympathy," I reply, still trying to act like I have hard outer scales and not as if my body and mind are threatening to break down into tiny pieces at any moment. "It's merely what happened. I was weak. Perhaps I deserved what happened to me. Either way, it's over with now. I only told you about it so you can see why I resisted you."

"Yeah, I get it now. I shouldn't have pushed ya," Vector replies, voice extremely guilty. "God, Esp, I wondered about it sometimes, ya know? Especially after we watched that horror film that one night. Yeh reacted so violently to it that I didn't know what ta think. Then there was also that time when ya asked me to promise not ta force myself on yeh..."

"I remember," I say coolly, surprised at the way I'm managing to keep my voice calm when my insides are crumbling and crashing down all around me. My heart is shattered, the last bits of my soul have been chipped away, and my identity has faded from me forever. My eyes open and I add, "What became of that promise, Vector?"

Vector's bright vermilion eyes are glassy as he stares at the ground and doesn't answer me right away. Usually, he avoids it when I ask him direct questions like this, but for once, he admits he was wrong and replies, "I broke it. I'm not even gonna blame it on bein' drunk. It's my own damn fault either way. I screwed things up between us. It coulda been a real good thing between us otherwise."

"It _was_ a good thing," I emphasis. "You changed me and brought out a side of me that I thought had died. You helped me to get over the past."

"Who was it?" Vector suddenly asks, fists clenching and eyes going hard. I take a step backwards from him, not trusting a single soul on the planet now. Vector's voice raises a few notches in his fury as he adds, "Who raped ya? Tell me. They're as good as dead. I'll break their neck and-"

"Please no," I beg, holding up a hand to cut Vector off. I've had enough of blood and violence whether gory or sexual. "Violence isn't the answer. If you must know, it was my cousin. He's out of my life now though and that's what matters. I left him and I will never go back."

"All that talk about yer female cousin who was raped...you were talkin' about yerself the whole time, weren't ya? That's where all those questions ya asked me about rape came from," Vector states, finally putting together all the pieces of the puzzle. "That's why yeh were so cold ta me when we first met."

"...Yes," I reply simply, not wanting to go into detail. I can't think about the way Bryce used to tie me up, beat me, rape me, and cut me.

"I remember sumthin' ya asked me, ya know, if I thought rape was the rape victim's fault. Remember that?" Vector asks, not exactly helping me to feel any better since I'm trying hard not to think about my past right now. I nod curtly, wishing Vector would shut up for once. Vector goes on, "That's the farthest thing from the truth. Yer innocent. None of this was ever yer fault. Yer the kindest, smartest, and loyalest person I've ever known. Ya deserve to have a perfect life and someone who really loves ya."

"Thank you," I murmur, not really sure why I'm thanking Vector. He shouldn't be helping me feel better right now. I shouldn't even be allowing myself talk to him like this.

"Yeh also asked me about if I'd feel any different towards someone if they'd been raped," Vector says, surprising me by remembering all the questions I asked him the night I told him about my "cousin" being raped. Apparently, the outwardly daft crocodile has a good memory after all. Looking me straight in the eyes, Vector says, "I'm not gonna lie to ya. It does change the way I see yeh, but not in a bad way or anything. I just...I can't believe what I did to ya. I'll never know what yeh went through and I'll never understand what it was like for ya. I just made it a thousand times worse and it's killin' me. Look, I'll stop botherin' ya. I'll stay outta yer life if that's what ya want. Just don't take this out on Charmy though. He still loves ya and you'll break his heart if yeh never let him see ya."

"You can send him here. I never said I wouldn't see him," I reply, feeling my resolve go down slightly. Vector is about to walk out of my life, and despite everything, I find that I don't want him to go.

"Alright. I'll tell him he can come visit yeh here then. Ya need someone like Charmy," Vector nods firmly, trying to mask his true feelings as he forces himself to take a step towards the door. "What are ya goin' to do though? How're ya gonna live?"

"Here," I reply immediately. "The manager lets me sleep in the back room and I'm paid well."

"Oh, c'mon, that ain't right," Vector shakes his head. "Yer gonna move back into yer house with Charmy and I'll go somewhere else."

"I don't think I'd be a good influence on Charmy right now," I admit truthfully. I stare blankly at the wall behind Vector's head and murmur, "I don't seem to know anything anymore. The things that I thought were unbreakable have come crashing down around me. In a world like this, is anything stable?"

"I dunno, Esp. Ya ask really deep questions," Vector says, still looking like he's trying hard to hold strong emotions back. Suddenly, he can hold back no longer and adds in a tone of anger, "I wanna kill yer cousin for what he did to ya. Now I get it. I get why ya had makeup on in those pictures, I get why ya have scars on the insides of yer legs, and I get why ya were so reluctant to get into a relationship. The bastard ruined yer life!"

"The thing that will help me most now is to forget him. Revenge won't change the past," I say, looking at the ground and for some reason feeling slightly better because Vector is acting so protective of me. He was drunk when he forced himself on me the other night. It wasn't really Vector who hurt me. Would it be stupid of me to go home with him and allow him to continue living with me? I won't get into a relationship with him again, but I will miss him if I never see him again despite everything.

"Well, I guess I should leave, huh?" Vector says, placing a hand on the doorknob and facing me shamefully as he adds, "I'm real sorry, Espio. I know yer never gonna forgive me, but I never meant what I did to ya. I'll always love ya. Remember that."

Vector turns the door handle, my pulse suddenly races, and I hold up a hand before I know what I'm doing.

"Vector, wait."

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_Hm, what do you think Espio is going to tell Vector in the next chapter? Review please! :)_


	105. Starting Over

**Hi everyone! :) Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. I also want to say thank you to those of you who wished me luck getting better. I actually feel much better than I did two days ago. My dad got me miracle pills, it seems. Anyway, I completely forgot about Valentine's Day yesterday. *facepalms* You can tell just how awesome my current love life is, lol. Happy late Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you all had a great one. Sorry if these next few chapters are a little on the boring side. I sort of needed a transitioning period from this part in the fic to the "climax". Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Chapter CV  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector immediately pauses and turns back to me hopefully. I don't know why I told Vector to wait. All I know is that if I allow him to leave, I'll never see him again. Without Vector, my life will go back to the way it was before I met him. I'll retreat within myself and fall deeper into the pit of depression than before. Vector said he was sorry for forcing himself on me. I believe him. I think he was acting out on the spur of the moment because it was his drunken side that was in control that night, not the usual sweet, kind Vector I know and love. Well, alright, "sweet" and "kind" aren't exactly words you might use to describe the loud, boisterous crocodile, but he isn't normally thoughtless and violent.

"Yeah, Esp?" Vector asks as we just stare at each other for a long moment.

Still trying to figure out what it is I want to say to him, I drop my eyes to the ground and try to think fast. I have several options right now. I could just try and put this whole situation behind me and return home to my cozy, familiar house with Vector. I wouldn't have to sleep on the hard floor of this back room any longer. I could also see Charmy again.

"Vector, I...I forgive you," I say in a barely audible voice. The words that leave my lips are true. I do forgive Vector. Over the last six months, I've gotten to know him quite well. Yes, he has a temper and yes, he can be violent when he's drunk. However, he did promise never to get drunk again and I'm quite sure he won't ever repeat his actions from five days ago, certainly not now that I've told him about my past anyway. Vector isn't thoughtless. I believe that even if he doesn't love me, he cares for me to some extent. At least, I like to think so. I hope this isn't another illusion my mind is creating.

"You do?" Vector's eyebrows shoot up and he stares at me in astonishment before hurrying back over to me and frantically searching my eyes to make sure I mean what I'm saying. "Ya can actually find it somewhere within yerself to forgive me after every damned thing I did to yeh?

"You told me yourself that you were drunk. I accept that. It wasn't really you who hurt me that night," I say quietly, not sure why I'm forgiving Vector other than the fact that I feel better for doing it.

"Thanks, Esp. Never thought you'd forgive me in a thousand years if ya wanna know the truth," Vector admits, looking relieved before his forehead creases and he looks worried again. Peering down at me, he asks, "So what does this mean for us then? Yer not stayin' here."

I notice that Vector says his last sentence as a statement, not a question. It's as if he's been reading my mind and already knows what I'm thinking. Shaking my head, I reply, "No, I'm not staying here. I want to go home. I want to see Charmy again and tell him I'm sorry for making him think that I had abandoned him."

"Let's go then!" Vector says, immediately starting towards the door, probably wanting to get me out of here before I change my mind. Mainly since I've constantly been in the cafe for the past five days, I hesitate only for a moment before following him at a distance out of the door.

Vector and I pass through the main room of the cafe, Vector humming and looking more cheerful than usual and me slinking after him with my arms wrapped around myself and my head down. I feel even more self conscious than I did before. My self hatred has grown, no thanks to Vector, and I consider going invisible. However, by the time that thought occurs to me, Vector and I are out the door and are outside on the sidewalk. It's a cool January afternoon without a trace of snow anywhere. Good. I'm not in the mood to freeze right now.

"So yer gonna come back and live at the house, right?" Vector asks as we start down the familiar pathway to my home.

"Yes," I reply after a moment's thought. "It_ is_ my home after all and Charmy needs me like you said. I may not be the best parental figure for him, but I will do my best for him."

"That's the Espio I know! Yer always so selfless," Vector nods emphatically, looking glad to hear that he's convinced me to return home. I'm realizing now that staying at the cafe was a bit stupid, but with my muddled mind and tumultuous thoughts, it's been hard to think straight. Vector hesitates and sends me an apprehensive look out of the corner of his eye as he says, "Guess I'll pack my bags when we get back to the house then. Can I...uh...come and visit Charmy sometime?"

"I didn't know you had gotten so attached to Charmy," I reply in an even voice, trying to make my mind up about what I'm going to do about Vector.

"Er, yeah. He's a great kid. A little hyper, but hey, we all have our annoyin' little quirks," Vector says as we approach the house.

I sigh and finally come to a decision. If I kick Vector out, I'll regret it. Charmy will miss him and his whole idea that the three of us are a true family will be shattered into pieces. I can't do that to Charmy. Despite how much Vector frightened me, the months of support and care he's given me outweigh the three minute assault that went on five days ago. If Vector can promise to behave, I won't make him leave.

Clearing my throat, I state in a slow voice, "You don't have to pack your bags."

"Huh?" Vector asks, looking genuinely surprised at my words. "Ya mean that yer not actually goin' to kick me out? Not even after I treat ya like crap?"

"No, Vector, I'm not going to kick you out," I reply, hoping that I'm making a good decision. "Charmy would miss you very much and I would miss you too."

Vector's eyes get glassy and he opens his mouth to speak, thinks better of it, and shuts his mouth again. He tries rapidly to blink back the tears, but it doesn't work. He turns away from me and I notice a crystal clear droplet roll down his cheek. You don't see Vector cry very often, so when he does, it's always over something very important to him.

Face still turned away from me, Vector says in a croaky voice, "Yer so damn good, Esp. Nobody else but you woulda forgiven me. Yer heart's made of gold. I swear I'll make all this up to ya."

"You don't need to make it up to me, but I do need you to promise me something. You broke your last promise to me and I know that you can easily break another one. However, I'm going to trust you this time. I've been betrayed several times. If you break my trust one more time, then you will have to leave. Understand?" I press, wanting to make sure my expectations are clear.

Vector sniffles and wipes his eyes with his arm before he turns and looks at me, nodding vigorously as he replies, "I'll promise ya anything. I won't screw up this time."

"I hope you don't," I reply, looking up into his eyes before I state, "I want you to promise never to get drunk around Charmy or me ever again. Wait. Just promise me not to drink anymore. I don't think that's asking too much from you. In exchange for drinking, you get a place to stay, two friends, and you get to keep your detective agency together."

"Ya mean yer not leavin' Team Chaotix?!" Vector's eyes light up and he looks like he wants to hug me in his excitement.

"No, I won't leave, but I need you to make the promise to me. It was your drunkenness that caused all our problems. If you stay sober, I believe everything can go back to the way it was," I reply seriously.

"I promise! I swear I'll never break my vow to ya this time. You'll be glad ya gave me another chance," Vector says earnestly. He thinks about something I said and adds encouragingly, "Ya mean yeh still consider us friends?"

"Unless you don't consider me a friend," I reply, not quite able to admit to myself that I've already forgiven Vector and still consider him a friend. I feel weak forgiving the crocodile already, but without him, I don't know what I would do. He turned my life around the day I walked up to him in the park six months ago. The happiness he brings me outweighs all our arguments and I know I just can't go back to living the way I did before I met him.

The two of us reach the door and I shakily take my keys out of my glove. Vector places a light hand on my that automatically causes me to stiffen and regard him with wary eyes. Cringing slightly at my reaction, Vector removes his hand and says, "It's already unlocked. I, uh, have ta ask ya sumthin' before we go in and Charmy's all over ya."

I tuck the key back into my glove and reply simply, "Go ahead."

"I know this ain't the best of times to bring this up, but I really gotta know yer answer to it," Vector starts out ominously, making me get a bad gut feeling about whatever it is he's going to say. "Do ya think there's ever a chance for an 'us' again? Please don't just say no. Think about it a sec before ya answer me."

Trust Vector to already be wondering if there's a possibility that we can be a couple again. The thought has been floating around in the back of my head too, but I haven't come up with a resolute answer for it. At first, it was no, but now my resolve is weakening. I look into Vector's imploring vermilion eyes and see someone who I don't just want to be friends with. However, I want the simple, uncomplicated kind of love that I don't think most people want.

"I don't know, Vector," I say truthfully. "Clearly not right away, but perhaps someday if you can earn my trust again. I think there's something you need to understand though. The love I feel for you is the simple kind. I want to be with you and I miss you when we're apart, but I don't want a sexual relationship. If you can't be in that kind of relationship, then we can't be a couple again."

"I'll never hurt ya again," Vector tells me firmly. "I'm real sorry I kept tryin' ta push ya into sex. I didn't know yeh were raped. I wish ya had told me sooner. I wouldn't have bugged ya about it if I knew."

For the first time, I realize that keeping my secret from Vector has done me more harm than good. He doesn't think of me as any less of a person even though he knows about my past. If I had told him about my past sooner, he wouldn't have bothered me about sex and none of this would have happened. Perhaps this is my fault and not Vector's fault after all.

"Perhaps I should have told you sooner," I agree, shifting slightly as the two of us continue chatting outside the doorway in the cold. "At this point, let's forget what happened. You're going to continue living here with Charmy and me, I've forgiven you, I'm still your friend, and we're still Team Chaotix."

"Yeah. That's more than I coulda hoped for really," Vector nods, reaching forwards and pushing the door to the house open for me. I step inside, very glad to get out of the cold. Vector tromps in after me and practically deafens me as he calls, "Charmy, look who I brought home to see ya!"

A small black and yellow figure on the couch immediately perks up and turns around. The little bee immediately whizzes off of the sofa and hurtles towards me, throwing tight arms around my waist as he hugs me tightly and yells, "Espio! I thought you were never going to come back! I thought you had forgotten about me."

"Oh Charmy, I would never forget about you. I'm so sorry you thought that," I reply, getting a little emotional myself as I hug Charmy's warm little body against my chest. It feels good to be home again.

After a long hug, Charmy looks up at my face and asks urgently, "What about you and Vector? Are you mad at each other anymore?"

I shoot Vector a look out of the corner of my eye, wondering how much he told Charmy. Vector just blushes and shrugs, letting me know that he told Charmy I was upset with him and nothing more. Telling Charmy the truth, I reply, "I'm not upset with Vector anymore, no. Everything is going back to normal. I won't leave again."

"Yay! You're staying and we're all a happy family!" Charmy cheers excitedly before throwing a look at Vector over his shoulder and shouting, "Let's all hug! Come on, Vector!"

Vector hesitates and sends me a questioning look. I think for a moment and decide to live by what I just told Vector. I told him to forget the past. That's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to hold anything against Vector and I'm not going to cower at his touch.

I wave him forwards and whisper quietly when Vector approaches, "It's alright."

Charmy flings his arms around our necks and pulls us all together. Vector very gingerly wraps an arm around me, careful not to hold me too tightly. Things are somewhat back to the way they used to be, but some things are different. I know things will never be the same between Vector and myself. I can only wait and see whether or not this is a good thing.

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_Well, it certainly seems like Espio forgave Vector to some extent. Do you think they'll ever get back into a relationship? Review please! :)_


	106. Hiding Something

**Hey guys. First of all, I want to apologize for not updating for a week without any explanation. I have a few reasons for that. Firstly, I feel like this fic isn't going anywhere. It's all typed out, but I've lost about half my reviewers and I'm just not feeling up to editing and posting chapters if nobody is reading this, you know? Secondly, things are getting out of control at home again. I know I sound like a drama queen, but with all my health issues, things aren't always easy over here. So anyway, please review this chapter and let me know whether or not you think this is worth continuing because I'm debating on that right now. Thank you in advance!  
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**Chapter CVI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

After we separate from our embrace, Charmy leads me back into the living room, telling me about all the things he did while I was gone. Mainly, he went to Cream's house and built a tree house with her. I try to pay attention to Charmy, but I'm exhausted from sleeping on the floor of the cafe and find that I'm about to drift off at any moment. However, I do my best to smile and nod along to the things Charmy is telling about. When Vector's stomach growls loudly from next to me, I look up and suddenly realize that it's gotten very late.

"Is it really eight pm already?" I ask, staring at the clock in surprise while I wonder where all the time went to. I force myself to my feet and wince at the stiffness in my legs as I murmur, "I'll go get us some dinner. I'm almost positive that there's a frozen pizza in the freezer that we can eat. Is pizza alright for dinner?"

"I _love_ pizza!" Charmy exclaims excitedly, bouncing up and down on the couch from next to me. "I could eat pizza for every meal of the day and never get sick of it!"

I smile affectionately at Charmy and start to stand up when Vector suddenly starts in the direction of the kitchen and says, "I'll take care of it. Takin' a frozen pizza out of the package and throwin' it in the oven shouldn't be too much work even for a lazy ol' croc like me."

Glad for the excuse to sit back down, I give Vector a grateful smile and say, "Thank you, Vector."

"Yeah, well, it's the least I can do," Vector says, a sad look flicking across his face before he turns and tromps out of the room.

Charmy starts talking about a video game level he beat and my mind starts wandering again. Vector is clearly going to be nice to me for a while. I wonder just how long this special treatment is going to last. How long will it take before Vector returns to his normal self around me? I don't not like the special treatment, but I don't want Vector feeling like he has to act as my personal slave. All that will do is cause built up anger and reproachfulness between us. I should mention this to him later. I just want him to act like nothing ever happened.

Clank, clang, thud! A crash sounds from the kitchen. I wince and exchange a sideways glance with Charmy. Both of us know that Vector isn't exactly the most graceful and cooking isn't one of his skills. From the kitchen, Vector calls, "Don't worry 'bout me! I didn't break any of the damn dishes...yet."

"I'm so glad you're home, Espio," Charmy says suddenly, looking up at me with big, brown eyes. "I missed you so much while you were gone. I kept thinking that you might never come home. What did Vector do to make you leave? I didn't ask him about it because I didn't want to make him mad, but I figured it had to be something really bad."

"It's a bit of an adult topic, Charmy," I say, too tired to try and come up with a good explanation for what happened between Vector and me. "You needn't worry about it though. I've forgiven Vector and we're still Team Chaotix. I won't ever leave you again. I promise you that and I always keep my word."

"I believe you," Charmy nods immediately before hesitating and asking, "You still love Vector then, right?"

"I do still love him, yes. We're going to take a break from dating each other for a while though. It is for the best," I tell Charmy so he doesn't get confused about this later.

"You're not dating Vector anymore?" Charmy asks, suddenly looking very downcast. "I liked it when you guys were dating. You were both a lot happier and nobody was fighting."

"There won't be any more fighting," I tell Charmy, suddenly feeling the need to lean over and put my arms around him. I didn't realize up until now just how much I missed the little bee. Holding him close, I murmur, "I missed you, Charmy. I had forgotten what living by myself was like."

At that moment, Vector comes barging into the room with three plates full of pizza in his hands. Grinning triumphantly from managing to successfully get our dinner together, Vector exclaims, "Here's dinner! Say, I never realized how much work there goes into cookin' a frozen pizza!"

"Work?" I ask in amusement, sending Vector a small smile. "I don't think there's much work involved in cooking a frozen pizza."

Vector carefully hands me a plate of pizza before tossing another plate a lot less carefully in Charmy's direction, explaining, "Well, first ya gotta pre-heat the oven. Then ya gotta get the pizza out of the freezer and take it outta the box. After that, if yer like me, ya realized that ya pre-heated the oven to the wrong degree, so then ya gotta start all over again. I forgot to set a timer, so I dunno if the pizza is even done, but it started smellin' burnt, so I decided that it was a good time to take it out."

"I'd say that was probably a good idea," I reply, wondering how Vector ever survived on his own. He probably never cooked a single meal and just ate those power bars of his and lots of junk food.

Plate of pizza in his hands, Charmy suddenly gets up and says, "Hey guys, can I go eat in my bedroom tonight? I like eating in bed."

I can tell from Charmy's expression that he's obviously up to something. There's an ulterior motive for him wanting to eat in his bedroom although try as I might, I can't quite seem to figure out what it is. Hm. Raising an eyebrow at the little bee, I reply, "Well, it's alright with me if you want to eat in your bedroom. You're very welcome to eat in here with Vector and me if you want to though."

"Nah, I'm good. Eating in my room is fun," Charmy replies cheerfully before flying to Vector and me, giving us each a hug before he waves a hand vigorously in our direction and adds, "Night, guys!"

I wave back to Charmy and listen as the door to his bedroom opens and then bangs shut. There's something not quite right going on. However, despite several more minutes of thinking, I just can't quite seem to figure out what Charmy is up to. Frowning, I glance over at Vector, who is hungrily chomping on his pizza, and admit, "Something isn't quite right with Charmy. Do you know what it is?"

Vector shrugs his shoulders and replies mid-bite, "Beats me!"

I take a small nibble off of my slice of pizza, but continue thinking about Charmy. I'd really like to know what he's up to. As I carefully chew my food, I glance over at Vector and tell him, "Vector, I know you're probably feeling guilty about the other day, but that doesn't mean that you have to treat me specially now. I'm still the same Espio I was six days ago regardless of everything else. I don't want you to start treating me differently because of what I told you earlier."

"I'm not treating ya 'specially'. This is how I'm gonna treat ya from now on," Vector replies immediately, stuffing an entire slice of pizza into his mouth. "I already told yeh that I don't think any less of ya as a person, but I'm gonna treat ya more respectfully like the way ya deserve to be treated. I was kinda rude to ya before with my constant teasing and all that."

"Well, alright. Just don't let things change_ too _much between us," I implore Vector, still a bit dubious of whether or not I was right in telling him about my past.

Vector finishes his five slices of pizza before I even finish one and then glances over his shoulder at me. He's been sitting on the floor instead of on the couch with me, probably trying to give me some distance. I appreciate the gesture although I wouldn't have minded him sitting next to me as long as he remembers to keep his distance.

"Er, Esp? I kinda wanted to ask ya sumthin'..." Vector starts out.

"Go ahead. You don't need to ask my permission to ask me a question. Just go ahead and ask it," I tell him, not exactly sure I like this new, polite Vector.

"Alright. Well, I was just kinda thinkin' things over while I was in the kitchen and I was wonderin' how ya managed to forgive me so easily. I mean, considering the fact that yeh were raped, I would've thought you'd never forgive me for what I almost did to ya. Not that I'm complaining that ya forgave me. I just don't understand it," Vector says.

Still nibbling at my piece of pizza, I reply immediately, "It's all rather simple really. You may have tried to force yourself on me, but you were drunk and didn't know what you were doing. Besides, you didn't jeer at me, ridicule me, or enjoy what you were doing to me. You weren't raping me exactly. I can differentiate between you and my cousin."

"Yer cousin made fun of ya?" Vector asks, cringing slightly at my words.

Suddenly not feeling hungry anymore, I set my plate of half-eaten pizza aside and reply in a dry voice, "He did a lot more than make fun of me."

"Yer cousin is a real sick person, Esp. Where did ya say yeh used to live again?" Vector asks, clearly wanting me to tell him where Bryce is so he can go and get "revenge" on him.

"I never said where I used to live and I'm not going to tell you," I reply evenly. "Is beating up my cousin going to help me in any way, shape, or form? No. I haven't had any contact whatsoever with him for quite a while now. I plan to stay out of his life and I would like you to do the same."

"It pisses me off ta know that the bastard's still out there happily livin' his life after ruining yers. I wanna teach him a lesson or two, but I'll respect yer wishes," Vector says even though it looks like this is a very hard thing for him to say. He looks as if he's walking on glass as he asks carefully, "Can I, uh, ask ya about it?"

"Well, it depends on what you're going to ask. I may or may not answer depending on what your question is," I reply evenly, not sure if it will help me to talk about the rape or not. There are times when I've longed to speak about it to someone just for their support. At other times, I want to forget the whole thing even happened. Right now, my mind is still a bit chaotic and I'm not exactly sure what kind of mood I'm in.

"How did it start? When was the first time it happened?" Vector asks, curiosity in his eyes.

"We were having a party at my mother's home. It was one of those big family get together parties. As I've told you before, chameleons have large families. I met Bryce there. We were in the living room when he walked up to me and asked if there was anywhere quiet where we could go. I brought him to my bedroom because I looked up to him so to speak. Bryce was everything I was not. He was clearly a male, was stronger than me, and was older than me," I explain, finding that it actually feels good to get this out of my system.

"I smell trouble," Vector comments, being a surprisingly good listener. "What happened next?"

"We went to my room. He asked my name and age. I gave them to him and he started acting strange. He commented on my looks and pushed me against the wall before he started..." I trail off as I remember the way Bryce groped my body for the first time, greedy hands running down my chest and easing between my legs before feeling me all over in that intimate place.

"Touching yeh or...?" Vector tries to help me out.

"Yes. I asked him what he was doing, but he told me I would like it and pushed me onto the bed. I'm sure you can figure out what happened from there," I reply curtly, not wanting to get into the gritty details of what happened after that.

"Oh god, Esp, that's just sad," Vector says, his eyes full of compassion. "How old were ya anyway?"

"I was fourteen the first time," I reply.

"So ya just let him leave after he raped ya and yeh didn't tell anyone at the party about it? Ya could have gotten him locked up for sexual assault!" Vector points out, looking confused.

"Would you have told anyone about it if you were left on the bed in pain with blood running down your thighs and disgusting substances all over your body?" I ask Vector. Vector frowns and says nothing. Nodding, I go on, "That's my point. You wouldn't have told either. No one would have. The shame of admitting that such a thing happened to me was too great."

"Yeah, I gotcha now. I still wish ya had told me earlier, but I get why yeh didn't. I'm real sorry, Esp. Yer cousin never should have taken from ya what he did. Still can't believe yeh were only fourteen. I wanna go and beat the crap outta that bastard," Vector shakes his head sadly before looking up at me on the couch and asking, "Are ya alright now?"

"Physically, yes. Emotionally, I'm still healing. I don't think I'll ever heal completely. You have helped me though. Remember when you first met me? I was suspicious of everyone and everything. Now, I'm a bit better. You've taught me to enjoy the little things in life and you've also showed me what it's like to have a friend," I point out.

"Yeah, and then I almost did what yer cousin did to ya," Vector shakes his head before glaring at the floor and asking a little too loudly, "What the _hell_ was I thinkin'?!"

"We've been over this before. You were drunk. Let it go," I reply, sliding off of the couch and looking down at Vector. "The more you bring it up, the worse I feel. I'm going to go to bed now. The couch is all yours. Do you need anything before I leave you for the night?"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout me," Vector says, following me with his eyes. "Sleep well, Esp. It's good ta have ya home again."

"It's good to be home," I reply, giving the crocodile a small smile before I turn and slip out of the room and into the hallway. "Goodnight."

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_Hm...do you think Charmy is hiding something? Review please! :) Also, please tell me whether or not you think this is worth continuing.  
_


	107. Cleaning Day

**Hey everyone! First of all, I just want to say thank you all VERY much for the reviews and encouragement from the last chapter. You all really helped to cheer me up and have helped me to decide to finish posting this. I mean, I suppose it doesn't make sense for me not to finish it since it's all written out. Please keep reading and reviewing! It really helps to keep my motivation up. On a random note, I'll probably be updating in the mornings versus the evenings from now on. Hope you like this chapter. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter CVII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I don't think I've ever been so happy ta sleep on a couch before. I sink down onto the cushions and fall asleep almost right away. It sure is good to have Espio back here with Charmy and me. I never would have guessed that I'd be able to convince him to come back, but hey, miracles happen! I think the main reason Espio decided to come back was because he was gettin' lonely living all by himself. He's only sixteen even though I seem to forget that a lot of the time. It's only natural for him to want some company. Don't we all? I dunno what I'd do without Charmy and my best buddy.

With these thoughts swirling around in my head, I close my eyes and prepare to fall asleep. As my mind starts to shut down, I vow to myself to make all of what I've done wrong up to Espio. It's still killin' me what I did to him the other night. I'm never gonna get over this guilt probably, but at least I can try and make up for it. I'm gonna treat Espio like the little angel he is. Weird definition for Esp? I don't think so. He's good, pure, and was sent to me from heaven. I'm pretty damn sure of that. I've never met anyone as spiritual and against violence as Espio.

I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep for a long time. I end up sleeping past mid-morning and only wake up when I hear voices from across the room. Blinking bleary eyes, I raise my heavy head from the couch and see Espio and Charmy eatin' breakfast together. Good. At least Esp is eating again. He looks like he's lost five pounds over the last week, which is kind of a lot on his small frame.

"Mornin'!" I call over to the bee and the chameleon as I force myself off of the couch and stretch my arms over my head before tromping over to the table. I normally would go straight to the kitchen for some breakfast, but I find that I'd rather go sit with Espio than worry about breakfast right now. Pullin' out a chair besides him, I plop down and point out, "I was gonna make ya breakfast."

"That's a very nice thought on your part, but I can handle it," Espio replies, cheeks blushing a light pink as he takes a bite of wheaties and chews them delicately.

"Well, at least let me make yeh lunch or dinner or sumthin'," I reply as a huge yawn slips out of my mouth.

"Ew, Vector, you have gross morning breath!" Charmy whines, holding up his hands as a shield against me. Espio cracks a smile, which in turn makes me grin. Charmy frowns at us and folds his arms, stating, "I don't get what's so funny. You really should start using mouthwash before coming to the table, Vector."

"I'll try to remember that," I say, trying to suppress another yawn.

Espio takes his last bite of wheaties and immediately perks up, saying, "Today is officially cleaning day around here. We're going to clean this house inside and out. I can't believe I've let it go for so long. There's dust everywhere not to mention dirt on the floors. I want us all to do a thorough cleaning today."

Argh, cleaning. Needless to say, it ain't my most favorite thing in the world. However, for Esp's sake and his sake alone, I'm gonna go along with this as cheerfully as I can. After everything I've done to him, I definitely deserve ta help him out with the cleaning today. Besides, Espio's house is small. It can't take too long to clean!

"Aw, but cleaning isn't much fun. I'd rather go play with Cream," Charmy points out what I've just been thinking.

"How about you just clean your room and then you go to Cream's house?" Espio suggests, deciding to be nice to the little bee. He sends me a long glance out of the corner of his eye and adds in a hinting voice, "Vector will help me with the rest of the house, won't you, Vector?"

"Uh, sure! 'Course I will," I nod, deciding to play the role of the ever so helpful croc that I am.

"I guess cleaning my bedroom isn't_ so_ bad. I'm going to go get started so I can go to Cream's house afterwards. See you guys later!" Charmy calls to us as he turns and flies off in the direction of his bedroom. I wave after him, not noticing that anything is amiss until I notice Espio's frown.

"Charmy certainly seems to be spending a lot of time at Cream's house these days. I'm very glad that he has such a good friend, but I can't help but feel as if I've been pushing him out lately," Espio frets, wringing his hands together on his lap as he murmurs, "Perhaps I ought to talk to him about this."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," I reply, shrugging my shoulders. I wish Esp wouldn't worry so much. He's always findin' something or the other to fuss over. He needs to learn to let stuff go. After a moment's thought, I add, "Charmy probably just has a thing for Cream going and doesn't realize it yet."

Espio's eyebrows immediately fly up and he looks astonished at my idea as he immediately protests, "Charmy is only seven! I'm certain that he does not have a 'thing' for Cream at his age!"

"Eh, I dunno. It's possible. I started lookin' at girls when I was his age," I shrug my shoulders, remembering the first girl I had a crush on. She was a pretty rabbit with big blue eyes and pure white fur. I think I mostly liked her big tits though. Don't really remember anymore though considerin' that I met her over ten years ago.

"Only you would start looking for a date at age seven," Espio sighs, shaking his head whether in disapproval or in amusement I'm not quite sure. "So you liked girls then?"

"Yeah, I did. They were nice to look at. Still like 'em actually. Never actually loved one though. Not like I love you anyway," I point out, sending Espio a sideways glance. "I don't think I'm into guys in general really. Yer different though. Yer special. I dunno what else to say. All I know is that yer the one I wanna spend my life with."

"I...I see," Espio says, looking at bit caught off guard at my sudden sentimental behavior. He quickly gets up from the table and changes the subject, murmuring, "Well, this clearly has nothing to do with the cleaning and the house is not going to clean itself on its own. I'm going to start with the dusting. Will you please wash the floors, Vector? There's a cleaner for the wood underneath the sink and the vacuum is in the closet. Do you think I can remember all of that or should I write it all down?"

"Nah, ya don't have to write it all down. I can remember it. I'm a pretty smart croc," I nod, giving Espio a big grin.

"Hm," Espio says, clearly having his doubts about my memory as he turns towards the bedroom and adds, "I will see you later then. I'm going to start on the dusting. There are actually cobwebs in the corners of the bedroom! I can't believe I didn't notice them before."

I hold back a chuckle as Espio stalks out of the room, determined to give the cobwebs the what for. Only little Esp would have a heart attack over cobwebs in the corners of his room. Since I'm left all alone, I figure I might as well go ahead and get started on my cleanin' as well. I should try and impress Espio by seeing how fast I can clean the house. With a goal now in my head, I hurry to the kitchen and open the cabinet under the sink. There's a spray bottle of orange-scented wood cleaner there. Orange scented, eh? That sounds like it might smell good.

Grabbing a wad of paper towel, I kneel on the floor a bit awkwardly and spray some of the cleaner on the floor before wiping it around with the paper towel. Hm, the cleaner actually _does_ smell pretty good! Guess I could use some more of it. After all, the more I use, the cleaner the floor should be, right?

Figuring that my logic is spot on here, I end up using the entire bottle of orange-scented cleaner on the floor. At that point, I find that the orange cleaner is makin' me real hungry. I take a break from the cleaning and look in the fridge to see if there's anything good to snack on. There ain't much in there besides for veggies and some strange looking cheese. Turning my nose up, I go to the pantry and find a bag of cookies there. My eyes light up and I immediately snag the bag.

Ten minutes later, I've taken care of my munchies and now gotta start on the rest of the carpet floors. I stride off to Espio's room and find him perched on top of the cabinet, trying to dust the corner of the room. I'm thinkin' he's done a pretty darn good job of it because I don't see any more cobwebs anywhere.

"Nice job gettin' rid of the cobwebs, Esp!" I encourage him as I throw open the closet door. Something thin flutters to the ground in front of me.

While I stoop to pick up whatever is at my feet, Espio replies in a slightly frustrated voice, "They're not gone yet, Vector. I can't seem to get this one to go away!"

I look over my shoulder and squint up into the corner of the room. Either I'm blind or Espio is seein' things because I sure don't see any cobwebs left. He's probably just being picky knowing how cleanliness obsessed the little chameleon is. I turn my gaze over to the thing I've just picked up and notice a photograph in my hand. I don't have time to look at it because Espio is already talking to me.

"What are you doing in here anyway, Vector? Have you finished the floors yet?" Espio asks, getting more frustrated with the invisible cobweb by the second.

I quickly hide the photograph in the inside of my glove and reply immediately, "Not yet. I'm just gettin' the vacuum. Alright, now I'm outta here. Good luck with those webs, Esp!"

I haul the vacuum over my shoulder and tromp back out of the kitchen before I can end up accidentally upsetting Espio. Once there, I plop the vacuum down on the center of the floor and pull the photograph out from the inside of my glove. It's another picture of Espio and his family, one that I've never seen before.

"Hey, Vector! I finished my cleaning! Can I go to Cream's house now? Please?" Charmy comes whizzing into the room with a hopeful expression on his face.

"Uh, I guess so," I reply, hiding the photograph again as I wave him to the door and say, "See ya later."

"Bye!" Charmy calls out cheerfully before adding, "Have fun cleaning with Espio!"

I chuckle at Charmy's words since Espio and I aren't exactly cleaning together and because cleaning is probably the least fun thing to do. However, his intentions are good, I guess. The door bangs shut a moment later and I go back to looking at the photograph. The four chameleons I saw in the other picture of Espio's family are in this picture and are all sitting next to each other on the couch. There's the old, wrinkly chameleon who looks like Esp's grandma on the right. Next to her is the chameleon that only very slightly looks like Espio. I guess Esp took more after his father than his mother.

The second half of the photograph is the half I'm interested in. A toned, shiny black chameleon with blood red eyes is sitting next to Espio's mother with a wicked grin on his face. Next to him is Espio, and goddammit, he looks even worse than he did in the other picture. The black chameleon has a tight arm around Espio's shoulders and has his long black tail wrapped tightly around Espio's waist. The black chameleon is clearly trying to say one thing.

_ Mine._

Anger rips through me and I wanna send the bastard to hell knowing that he was the one who broke Espio. In the photograph, Espio is clearly tryin' to do everything in his power to look away from his cousin. He's got heavy makeup on again. I see reddish-colored eyeshadow on his lids as well as thick black liner and above his eyes along with fake eyelashes. It makes me sick to look at Esp like this knowing that his cousin was usin' him to play out his sexual fantasies.

Needing to take my aggression out on something, I decide to take it out on the floor and start vacuuming it, vigorously dragging the vacuum all over every inch of the floor. I don't really give a damn about peace like Espio does. Sometimes, violence is necessary. Someday, I'm gonna go out and beat up that bastard who ruined Espio's life. I'm only servin' up justice by doin' that. A detective is all about justice, right?

I'm so motivated that I end up vacuuming the entire house at record speed. Tucking the picture back into the inside of my glove, I haul the vacuum back to the bedroom and find Espio still trying to get the invisible cobweb from the corner of the room. Geez! Is he ever gonna give it up?

"So how's that cobweb coming along, Esp?" I ask my buddy as I plop the vacuum back into the closet and shut it with a bang.

"It's being stubborn," Espio says, squinting at the corner in annoyance.

I wouldn't typically offer my help on something stupid like this, but I'm tryin' real hard to get on Espio's good side again, so I offer, "Want me ta help yeh?"

"No, it's alright. Have you finished the vacuuming?" Espio asks absentmindedly.

"Yeah," I nod. "Is there anything else ya want me to do?"

"Not for now. Go ahead and do whatever you want," Espio says.

Glad to be on break, I rush outta the bedroom before Espio can change his mind. Hoping that the chameleon will clean the living room next, I plop on the couch and turn on the TV. Guess cleaning is harder work than I thought it would be since I end up takin' a nap only two minutes later.

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_Vector is still being really nice to Esp! Do you think Vector will eventually revert back to the "old Vector" or will he continue to respect Esp? Review please! :)  
_


	108. Garage Sale

**Hello everyone! It's another Monday, not exactly one of my favorite days. I definitely prefer Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Anyway, I'm updating in the morning once again because that's a bit easier for me. I've been really exhausted lately. Thank you all very much for the reviews on the last chapter. I really, really appreciate them. I know I haven't been responding to them, but I always look forwards to reading them. Hope you like this chapter! I had a fun time writing this one for some reason. :3  
**

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**Chapter CVIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

My short nap ends up turnin' into an eighteen hour sleep. By the time I wake up, it's the next morning. Sunlight is flooding through the window and I'm sprawled out on the couch with the TV still goin'. Blinking around sleepily, I catch sight of a small purple figure curled up at the foot of the piano with the feather duster lying next to him. Looks like a certain chameleon also got tired out from our long day of cleaning yesterday. I don't blame him, especially at the rate he was working at. I'm kinda surprised he even got out of the bedroom considering how obsessed he was with destroying the invisible cobwebs in the corners of the room. Even though I don't exactly mind cleaning for Espio, I don't really wanna spend today cleaning, so I hope that he has sumthin' else planned for us to do.

Planning just to stay here on the couch and watch Esp sleep, I tuck my hands under my chin and send him an affectionate look. Things have changed between the two of us, but I think they're for the better. When Espio finally admitted to me that he had been raped, I didn't know whether to be surprised about it or not. A small part of me had known all along that there wasn't something quite right about Espio that probably had to do with his home life. Now I know the whole story.

It actually does make a difference to me knowin' that Espio was raped. I don't see him the same way I saw him before. I don't look at his sleeping figure and try and figure out how to get between his legs anymore. Guess knowin' what his cousin took from his has really turned me off of ever wanting to have sex with Espio. Every time I look at Espio and think of what happened to him, I get a lot of nauseating images of his cousin grinding him into the mattress in my mind. He's a sick bastard that cousin of Esp's.

Just because I don't wanna have sex with Esp anymore doesn't mean that I don't wanna be in a relationship with him though. I wanna be in a relationship with Esp more than anything else on this damn planet. My reasons for this? Well, I still love him, just not quite in the way I did before. I wanna be there for him, take care of him, and prove to him that I can be a good lover.

I wonder if Espio will ever consider bein' in a relationship with me again after some time passes and he realizes that he can trust me again. It's hard ta know, I guess. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and stay hopeful. In the meantime, I'm gonna do whatever I can to make life easier for Espio. God, I love him. I love him more than I even love myself. Kinda crazy, huh?

"Hey guys!" Charmy's loud voice suddenly sounds from across the room as he flies out of his bedroom and comes zooming into the living room. I wince as Espio jerks awake and looks around himself in confusion, probably trying to figure out where he is. Giving us a weird look, Charmy asks, "Why are you guys sleeping in the living room?"

"Er, I didn't exactly mean ta fall asleep for the entire night. I was just takin' a nap," I admit, letting out a huge yawn.

Charmy flies a few paces back from me, apparently having learned his lesson about my terrible morning breath from the day before. Heh. Fixing Espio with a curious look, Charmy asks, "Why are _you_ sleeping in the living room, Espio? I've never seen you sleep in the living room before."

"I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep," Espio admits, pulling himself into a cross-legged sitting position at the base of the piano. "I just meant to just sit down for a few minutes, but I suppose a few minutes turned into a lot longer than that. Now I'm behind on the cleaning."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," I tell Espio, not makin' any move to get off of the couch anytime soon. After all, it is pretty comfy here. Going on, I add, "Yeh can always finish the cleanin' today or ya could let me take care of those evil cobwebs for ya."

"It's not funny, Vector. I don't like a dirty house," Espio replies flatly, rising to his feet in a graceful motion. Sighing, he admits, "I already have plans for us today, so the cobwebs are going to have to wait. Today, we're going to sort through the drawers, cabinets, and closets to find old things that we no longer use or like. That means old toys and video games for you, Charmy. Then, we're going to spend the afternoon having a garage sale. We're behind on money this month and the bills are due next week."

Normally, I would complain about more sorting and cleaning, but hey, I'm still workin' on getting my name out of Espio's little black book, so I'm gonna keep my big trap shut. Besides, I do get what he's sayin' about the bills. I know just how he feels right now after getting kicked out my apartment not so long ago.

"Um, okay. I'll clean my room, but then can I go and play at Cream's house?" Charmy asks hopefully.

"I suppose you can," Espio replies after a moment's pause, looking a little perplexed as he adds, "Vector and I certainly don't mind it if you want to stay here with us though."

"Oh, I know you don't mind. I just like spending time with Cream, that's all. She's my best friend just like how you and Vector are best friends. Of course, you used to be more than best friends," Charmy points out with a hinting look in my direction. I return his stare with a nonplussed one, not gettin' what Charmy is up to.

"Charmy, the past is the past. Vector and I are very happy being best friends," Espio says awkwardly, avoiding my gaze and Charmy's as he looks at his feet.

"Well, I think you'd be happier if you guys were a couple again," Charmy emphasizes his words before turning and whizzing off to his bedroom. "I'm going to go clean!"

Espio and I both watch the little black and yellow blur disappear and avoid each other for a few minutes before Espio clears his throat and decides not to comment on what Charmy said about us being a couple. I kind of wish he had. I mean, it would be nice to hear his thoughts on us as a couple. I know I've only been with him for one day since he left, but I've done a pretty damn good job bein' nice to him lately. Maybe he's startin' to warm up to the idea of us being in a relationship again.

"Let's go tackle the bedroom first," Espio says, waving a hand at me in a sharp gesture as he turns and starts down the hallway with a determined look in his eyes.

"Sure, Esp," I reply in my easygoing manner as I tromp after him.

I still admire the way Espio's purple scales glimmer in the sunlight, but I just don't look at him with horny eyes like I used to. I guess that knowin' that someone else - someone evil - thought the same things about my Espio and acted on those thoughts kinda grosses me out. I dunno every little detail of what Bryce did ta Esp, but if he was sick enough to put makeup on him, only god knows what extremes he would have gone to with the little chameleon.

Espio flings the door to the bedroom open and starts straight towards my dresser, explaining, "Let's start with your things. I have a feeling that you have a lot more to sell than me."

Before I can comment on this, Espio opens one of the drawers of the cabinet. Whoosh! Piles after piles of magazines fly out of the cabinet and knock Espio over onto his back before they pool around him. I cuss under my breath and bite my tongue until I taste blood in my mouth. All the magazines are porn magazines. Uh, yeah, definitely not sumthin' Espio needs to see.

Blinking dazedly, Espio glances around himself and picks up one of the magazines. It has a picture of a mostly naked female tied up with a flirtatious smile on her face. Espio sends the magazine a disgusted look and avoids the hand I offer him as he stands up and stalks across the room to his closet.

"Throw all of that out, Vector," Espio states in a deadly even voice. "I don't want Charmy to see it."

"Yeah," I nod, gathering up heaps of magazines and tryin' to get them cleared out of the bedroom as fast as I can. It takes several trips to and from the garbage can before the bedroom is officially free of porn. Feeling a little embarrassed, I stay quiet for once in my life as I look through my drawers for anything to sell. A question has formed in my head ever since I saw Espio lookin' at that magazine. It ends up popping out of my mouth without me realizing what I'm saying because I'm such a nosy croc. "Uh, Esp? Were ya ever, um, tied up?"

A long silence follows my question. Espio stops what he's doing and stands very still for a moment. Finally, he says quietly, "Yes. Vector, I really hope you're not thinking of this as a turn on because it's not something to get turned on over. Being bound against your will is _not _a matter to take lightly."

I blink at Espio in surprise before immediately replying, "'Course not! I didn't ask 'cuz of that."

"Mm," Espio murmurs, his voice telling me that this conversation is officially over. He turns around and motions to the little pile of old trinkets and things that's accumulated on the bed. "I'm going to try and sell these items. What about you? What have you found to sell?"

"Er, not much," I admit sheepishly, staring at my feet. "I kinda like all my stuff."

Espio gives me a frown before he brushes past me and opens my drawers, replying, "I've seen what you keep in here before and I'm quite sure that there are a few things you can part with. How about your old music player? You have a new one. I don't see why you need the old one too."

I guess that Espio does sort of have a point, but I don't like gettin' rid of my things! Coming up with a quick excuse, I reply, "But ya never know when my old one might break. It's good ta have a backup."

"If your old one breaks, you have the receipt for your newer one and can exchange it at the electronics store," Espio says smoothly before plucking up my old music player and placing it on the pile of things to sell. "I'm going to put this with everything else for the garage sale."

I try hard, but I can't come up with any other ways to save my music player, so I decide to let it go grudgingly. After rummaging through my things for a few more minutes, Espio holds up a pair of glasses and gives me a strange look as he points out, "I didn't know that you wear glasses."

"I don't," I reply truthfully. "I only have 'em because they look cool."

"Well, these are certainly something we can sell then," Espio replies, wasting no time in placing the glasses in the junk pile.

"But those are my favorite pair of glasses! Actually, those are my _only_ pair of glasses," I protest, really not wantin' to lose my glasses and my music player in one day.

"Yes, but if you don't need them, I don't see how they do you any good. Would you prefer to keep the glasses and end up getting evicted from this house next month?" Espio asks with a raised eyebrow. I really don't have anything to say to that, so I just keep my head down. Espio nods and scoops up a pile of items from the bed as he points out, "Exactly. Why don't you help me carry these things outside? I've already made a garage sale sign for us."

Sighing, I pick up the rest of the crap lying on the bed and follow Espio outside, wondering if anyone is actually gonna want to buy this junk. It doesn't seem too likely to me, but I guess we'll see soon enough. I dump everything onto the ground and then stand back to wait for people to start comin' over.

"Vector, don't just drop everything on the ground! You need to arrange it neatly like this so that people can actually see it," Espio chides me as he gets on his knees and starts arranging everything on the driveway in a certain order.

I resist rolling my eyes as a certain Charmy bee comes whizzing out of the house, informing us, "I just sorted through all my old toys! I left the things I don't want anymore on the floor. Can I go off and play with Cream now?"

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you for cleaning your room," Espio thanks the little bee as he straightens up and scrutinizes everything he's just spread out on the driveway.

"You're welcome, Espio," Charmy replies obediently before he waves at us and says, "I'll see you guys later! Good luck with the garage sale!"

"Thanks, kid," I reply, leaning against the side of the house and still wonderin' if anyone is gonna bother coming over to look at our crap for sale.

Espio's eyes follow Charmy until he's disappeared from view. Frowning, he admits, "I still think that there's something going on with Charmy."

"I already told ya what it is," I reply simply. "He has a thing for Cream."

"Hmph," Espio sniffs, clearly not wanting to admit that I'm right. He turns and starts towards the house, saying, "I'm going to go collect Charmy's old toys. Please keep an eye on everything while I'm gone."

"Yeah, okay," I agree, smothering a yawn with my hand. It's gonna be a long afternoon.

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_Hm, how do you think Team Chaotix is going to do with the garage sale? Will they make enough money to pay the bills? Review please! :)  
_


	109. Masked Intentions

**Hi everyone, how are you all doing? I have to admit that I'm glad it's Wednesday. I always like the midpoint of the week. Anyway, thank you all very much for the reviews for the previous chapter. I'm going to continue to update in the mornings since that's a lot easier for me these days. Sorry again about not replying to any of the reviews, but there's more drama at home than usual lately and now my parents are thinking about getting divorced. ...But I won't rant about my home life here, lol. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

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**Chapter CVIX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Personally, I think that our garage sale is gonna turn out to be a huge disaster. We're not sellin' anything but old crap that I don't think will appeal to anyone. Actually, the only things that might attract any buyers are my glasses and my old music player. Frowning, I give my old possessions a long look and then glance over my shoulder to make sure that Espio has already gone back inside the house. Feelin' kind of sneaky, I hide my music player and my glasses behind an old set of sheets that Espio is tryin' to sell. Heh, nobody will see my music player or my glasses here!

"Hey there, Vector! Are you selling all of this stuff?" a cheery voice comes from directly above me.

I glance up sheepishly since I figure that whoever is talking to me noticed that I was tryin' to hide the music player and the glasses. The figure is only Sonic though and he seems to be grinnin' happily as usual. When is that blue hedgehog_ not _in a good mood? Even when Amy's chasing after him, he still manages to hold his head high and smile.

"Hey, pal," I greet Sonic as I straighten up after my moment of embarrassment. I wave around at the junk at my feet and nod, "Yup, Esp and I did some cleanin' and decided to have a garage sale. We're having a hard time paying the bills this month. Team Chaotix isn't turning into as much of a success as we had hoped it would be."

"Really?" Sonic asks, looking a bit shocked. "I'm surprised, actually. You three are the best detectives I know. I remember how you helped find Rouge's and Knuckles' Chaos Emeralds and stole them from Eggman. He hasn't bothered us since then. I'll be sure to look around here and see if there's anything I might want to buy. Is this stopwatch for sale?"

I glance over Sonic's shoulder and notice a stopwatch in his hand. It sure ain't mine, so I'm guessing it's Espio's. A little surge of jealousy runs through me. I don't want Espio sellin' his stuff to Sonic. Hell, even though this watch won't fit me, I kinda want it. I want all of Espio's unwanted things. 'Course, I can't very well take them for myself because Espio would find out and it would just cause trouble in the long run. Guess I have no choice but to tell Sonic that the watch is for sale.

"Yeah, ya can buy it if yeh want," I shrug my shoulders, trying not to feel sad about losing Espio's stopwatch.

"I think I will buy it. A stopwatch is the perfect thing to help me keep track of how much time I spend on my runs," Sonic explains good-naturedly as he pulls out a ten dollar bill from inside of his glove and offers it to me, asking, "Is this enough? It's all the cash I have with me at the moment."

My eyes widen greedily at the sight of cold, hard cash. Nodding, I stick my hand open for the bill and reply, "Yeah, that's enough."

Sonic places the bill in my hand before slipping the stopwatch around his wrist and admiring the way it looks in the sunlight. Turning back to me, he smiles and says, "Well, I've gotta run! It seems like there's always something to do these days. Good luck with your garage sale! I'll be sure to tell everyone I see about your sale."

"Thanks, Sonic. I appreciate it," I wave to him as the blue blur disappears in the distance.

A slender purple figure stalks next to me and frowns as he dumps a pile of Charmy's old video games and toys onto the ground as he asks, "Vector, did you really just sell that watch for ten dollars?"

"Yeah, why?" I ask, not seein' what Espio's problem is. I think we should both be grateful that we're even able to sell some of this old junk.

"That was a very expensive watch," Espio sighs. "I bought it for at least forty dollars a very long time ago. It's worth twenty still at the minimum because you can't even tell that the watch has been used. If you're not sure how much something costs, ask me about it first. I don't want to lose out on money."

"Uh, right," I nod, wondering how a stopwatch could actually be worth forty bucks.

I go back to waiting and watch Espio rearrange everything we're trying to sell on the driveway. I don't see why he can't just leave everything alone. It looked fine the first time. 'Course, Espio doesn't seem to think so and keeps moving everything this way and that as if it's really gonna make a difference. To my horror, he starts to move the sheets that are hiding my music player and glasses! Damn. Espio moves the sheets to the right and then pauses as he finds the music player and glasses underneath them. He sends me a knowing look out of the corner of his eye before moving the two items to the very front of the other objects we're displaying on the driveway! My eyes narrow, but I keep my mouth shut. I hope Esp is appreciating all that I do for him.

Surprisingly enough, the rest of our afternoon actually passes by real quickly. We get a lot more customers, but I think that's only because of Sonic. I'm guessin' that he went off and told his friends that Espio and I are short on dough and need cash real bad. Tails, Rouge, Sonic, and even Shadow stop by. I'm busy counting our earnings when I notice Espio making a deal with a female cat to my right. At first, I think nothin' of it until I see the cat walk away with something shiny in her hands!

Abandoning the cash, I hurry over to Espio and frown as I ask, "Did ya just sell my music player?!"

"I did," Espio admits innocently, not seeming to understand that selling my music player is a crime to me. He continues on calmly, "We earned twenty dollars from it."

"Only twenty bucks?" I ask in horror. "But that damn thing was worth at least forty!"

"No, it's not," Espio replies flatly, giving me a look that tells me that he thinks I'm being ridiculous. "You can buy a new one for that price. Can you please go help that hedgehog to your left? She looks like she wants to buy that old painting."

Grumbling under my breath, I reluctantly go off to help the hedgehog. By the end of the day, pretty much everything has been sold and we've earned a lotta cash. You'd think I'd be happy about this, but I'm still feelin' a bit sour over losing my music player. What can I say? I get attached to things real easily. I've just finished helping Espio bring the few remaining items we didn't sell back into the house. Now we're both standing in the living room while Espio neatly stacks all the unsold items in the closet.

"Look, Vector," Espio suddenly says as he leans down and plucks up something from the pile. Turning around, he shows me my pair of glasses before he stands on his tiptoes and places them carefully above my nose, adding, "It looks as if you're going to get to keep these after all."

I immediately grin and feel my mood lift a few notches. Waggling my eyebrows at Esp, I ask, "How do I look? Pretty charming, eh?"

"Oh, Vector, whatever am I going to do with you?" Espio asks, shaking his head in amusement before he turns and picks up our wad of cash on the coffee table. He starts counting it carefully. I go to stand at his shoulder and try to keep track of the money as well, but lose track after we hit forty dollars. A few minutes later, Espio turns to me with shining eyes and exclaims happily, "It looks like we have enough money to pay the bills for this month and the next month."

"Wow! That's great news, Esp!" I reply, sharing his excitement since we both know how stressful it is when ya don't have the money to pay the bills or the rent. I start to take a step towards Espio, wanting to give him a hug. I force myself to stop mid-stride. It's one thing when Charmy pulls us all into a group hug, but I dunno how Espio would react to just me giving him a hug. We stare at each other awkwardly for a moment before I raise my hand and offer, "How about a high five for yer Chaotix buddy?"

"I don't see why not," Espio replies, lightly slapping his hand against mine. He turns to look out of the window and frowns, adding, "It's gotten late. I suppose Charmy has decided to spend the night at Cream's house. Remind me to give him a call tomorrow morning if he's not home yet. I think I'm going to call it a night. I'm a bit tired after all the cleaning earlier."

"Yeah, I'm beat," I nod, wishing again that I could give Espio a hug as I track over to the couch and say affectionately, "'Night, Esp."

"Goodnight, Vector," Espio replies before disappearing from view.

I fall asleep almost immediately after all the exhausting work I did today. When I wake up the next morning, I'm surprised to see that Espio still isn't awake. Guess the little guy must be pretty tired after yesterday, not like I blame him or anything. I'm still real tired myself. Blinking, I suddenly realize that there's video game music echoing around the room. Looking off of the edge of the couch, I find Charmy sitting on the floor playing his video game.

"Hey Charm," I greet the bee a little drowsily since I just woke up. "Did ya decide to spend last night at Cream's place?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd give you and Espio some more time together," Charmy replies without taking his eyes off of the TV screen. I've never seen anyone get so into a video game before I met Charmy.

"That was nice of ya," I reply to Charmy's surprisingly thoughtful statement. I wouldn't have thought he would be thinkin' about things like letting Espio and me spend time alone together. As I scratch at inch at the back of my neck, I tell Charmy, "I really wanna do something nice for Esp. He's been workin' real hard lately. We earned a lotta money yesterday, so I think it's time to celebrate a little. Do ya have any ideas of sumthin' Esp might like from me? I can't think in the morning."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Charmy giggles, causing me to send him a mock glare. He thinks for a few minutes before suggesting, "Why don't you two go out for ice cream? I_ love_ going out for ice cream! It always makes me feel happy. There's a little ice cream shop right around the corner. You know that blue shop? That's the ice cream place!"

I think about Charmy's idea for a moment and admit, "I guess that's got some potential. There's only one problem though. It's the middle of January. People don't usually get ice cream in the middle of the winter."

"I guess, but I like ice cream all year round!" Charmy points out, still mostly focused on his game even though he's talking to me. The kid's a good multi-tasker. "Besides, it's not really like the middle of winter since there's no snow outside. Yesterday was actually really warm, remember? Oh, and don't worry about the ice cream shop not being open. Cream and I went there the other day."

"Hm," I think this through, wondering whether or not goin' out to get ice cream is something Espio might wanna do or not. I know he doesn't really like sweets all that much, but I can't seem ta think of anything else nice to do for him. Guess it can't hurt to give it a try and offer to take Esp out for ice cream this morning. Stretching my arms and rolling over on the couch so that I'm staring at the ceiling, I tell Charmy, "I'll give it a try. Espio could always use a little sweetening up."

"Okay!" Charmy says before setting down his video game controller and flicking off the TV. He flies into the air and says, "I'm going to go play with Cream. You should ask Espio if he wants to go out for ice cream with you as soon as he wakes up."

"Wait, ya don't want to go out for ice cream with us?" I ask in surprise. After he just told me how much he loves ice cream, I would've thought that Charmy would want to go to the ice cream shop with us.

"No, I'm good. You and Espio should go together," Charmy replies cheerfully as he reaches the door.

My eyes narrow and I'm starting to agree with Espio. Something_ is_ up with the little bee. Suddenly, it hits me smack in the face and I'm honestly surprised I didn't notice it before. Tucking my arms behind my head, I glance over at Charmy and ask him curiously, "Are ya tryin' to get Espio and me back together?"

"Yeah, kind of," Charmy admits, cheeks blushing a light shade of pink. "Don't tell Espio though. He might get mad!"

"Heh, don't worry, I won't tell. Have fun with Cream," I tell Charmy as the little bee disappears out the front door. I chuckle to myself after he leaves. It's kinda funny that the seven-year-old is tryin' to play matchmaker for Esp and me. I guess I'm not the only one who realizes how damn perfect of a couple Espio and I make. We might be opposites, but we kind of even each other out.

"Hello, Vector," a calm voice says from somewhere above me. I look up and see Espio leaning up against the side of the couch. He smiles politely at me and goes on, "How are you this morning?"

"Great! Thanks fer askin'," I reply enthusiastically. "What about yerself?"

"Just fine," Espio says before his forehead creases and he asks, "Do you know where Charmy is?"

"Yeah. He went off to Cream's house already," I reply absentmindedly.

"Already?" Espio asks, looking extremely surprised. He frowns and says, "This is getting ridiculous. It's not even nine am. I think he must be avoiding me. I'll have to talk to him about this when he gets home."

"Nah, just let him be," I reply since I now know the reason behind Charmy's absences. "He's a kid growin' up. Whaddya expect from him? It ain't that weird that he wants to spend a lot of time with his friend. Say, uh, how would ya like to go out for ice cream with me today?"

"Ice cream?" Espio echoes, looking a little taken aback. "It's the middle of winter though."

"Yeah, I know, but the ice cream shop is still open and it ain't that cold outside. How about it?" I ask hopefully before realizing that maybe I'm bein' a little too pushy here.

Espio thinks for another long moment before he frowns and asks, "Are you trying to ask me out on a date, Vector?"

"Er, no! Not at all!" I exclaim, trying not to blush since I was kinda hoping that this could be like a date for us. "We'll just go as best buds."

Espio pauses for another long moment before he finally gives in and sends me a little smile, adding, "Alright. I'd like to go out for ice cream with you then. Thank you for inviting me."

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_It looks like Vector isn't the only one who wants him to get back with Esp. How do you think their little ice cream "date" will go? Review please! :)  
_


	110. Haunting Hallucinations

**Hey guys, I'm having a terrible morning, so there's not much for me to write here today...thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter. I swear the internet is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing despite the morning updates. :P Hope you like this chapter.  
**

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**Chapter CVX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I don't know why Vector decided to ask me to go out for ice cream with him in the middle of winter, but I do know that I didn't refuse his offer. Things have started to settle down a bit since the tangle Vector and I got ourselves into last week. Although the situation was horribly awkward and provoked awful, painful memories from deep inside me, the result has benefited me in a few ways. I'm surprised to say this, but I'm glad that Vector knows about my past. Not once since a week ago has Vector made one single crass comment towards me. He's more gentle and sweet than before. I've decided that I like this new Vector, perhaps even love him. Alright, so maybe that isn't quite true. I _know _that I love this Vector. This is the Vector I fell for in the beginning and the Vector I agreed to let date me.

Right now, Vector is taking a shower before we leave for our ice cream trip and I'm sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and trying to wake up. I'll admit that I've calmed down tremendously since the night Vector forced himself on me. With Vector's and Charmy's help, I've managed to overlook the incident and move on without a backwards glance at it. I don't blame Vector for what he did. I've instead chosen to blame it on his drinking habits. Now that he's sworn never to drink again, I don't think I have anything to worry about.

Still, I hesitate about getting back into a relationship with Vector. Truth be told, I want it. I miss being in Vector's arms, miss the soft, gentle kisses we exchanged, and miss those three little words he used to whisper in my ear when we would lie peacefully side-by-side in the bed. I don't want to push things though. I'm enjoying the new Vector's attitude and I'm scared that if I get back into a relationship with him, Vector will leave his tender side behind and go right on back to trying to force me into sex.

I sigh hopelessly and stare into the depths of my coffee mug in case it might have the answers to my difficult questions. There really is no good answer to the question I'm asking myself. The only way to know what being in a relationship with Vector again will be like is to actually give it a try. I won't know if it is a bad idea or not until it actually takes a turn for the worse.

Turning away from my coffee, I come to a decision. I'm not ready yet. Perhaps someday I can give Vector and myself another try, but not quite yet. It's awkward in the meantime, but I just don't feel like I can dive headfirst back into a relationship with Vector after his drunken episodes. He needs to spend a little more time getting my trust back before anything can happened between us.

"Hey, Esp!" Vector's loud voice sounds from behind me as he rounds the corner and bursts into the living room. He grins his charming crocodile grin at me and asks, "Ready to go?"

"Yes, I'm ready," I reply, getting nimbly to my feet and following Vector to the doorway. Vector politely holds the door open for me as I step outside into a relatively nice, sunny January morning. I incline my head to him and murmur, "Thank you, Vector."

"Anytime," Vector replies, pulling the door shut behind us with a loud bang. I wince, but ignore it as the two of us start off towards the small ice cream shop just around the corner.

A slightly awkward silence falls between the two of us as we walk towards the shop in silence. I know there's a tension between us. Vector and I are both all too aware of it. Right now, I would bet all of the money we earned at the garage sale yesterday that Vector is trying to use this little trip to the ice cream shop as a way to try and get on my good side and perhaps ask me about dating once again. In fact, I believe Vector's original intention was to make this little event a date.

A troubled sigh leaves my lips without me even realizing it was there. How long will it take before I'm comfortable enough with Vector again to allow him to start dating me once more? If we do date, how will I know that Vector will remain the tender, gentle crocodile he is right now? How can there ever be any security in our relationship?

Too many questions swirl around in my head until my mind is a muddled blur of chaos. I put a hand to my forehead and rub it gently before I can get a headache. I'll tackle these tough questions later. Right now, I'm going to enjoy myself. I don't particularly like ice cream, but I do like spending time with Vector and just outside of an ice cream shop is always a safe place to spend time with him.

"Are ya alright over there?" Vector asks me, observing how I'm rubbing my forehead. "Got a headache or sumthin'?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things, that's all," I reply truthfully as we reach the window of the ice cream shop where a hedgehog waits to take our orders. A large sign has been placed outside of the shop, listing all the ice cream flavors, sizes, and prices.

"Ah. Thinkin' is always a stressful thing," Vector says. I can tell from the curious glimmer in his shiny vermilion eyes that he's really tempted to ask me what I am thinking about. However, he's made an effort to stop pushing me lately and keeps it up now by not saying another word. The two of us step up to the sign with the ice cream flavors listed upon it and start looking over it. Vector's eyes widen and he exclaims, "Geez, I guess they've got enough flavors here, huh? How's a guy supposed ta know what flavor to get?"

"Well, if I were you, I would just choose a flavor that you know you like," I tell Vector since I'm noticing a lot of strange ice cream flavors on the list such as "pink bubblegum" and "peanut butter".

"Hey, ma'am?" Vector asks as he sticks his snout through the window and looks at the hedgehog running the ice cream shop. "Is there anyway I can have some samples of yer ice cream flavors?"

I sign to myself. This could certainly take a while if Vector is going to insist on tasting every ice cream flavor. I've already decided on just getting a small vanilla ice cream cone. Vanilla seems like a safe flavor and it won't be too sweet and upset my stomach...hopefully. I have a hard time stomaching very sweet foods at times.

"Yes, you may have a few samplers. What flavors would you like to try?" the hedgehog asks Vector before she turns to me and raises an eyebrow before asking politely, "Are you ready to order?"

"I am. I'll just have a small vanilla ice cream cone please," I tell the hedgehog, sending Vector a sideways glance, wondering what he's going to sample.

"Is that really what ya wanna get, Esp? They've got a lot of fancy flavors here!" Vector tells me. I nod, sticking to my belief that simple is always good. Vector thinks for a minute before he says, "Guess I'll try the peanut butter ice cream first. Don't think I've ever had peanut butter flavored ice cream before."

The hedgehog disappears for a few moments and then reappears a short time later with my vanilla ice cream cone and a spoonful of peanut butter ice cream for Vector. I thank the hedgehog and take my ice cream cone while Vector greedily grabs his spoon and slurps up the peanut butter ice cream. I have to admit that it isn't the must appetizing shade ever considering the fact that it's yellowish-brown. However, from the expression on Vector's face, he doesn't seem to mind it all that much.

"Hm. Not bad!" Vector says, handing his spoon back to the hedgehog and requesting, "Think I'll try the bubblegum flavored ice cream now!"

I frown inwardly, wondering just how many flavors of ice cream Vector will insist on trying before he makes up his mind on a certain flavor. At this rate, we could end up going through all the ice cream flavors. I don't even want to know how long that might take. However, I decide to keep my lips sealed and let Vector do whatever he wants.

"Now this is pretty damn good," Vector says, smacking his lips together after trying the bubble gum ice cream. "Now I wanna sample of the blue moon ice cream."

Vector goes through about seven more ice cream flavors before two female rabbits get in line behind us. Vector has just tried mint ice cream and is about to ask for another sample, when I elbow him and jerk my head in the direction of the rabbits, whispering, "Vector, there are people waiting for us to order."

"Huh? Oh, right. Guess I should just choose a flavor then," Vector says. I nod vigorously, rather glad that the rabbits showed up just to get Vector to hurry up and choose his ice cream flavor. Vector scrutinizes the list of flavors one more time before he decides, "I'll have a large cone of tutti-frutti, ma'am.

I frown, thinking that Vector should at least have gotten a cone of an ice cream flavor he's already tried and liked. He hasn't tasted tutti-frutti yet and what do you bet that he isn't going to like it? Vector isn't always the brightest when it comes to these sorts of things.

A few minutes later, Vector gets his ice cream and the two of us take a seat on one of the wooden benches adjacent to the ice cream shop. We sit a comfortable distance away from each other without being too far away or too close to each other. I nibble at my ice cream, accidentally getting vanilla dribbles on my chin. Oops. I wish we had asked for napkins. I send a glance over at the ice cream shop and see that the rabbit girls are still ordering their ice cream. Sending a furtive glance left and right to make sure that nobody is around, I wipe my mouth on the cuff of my glove.

"Argh! This tastes awful! How can ya even call this an ice cream flavor?" Vector practically yells in my ear as he looks down at his ice cream in disgust.

"Perhaps next time you should order a flavor that you already tasted," I suggest, having known all along that something like this was going to happen. However, since I don't particularly like ice cream all that much, I hold mine out between us and say, "We can share my cone if you'd like."

"Thanks, Esp! Yer the best, ya know that?" Vector says as he pitches his ice cream cone over towards the nearest trash bin without a second thought. "That tutti-frutti crap ain't good at all!"

"Vector, the ice cream shop owner isn't all that far away. You brought shouldn't say that aloud or else you might upset her," I frown as Vector takes a large slurp of ice cream off of the cone we're sharing.

Vector shrugs his shoulders, obviously not caring much about whether or not he hurts the shop owner's feelings. Rolling my eyes, I lean down and swirl my tongue along the tip of the ice cream cone. At the exact same moment, Vector leans down and takes a long lick of ice cream. Our tongues accidentally brush up against each other and Vector and I immediately lock eyes. The slight touch of our tongues reminds me of the times when we used to sit together and exchange meaningful, passionate kisses. I remember the way Vector would prop my chin up with a gentle finger and claim my mouth as his own. Our lips would touch once, twice, three times, and then we would hold the kiss for several seconds as our tongues would mingle and twine together.

A reminiscent look appears on Vector's face and I think he's reliving our past kisses as well. For a minute, I almost go against my earlier decision. I want to date Vector again. I want to be the one he loves and I don't want him single for too long because deep down inside, I fear there will soon be a new object of affection for him soon. I remember how Vector easily switched his tastes from Vanilla to myself. What if he jumps from me to another rabbit or perhaps a hedgehog or a bat this time?

I stare off into a distant alley and think about these troublesome things until my heart suddenly comes to an abrupt halt. A dark shape is moving in the blackness of the alley. My danger alert immediately flares and I lock my eyes onto the moving figure. The figure stops moving. I'm starting to wonder if there was ever anything there at all when two bright red demon-like eyes shine out at me from the darkness. My breath gets stuck in my throat. I can't breathe, can't think, can't move. Those eyes...they are all much too familiar.

"Esp? Yeh alright?" Vector asks me. I can't respond and just continue staring straight ahead of myself as if paralyzed. "Espio?"

I blink, trying to shake myself out of my paralysis. In the moment that I blink, the blood red eyes disappear. Now the alleyway is completely dark. Taking a shaky voice, I point a trembling finger in the direction of the alley and whisper, "I thought I saw something."

"Say, it can't be anything _too_ bad! Don't work yerself up!" Vector says, noticing the sweat breaking out on my forehead. He rubs the small of my back in an attempt to calm me down, but all that does is send more confused feelings through my body. Want. Longing. Desire. Fear. They're all there. Squinting into the distance, Vector points out, "I don't see anything, but we can go check it out if it'll make ya feel better."

I nod, saying in a not quite normal voice, "Let's go."

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_Hm...do you think Espio is having hallucinations or do you think something or someone really is in that alleyway? Review please! :)  
_


	111. Claustrophobic Chaos

**Hello everyone! :3 It's nice seeing that more of my readers are back. ^^ It really cheers me up. Thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter. They definitely helped me out yesterday (I was having a really bad day). Anyway, it's Friday and I hope you're all having a great end of the week. I like Fridays, but not the weekends so much. Let me know what you think of this chapter.  
**

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**Chapter CVXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Vector stands up from the wooden bench we've been sitting on, starts to offer me a hand, but then thinks better of it and lets his hand fall to his side. This might have upset me if it had been any earlier in the day, but right now, I'm still feeling shaken up because of the bright red eyes I saw glowing from the alleyway only a few seconds ago. Taking a shaky step forwards, I hold my chin high and start towards the alley. With Vector by my side, there's nothing for me to fear. Nobody in their right mind would try and mess with a four hundred pound crocodile and a chameleon

"Are ya sure yeh wanna do this?" Vector asks as he notices me taking a rattly breath from next to him. "If ya want, yeh can just stay on the bench and I can go check out the alley."

"No, it's alright," I reply in as even of a voice as I can manage. I can keep my head up and face my fears. I'm not sure what exactly I'm expecting to find in the alleyway. All I know is that those bright, demon red eyes look _exactly_ like Bryce's eyes. I remember them full well after being forced to stare up into them time and time again.

Vector and I approach the alley and come to a halt just outside of it. Vector scratches his head, trying to come up with a plan. A minute later, he squares his shoulders and takes one brave step into the alley, announcing, "I'll go first. Stay behind me, Esp. If anyone gives us trouble, I'll knock 'em out!"

Normally, I'd protest and give Vector my "violence is not the solution to anything" speech, but not today. Instead, I simply nod and follow in his shadow. Vector takes, one, two, three steps into the dark alley. He pauses, looks around himself, and continues the trek all the way to the end of the alley. I follow him and keep vigilant eyes open for anything black and moving. Surprisingly enough, we reach the end of the alleyway and find absolutely nothing. There are no black blurs and no blood red eyes anywhere to be seen.

Vector turns around to face me and asks dubiously, "Are ya sure yeh saw sumthin' down here? I don't see anything."

"I suppose I'm not really sure," I admit, starting to feel a bit foolish for all the alarm. I've felt a bit shaken up and not quite like myself after last week. I suppose I'm just being paranoid at this point. The red eyes never existed in anything outside of my own imagination this afternoon. I've just made an idiot out of myself.

"We might as well get outta here either way," Vector points out as he turns around and starts tromping out of the alleyway. "This ain't exactly the best place to spend our afternoon. I'm guessin' ya want to go home now, huh? Yeh look kinda sick."

"Going home might be a good thing right now. I'm sorry for ruining our ice cream trip," I apologize, finally managing to calm my rapidly beating heart and subdue my gasping breaths.

"No need to apologize!" Vector exclaims as the two of us step into the bright sunlight. Despite the fact that the sun is hot on our backs, it feels nice after the cold dampness of the alley. After a few minutes, Vector gives me a curious look and asks, "What did ya think yeh saw in the alley anyway? Whatever it was really spooked ya, huh?"

I open my mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it. If I tell Vector that I thought I saw the red gleam of Bryce's malicious stare in the alley, only bad things will come from it. Either Vector will spending all of his free time trying to hunt Bryce down or he will think I'm being extremely paranoid.

"It was nothing. I think I'm just seeing things. I'm rather tired from all the cleaning we've done the last few days," I reply as an excuse. Since Vector is known to push for details, I immediately change the subject and add, "I'm not in the mood to cook tonight. What do you think about ordering a pizza in?"

"Sounds good ta me!" Vector exclaims, stomach growling already despite the fact that we just got ice cream. I shake my head in amusement at Vector and he gives me a toothy grin in return.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly, but I'm having a hard time getting the red eyes out of my head despite the fact that I know they were nothing more than a hallucination. Tonight, I will go to bed early and get some solid sleep. Everything will be better then, won't it?

Things _are_ better in the morning and in the days that follow the strange event. I don't see any more strange black blurs or crimson eyes. Time starts to pass by quickly. The last week of January goes by in the blink of an eye. Before I know it, February fourteenth has come. Yes, it's Valentine's Day and I'm still not sure what to do about Vector and myself. I love him as much more than a friend, but I can't decide if it's time for us to start a relationship together again or not. It's been over a month since our most recent conflict. In the time since, Vector has continued treating me with gentleness and respect. He hasn't said one crude thing to me and we haven't argued over anything significant.

I'm sitting up in bed and staring out the window at the beautiful sunrise. The sky is a gorgeous shade of peach and light pink. It seems like the perfect morning for Valentine's Day. The only problem is that I still haven't gotten Vector anything yet. I wanted to get him something special, but we don't have money to spare once again. Team Chaotix hasn't been called to take up any more missions and the only way we're going to pay the bills this month is by using our garage sale money.

Frowning, I tap my fingers on my knee and try to think of something - anything! - I can do for Vector this Valentine's Day. The sad truth is that even if I did happen to have money for a Valentine's Day present for Vector, I would be a bit wary to go out and spend it. Why? As silly as it sounds, the red eyes are still bothering me and I prefer not to go out alone.

Deciding to get up, I slip off of the bed and pad quietly down the hallway and into the living room. Charmy is on the couch playing one of his fighting video games. I frown since I'm not one to promote violent, but make no comment on it. Charmy has continued to spend long hours at Cream's house. I've asked him why he's taken up this habit recently, but he won't tell me why. Sometimes, it feels as if Vector and I are the only ones living here these days.

"Mornin', Esp!" Vector calls from inside the closet. "I'm gonna go out and pick sumthin' up. Can I get ya anything while I'm out?"

"What is it that you're going to pick up?" I ask Vector as I take a step in front of the closet. "You know we're short on money right now."

"Whee!" Charmy randomly gets up and calls from somewhere behind me as he does a few somersaults in the air. I give him an odd look before the little bee accidentally smacks into me, sending me flying forwards into Vector's chest as the closet door slams shut behind me, leaving Vector and me in a tight, dark space.

"I'm sorry. Charmy knocked into me," I reply in embarrassment as I turn my face up to Vector's, my hands still pressed against his hard, scaly chest.

"Heh, ya don't have to apologize for something that wasn't your fault," Vector replies.

I nod and forget all about what I was asking Vector earlier. I don't like tightly enclosed areas and the fact that I'm drowning in Vector's strong, spicy scent is not making matters any better. All I can do is inhale Vector's natural smell, stare up into his kind vermilion eyes, and try to ignore the way his scales feel against my hands. I try to stumble backwards, but just end up banging into the door.

"That's funny. I don't know how the door could have closed," I point out, reaching forwards and pushing on the doorknob. To my surprise, it won't budge. Turning to Vector, I exclaim, "It's locked!"

"Huh? Guess I could give it a try if ya want," Vector says, taking a step forwards and practically forcing me to make myself one with the wall.

As Vector fiddles with the doorknob, my breathing rate increases and my heart starts pounding a little too quickly against my ribcage. I absolutely despise tight spaces. They're like a trap with nowhere to turn to and nowhere to run. My palms grow sweaty and I long to pace around, but there's no room for that in this tight closet.

"I can't seem ta get the door open," Vector says, sounding much calmer than me. It's a bit ironic actually since Vector is usually the one with the fiery temper. "Guess we'll have to have Charmy open it."

"Charmy!" I call out in a croaking voice, "Can you please open the door?"

Silence follows my plea. Apparently, Charmy isn't around anymore or perhaps he is, but he's so wrapped up in his video game that he hasn't heard me. My short gasps for breath become even quicker and my pulse reaches a dangerous speed. I need to get out of here soon or else I'm going to pass out.

"Geez, Esp, does it really bother ya to be so close to me?" Vector asks, turning from the doorway to face me, a look of hurt on his face.

"No, Vector, it's not you," I reply in my strangled voice as I realize how much tighter the space in here seems when Vector and I face each other. My hip is touching his thigh and a lot of other parts of our bodies are brushing against each other. Determined not to figure out which body parts are touching what, I continue on in my clipped voice, "I just don't like tightly enclosed areas."

"Hm," Vector thinks this through before he leans down and gently massages my stiff shoulders, murmuring, "Well, I can promise ya that there ain't anything that's gonna hurt yeh in here. Yer perfectly safe. Even if there is a monster in this closet, I'll protect ya from it!"

I know Vector is trying to joke with me, but I can't seem to smile right now. It's not helping the way Vector's hands are suddenly on my shoulders, rubbing and caressing them. In a weak voice, I beg, "Please don't do that. It makes me want..."

I trail off and blush brightly, wondering how that sentence almost came out of my mouth. As shameful as it is, what I was about to say is true. With Vector's warm figure pressed against mine and with his strong, powerful hands stroking me, I find that I do want closeness with him...closeness that we shouldn't have right now considering the fact that we are not a couple. I've always tried so hard to ignore the sinful needs of my body, but when I'm with Vector, the desires are much harder to suppress.

"Want_ what_, Esp?" Vector asks in a quiet voice even though we both know exactly what I want.

I turn my face away from him and refuse to finish my sentence. The air is far too hot and stuffy in here. It reminds me of the time Bryce stuffed my head under a scratchy wool blanket before raping me. Needless to say, I passed out before that ordeal was over. Instead of smelling Vector's strong scent, the only thing I can smell now is my own sweat at being in this tightly enclosed area for much too long. Where oh where is Charmy when you need him?!

As if he somehow can read my mind from wherever he is, the door to the closet is flung open and Charmy asks innocently, "What are you guys doing in here?"

I stagger out of the closet and collapse on the sofa, mopping sweat off of my brow, gulping in clean, fresh air. Vector follows me out and frowns as he looks at where I'm suffering before asking, "Are ya _sure_ yer alright over there?"

"I never said I was fine," I reply a bit snappishly. "I'm claustrophobic. I've told you that before."

Charmy suddenly looks extremely guilty and says in a sheepish voice, "I'm sorry, Espio."

I'm starting to calm down and send the bee a small smile as I reply, "You don't need to apologize to me, Charmy. It wasn't your fault."

Charmy continues looking guilty, but doesn't say anything more. Odd. I don't know why he would be feeling guilty. I'm still trying to figure out Charmy's mystery when Vector cracks open the door to the house and exclaims, "Well, I'm off! I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't miss me too much."

"Vector, wait! Where are you-" I stop speaking as the door bangs shut behind Vector. It's too late to get his attention now. All I can do is hope that he won't go off and spend all of our money on things we don't need. I end up spending the next few minutes recovering from the closet incident before remembering that it's Valentine's Day and that I still don't know what to do for Vector. Frowning, I decide to ask Charmy for help and turn to the little bee before asking, "What do you think I should do for Vector for Valentine's Day, Charmy?"

"Hehe, I was wondering if you were going to remember Valentine's Day!" Charmy giggles from where he's sitting on the floor. "Do you want to buy something for Vector or make something for him?"

"I'd prefer to make him something. We don't have any extra money to spend at the moment, which is something Vector has apparently forgotten," I sigh. "Do you have any ideas for me?"

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_Poor Espio and the closet incident! D: Anyway, what do you think he might do for Vector for Valentine's Day? Review please! :)  
_


	112. Valentine's Day

**Happy weekend, guys! I hope it's been a nice one for you so far. :3 I'm half asleep and need to go take a nap, so that's all for now. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

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**Chapter CXII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I don't think I've ever been so stumped on a gift idea in my life. I've resorted to asking Charmy for a Valentine's Day gift idea for Vector and even Charmy seems to be having a hard time coming up with something for me to give to my Chaotix buddy. I really don't want to go out and buy something, but is there anything I can make Vector that will be special to him? I want him to know how much I appreciate him and everything he's done for Charmy and me. As much as it's been on my mind, I'm not going to give Vector permission to start dating me again just yet. I still need more time.

"Well, you could always write Vector a love poem," Charmy pipes up after a few minutes of intent thinking. "That's what people always do in movies!"

"I don't think that would work too well in this situation. I'm not much of a poetry writer. Besides, Vector and I are just friends this Valentine's Day. Writing him a love poem wouldn't work out very well although it is a good idea," I say to make Charmy feel better. Sighing, I stare at the ground and mutter, "I'm terrible at coming up with gift ideas."

"No, you're not. You're just having a hard time getting Vector something for Valentine's Day because you supposedly don't love him. Aren't you only suppose to get things for people you love on Valentine's Day?" Charmy asks. I think about his question and decide not to answer it. I do love Vector and Charmy knows it. I'm just not ready to embrace that love yet. I need to bury it until I'm ready to get back into a relationship with Vector. Luckily, Charmy doesn't wait for me to answer and suddenly exclaims, "I know! Bake Vector something to eat! He loves your cooking."

"Hm. I might just do that. Vector_ does_ seem to like food," I point out wryly as I stand up and start towards the kitchen. "I'm going to go see what I have to bake."

"Okay!" Charmy replies cheerfully before hesitating and pointing out, "I'm going to go to Cream's house for a while. I'll be back soon!"

Before I can protest, I hear the door being yanked open and then hear the thud of it slamming behind Charmy. It seems as if he's always with Cream these days. As much as I hate to be considering the possibility, perhaps Vector is right and Charmy really does like Cream. Deciding not to dwell on this subject since I have other things to worry about, I push Charmy and Cream to the back of my mind and step into the kitchen. I open the pantry and glance around. What can I make for Vector?

A bag of chocolate I don't remember buying suddenly seems to jump out at me. Vector must have bought it since I've been allowing him to do the grocery shopping lately. He's been responsible with our money, but apparently he isn't buying the healthiest of foods. In this situation, however, I'm not going to complain. I might be able to use this chocolate to my advantage.

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I reach up and snag the bag of chocolate from the pantry. I can heat it up and then pour the chocolate into some candy molds. The only reason I have candy molds is because of Charmy. We were shopping together once when he saw the heart-shaped candy molds on sale and insisted that he had to have them. Unable to say no to him, I gave in and bought Charmy the candy molds. Of course, he hasn't even used them once since we bought them. I suppose it's up to me to put them to good use.

I dig the candy molds out of the back of one of the cupboards and then turn on one of the burners on the stove to melt the chocolate with. After retrieving a pan from under the sink, I dump the chocolate candies into it and then place the pan on the burner and wait for them to melt. It's rather ironic how I don't particularly like cooking, yet, I do seem to be doing it quite a bit these days, probably because Vector enjoys my cooking so much.

It doesn't take long for the chocolates to melt. Not wanting to burn them, I immediately pull the pan off of the burner and pour thick, gooey melted chocolate into the candy heart molds. I don't particularly like chocolate myself, but I'm sure that Vector will like the chocolates I'm making for him. Vector likes anything he can put in his mouth.

After the chocolate has been poured into the candy molds, I clean up the kitchen and wait for the chocolates to harden. I take out a nice, clean plate from the cupboard to put the chocolates on once they cool and then take to leaning against the counter and peering outside. My mind wanders to what Vector might be up to. He was acting rather secretive about where he was going this morning. I hope he's not getting me anything for Valentine's Day since we're not exactly a couple. Then again, knowing Vector, he probably_ is _getting me something.

Finally, the chocolates harden and I pop them out of the candy molds and onto the plate I set out for them earlier. After arranging the twenty perfectly heart-shaped candies on the plate, I bring them with me into the living room to give to Vector and sit on the couch to wait. Vector has certainly been gone for quite some time now. I wonder what he's up to.

Bang! The door to the house flies open just as I'm thinking this. Vector strides into the room, humming under his breath and bobbing his head in time to the music he's listening to from his headphones. He's clearly in a good mood and he appears to be hiding something behind his back.

"Hello, Vector," I greet the crocodile as I stand up to greet him.

"Esp! There ya are, buddy!" Vector grins down at me and turns the volume of his music down a couple of notches so he can hear me. "I got sumthin' for ya! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Vector extends the hand he's been hiding behind his back and presents me with a lovely bouquet of white roses. I've never seen such beautiful roses before. They are such a pure, clean shade of white. I am so astonished by Vector's generosity that it takes me a few minutes before I can speak.

"I've never seen such lovely flowers before," I say once I finally find my voice. Tilting my head up to look at Vector, I ask, "Why made you decide to get me white roses?"

"I dunno, they just seemed like the right color for ya. I saw red ones too, but red roses seem kinda ordinary and boring these days," Vector explains before looking worried for a moment and asking, "Do ya like 'em?"

"Of course I like them," I reply, looking surprised that Vector might think that I don't like his gift. I reach out and put an affectionate hand on his wrist as I murmur, "I love anything you buy for me. Thank you very much. I have a gift for you as well. They're not much, but I hope you like them."

I shyly reach down and present Vector with the plate of chocolates I arranged for him earlier. Vector's eyes immediately light up as he takes the plate of candies from me. The crocodile wastes no time in popping five of them into his mouth.

"Damn, these are the best chocolates I've ever had in my twenty-one years! Did ya make 'em yerself, Esp?" Vector asks, looking very pleased with his gift. I nod and Vector goes on, "Yer the sweetest little guy I've ever met. Can I have a Valentine's Day hug or is that pressin' my luck?"

"No, it's alright. You can have a hug as long as it's not in the closet," I point out wryly before taking a step forwards towards Vector.

I'm surprised to see that I must be even better than chocolates in Vector's mind because he immediately sets down his plate of candies before reaching for me. His strong, protective arms wrap around me and hold me tenderly against him. I reciprocate the motion and slide my arms around Vector before resting my head against his scaly chest. Our embrace sends tingles of warmth down my spine. Vector and I hold each other for far too long. I think we hug for a good half hour before Vector finally pulls away and only because he wants to say something.

"Esp, I...I know I screwed things up with ya not all that long ago. I've tried real hard to do everything I can for ya since then. I know we're just supposed ta be friends and all, but I'm never gonna think of yeh as just a friend. I love ya and if yer ever ready to give me a second chance, tell me. I swear I won't screw it up again," Vector promises me, his vermilion eyes searching mine. I know that what he really wants to know is whether or not I'm ready to give him a second chance right now. Am I ready?

"You have been very helpful in the past month and a half. Thank you for all you've done for Charmy and for me," I thank Vector, avoiding the question and therefore giving Vector an implied answer. I look down at the flowers in my hand and change the subject as I step aside and murmur, "I should go put these in a vase with some water."

"Yeah, I guess ya should," Vector nods, his tone of voice showing clear disappointment at my words.

As I turn, I notice Vector reach up and roughly brush his finger below his eye. I pause and turn back to him, wondering if he's brushing away tears. Frowning, I ask, "Are you alright?"

"'Course I am!" Vector says in a false cheery voice as he gives me a fake smile. "I'm just gonna sit here and enjoy yer chocolates for a while."

"Alright then," I reply before stepping out of the room. As I go to the kitchen and search around for a vase to put my roses in, I wonder if Vector really shed a tear over what I told him earlier. I don't want to hurt Vector, but I don't want to take our relationship lightly either. Last time we were together, lots of problems starting popping up all over the place. I don't want that to happen again. I'm not sure when I will be ready to give Vector a second chance, but at this rate, it will be soon. We need each other.

A few more weeks pass. Nothing much occurs during them besides for the fact that I've begun to long for Vector in a way I haven't felt towards him before. Every time I see him, a tight feeling forms in my chest since I know we aren't truly together. Vector is starting to look sad most of the time as well. He smiles less often and when he does smile, it doesn't reach his eyes. I wonder how much he misses me. I know I miss him. Does he miss me as much as I miss him or does he miss me more?

It's a Wednesday morning and I've just woken up from a rather awkward dream. I try to get ahold of myself and divert my thoughts from what just went on in my head while I was sleeping. From just one glance towards the window, I realize that it's at least midday already. The sun is shining brightly and is reflecting off of the vase of roses next to my bed.

I try not to think about my dream, but it's impossible not to when it's so fresh in my mind. It was a shameful dream and I'm not even sure how it got into my head. Vector and I were kissing in my dream, deep, passionate kisses that felt more intimate than any of the kisses we have exchanged so far. I didn't resist when Vector brought me to the bed and laid me down on top of the sheets. For some reason, I wasn't scared this time. Vector was treating me in that same tender, gentle way he's behaved around me since our incident. I didn't see any signs of him losing control around me. There was no fiery lust raging behind his vermilion irises. I felt safe with him and found that I would allow him to do whatever he wanted with me.

Our deep kisses soon heightened to an almost unbearable intensity. Vector nuzzled the side of my neck, my chest, and then all the way down the slight curves of my body. When he began to stroke my thigh, my legs fell open of their own accord. Vector began to touch me intimately after that. He fondled me here, caressed me there, and kissed me at the core of my being.

...Of course, that's when I woke up from the dream all sweaty and disgusted with myself for allowing my mind to go in such an unethical direction. I've never thought about Vector this way. Perhaps breaking up with him was_ not _such a good idea on my part. Maybe these degrading dreams are forming in my mind because I miss Vector so much. If I get back together with him, will they stop? I suppose there's only one way to find out.

Taking a deep breath, I slide out of bed and go to the living room. Charmy is at Cream's house, which is starting to become the norm. I've come to face the facts; either Charmy likes Cream and Vanilla better than Vector and myself or he really does have a thing for Cream. Either way, I'm not going to worry about it until it causes trouble for one of us. At the moment, I seem to have more than my share of trouble to deal with.

As I come to a halt in the living room, I find Vector staring blankly at the TV. He doesn't look happy. He's forgotten to put his headphones on and the TV is still on mute. My chest tightens within me and I wonder if it's possible to have a heartache. If so, I certainly have one now.

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_Hm, do you think that Espio is finally warming up to the idea of getting back together with Vector? Review please! :)  
_


	113. Unknown Routes

**Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you had a nice weekend. I dunno about you, but I'm getting really sick and tired of winter. I'd really love to move somewhere warm and/or tropical right now. :P Anyway, thanks very much to those of you who read the previous chapter. I have a question for you all. Do you prefer it if I update at night versus the morning? I'm losing readers again and I'm not sure if it's because of my weird updating schedule or something else. Let me know about your opinion on the updating time thing. I hope you like this chapter. =3  
**

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**Chapter CXIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I sit on the couch and stare blankly at the TV with unseeing eyes. It's been over two months since Esp and I broke up and I'm really startin' to lose hope that he'll ever wanna get back together with me. I've tried hard for him over the last two months. I've done everything my little buddy asked me to do without too much complainin' and I've only treated him with respect. Truth is that I don't wanna get back with him just because I wanna have sex with him or get access to his body. I merely want us to be a couple again so I can hear those three little words leave Espio's mouth when he looks at me.

Guess I'm just gonna have to keep dreaming though. Despite all my efforts, Espio hasn't showed one sign of wanting me back. He's been very polite and nice to me as far as it goes with Esp, but things aren't exactly the way I want them to be. Doesn't he feel the same way as me? The chemistry between us is just too damn strong to ignore.

I curse myself under my breath for bein' such a fool for the chameleon. It would've been a hell of a lot simpler if I could have fallen this in love with Miss Vanilla. Miss Vanilla seems like a woman who I wouldn't have too hard of a time getting along with. She even told me that she liked me! So why couldn't I have fallen for her?

I dunno the way in which love works, but I do know that Espio is gonna be the only one for me from here on out. His past is sick and twisted, but knowing about it has only made me grow to love Esp more. I wanna do everything I can to show him that the world isn't such an awful place after all and that there are people who love and cherish him...mainly me.

"Hello, Vector," a pleasant voice sounds from behind me. I turn and give Espio a sad sort of smile. It's hard for me to keep up constant cheeriness 24/7. I've got no clue how Charmy does it. Espio goes on, "I must have slept in. I didn't realize it was noon already."

_ Is_ it noon already? God, I don't even pay any attention to the time anymore! I just sit around and wait for Esp to put me to work and wonder if he'll ever let me date him again. Feelin' real pathetic at the moment, I reply, "Yeh probably just needed yer sleep, that's all. Say, do ya wanna go on a walk with me this afternoon?"

"A walk?" Espio echoes, looking surprised at my suggestion. He thinks it through for a moment before he nods and says, "I don't see why not. Let me grab my scarf before we go."

I nod and lug myself off of the couch before tromping towards the door. I dunno where the whole going on a walk idea came from. Guess it's just another one of my futile attempts to get Espio to spend more time with me and realize that he misses me. I don't think he does miss me though. Why do I always gotta be in these stupid one-sided relationships?

"I'm ready," Espio tells me as he joins me at the door.

I nod and take a better look at the purple chameleon as I crack the door open for us. Espio doesn't look too happy either. Maybe we're both just plain miserable. Bet we're not miserable over the same things though. Esp wouldn't be this sad just from missin' me. He's probably worried about paying the bills or Charmy.

The two of us step outside and start on our usual walk around town. It's a short twenty-minute walk that we've been on several times before. Unfortunately, we haven't been on this walk too often lately. Ya know why. Espio and I aren't dating. We're just "best buds" as I like to call it.

We walk in silence for a while, both absorbed in our own thoughts. Before I know it, we've almost come to the end of the walk already! Geez, time sure flies by sometimes. Not ready to go home just yet, I notice that the pathway we're walkin' on also goes to the right instead of just straight.

"Whaddya think about takin' a slightly longer route and going to our right today?" I suggest casually to Espio.

Intelligent amber eyes immediately peer warily to our right as Espio scrutinizes the new pathway. After a moment's pause, he admits, "I suppose we could go on a slightly longer walk. You_ do_ know how to get home from this route though, right?"

I've already started onto the new path and end up frowning at Espio's words. Nope, I don't know how to get back to the house from this path. Hell, I don't even know where this path leads to! I'm sure I can find our way home though. I'm a smart croc. I won't let Esp and myself get lost.

"Yeah, I know how ta get home. Are ya coming?" I ask Esp as he hesitates between the pathways.

After a few more seconds of long hesitation, Espio nods and starts after me. Our silence from earlier starts back up again. I try to think of something to say to him, but nothing very interesting to say comes to my mind. Espio doesn't seem to mind the silence too much though. He just stares in front of himself and looks thoughtful.

Eventually, the silence gets too unbearable for me and I've just gotta say something! I speak about the first thing that comes to my mind and ask Esp, "Do ya ever just really, really miss someone?"

"I suppose I've had that feeling a few times before," Espio replies vaguely before switching the subject. Frowning, he emphasizes, "You_ are_ sure that you know the way home from here, aren't you? It feels like we've been walking for over an hour now. I'd really like to get home."

Feeling sad that Espio switched the topic of conversation, I lie without thinking about it, "Yeah, I know the way home. It ain't too much farther from here."

"Good," Espio sighs, looking like he's suddenly in a hurry to get home for some reason or another.

My mind starts wandering again and I've gotta admit that I'm thinking about everything but how to get home. Mainly, I keep tryin' to think of a way to start up a conversation with Esp that will somehow get us talking about our relationship. Does Espio even remember that I used to be his lover? Does it ever occur to him just how much it hurts me not to be able to take him in my arms and tell him how much I love him? Probably not. Espio doesn't think like I do.

"Hey, Esp, when's yer birthday?" I ask randomly. Okay, so the question has nothin' to do with Espio and me gettin' back together, but it's better than silence, right?

"It's at the end of August," Espio replies curtly. He looks around himself before he grabs my wrist and pulls me to a halt. Giving me a hard look, Espio asks, "Vector, do you or do you not know where we are going?! I feel like we're wandering around in the middle of nowhere and I really need to get home now!"

Oops, it looks like I've unintentionally pissed Esp off. Figuring that maybe it's time to come clean, I chew on my tongue before admitting, "Er, maybe we _are_ lost. I thought this path would just lead us back home, but it doesn't seem to be doin' that after all. Maybe we should just backtrack to get home?"

"Vector!" Espio groans, looking upset as he wrings his hands together and points out, "It's over an hour back home if we go in that direction. Next time, just be honest with me when you don't know where you're going. I wouldn't be upset if you had told me that you were lost right away."

"Sorry," I reply, starting to feel really guilty. "Why are ya in such a hurry to get home?"

"I have to...um..." Espio trails off and looks at the ground, not wanting to speak aloud about anything dirty.

Crap. So Esp has to piss and we're in the middle of nowhere. Guess he does have a reason to be ticked off at me after all. Noticing the uncomfortable look on Espio's face and the way he's shifting from foot to foot, I'm pretty damn sure that he's not gonna be able to hold it until we get home.

Tryin' to act as nice to him as I possibly can, I suggest, "Well, ya could always just go behind a tree or sumthin'. There are a lotta trees out here."

"I am not going behind a tree!" Espio states, giving me a look of horror as he starts off briskly in the direction we came from. "That's disgusting!"

"Yeah, well, it's better than goin' on the sidewalk," I mutter under my breath as I start after him. My guess is that he's not even gonna last ten minutes. I inwardly start cursing at myself again for taking an unknown route for our walk. This situation is the last thing I need when I'm tryin' to get Espio to take me back as his lover.

My prediction turns out to be mostly right. Espio comes to a halt after about eight minutes, looking even more uncomfortable than earlier. I come to a halt as well, not sure if I'll make him more upset or not if I speak to him. Esp doesn't say anything and just looks around himself as if he's trying to conjure up our house from outta nowhere.

"Look, just go behind that tree over there. It's not the end of the world, ya know," I point out.

Espio mutters a few curse words that I've never heard him say before. Glaring at me since this situation really is my fault, Espio jabs a finger at my chest and says, "It looks as if I have no choice but to do that. Don't you even_ think_ about watching! If you do, I'll never speak to you again."

With that said, Espio turns on his heel and stalks off to a tree just past the sidewalk. Rolling my eyes, I mutter, "Drama queen."

However, for Esp's sake, I turn my back to the tree and keep my eyes directly on the road ahead of me so there's no way Espio can accuse me of watching him later. I'm already in deep water with him at the moment. It's gonna take a lot after this incident to get myself back in his good book. I sigh loudly and kick the ground. What's the point of me trying so hard for Espio all the time? He's like this cold, untouchable thing these days. I think he's forgotten how to love.

A few minutes later, Espio appears at my side. He doesn't look particularly happy, but at least he doesn't look upset anymore. I raise an eyebrow at him and ask, "Better?"

Espio nods slightly and we start back to the house in silence. I'll admit that it's a long way home and it doesn't help that the two of us aren't talking. I can't seem to gauge the chameleon's mood even by shooting looks at him out of the corner of my eye every few seconds. Espio's expression is so unreadable. I don't think he's as mad as me as he was earlier, but what do I know?

Finally, after what seems like forever, we reach the house. Espio is the first one inside. Without even pausing, he immediately starts off towards the bathroom, stating, "I need a shower."

I nod and shut the door behind myself as I follow him inside the house. Keepin' my big mouth shut seems like a good idea right now, so I don't offer to help Espio with the showering. Instead, I try and think of some way to make earlier up to him. He seemed a little cold when we got home. I could make him a cup of hot chocolate if we have any and set out a blanket for him on the couch. It's not much, but I dunno what else to do for him at the moment.

I march determinedly into the kitchen and make a bit of a racket as I look for the container of hot chocolate. There really should still be some in here somewhere. I just bought some last week due to Charmy's pleading. Well, okay, maybe I didn't buy it just because of Charmy. I kinda wanted the hot chocolate too. Ah, here it is! I knew there had to be some of it left.

Grabbin' a mug from the cupboard, I fix my buddy a cup of warm hot cocoa and then stride off towards the living room. I put the mug onto the coffee table and then set out our warmest blanket for Espio. Since I know he likes classical music, I go to the CD player and rummage through the CDs lying next to it before selecting one I think Espio will like and putting it in the CD player. As the music starts playing, I've gotta admit this isn't really my thing, but this isn't about me. It's about Espio.

At that moment, a slender figure appears in the living room. I wave him over and say, "Hey, Esp! I made ya some hot chocolate!"

"Oh, that's very kind of you," Espio says, looking a bit surprised as he enters the living room and smiles slightly at the little arrangement I've made for him. As he sits down, I wrap the thick blanket around his shoulders and hand him the mug of hot chocolate.

As Esp takes a delicate sip out of his warm mug, I apologize a bit sheepishly, "Sorry again about earlier."

"It's alright. I'm not upset," Espio replies, blinking a bit sleepily as he looks across the room. Esp is always happier when he's clean. The shower must have really improved his mood. Waving a hand around himself, Espio asks, "Did you do all of this for me?"

"Yeah. It's the least I could do after earlier," I shrug my shoulder, not makin' a big deal out of it.

Espio abruptly sets his mug of hot chocolate down and turns to face me on the sofa. He reaches out and puts a hand on my chest. My heart starts racing under his touch and I can't help but wonder what the little chameleon is up to. Meeting my eyes, Espio takes a deep breath and murmurs, "Vector, I want to talk to you about something..."

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_What do you think Espio is going to talk to Vector about? Review please! :)  
_


	114. Back Together

**Hi everyone! It's Tuesday, one of my favorite days of the week! :D Thank you all very much for the reviews for the last chapter! I really appreciate each and every one of them. They help me get around to updating faster, lol. Anyway, now I've run into a bit of a dilemma because there are some of you who like morning updates and some of you who like nighttime updates. :P I guess I'm just going to update whenever I'm awake and feeling decent. Hope you like this chapter! :3  
**

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**Chapter CXIV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

My heart automatically starts beatin' a little faster with Espio's hand against my chest and his big amber eyes staring directly into mine. I dunno what he wants to talk to me about, but I sure know what I _want_ him to talk to me about. I'm so sick and tired of us being only "best buds". It's obvious that we just weren't meant to be pals. The thing that Esp and I have is so much more than that. I can see it just from starin' into his big, beautiful eyes. Can't he see it to? Probably not, knowing Espio.

"Whaddya want to talk to me about?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and tryin' to calm my frantically beating heart.

"You and me," Espio replies immediately, causing my pulse to race even faster. This is either gonna be good or bad. I'm obviously hoping that it's gonna be good. Espio continues on, "You've been very kind to me over the last few months. I'm glad that you convinced me to come back home. Without you, I would probably still be at the cafe right now."

"Nah, ya wouldn't still be there. Someone else would have entered yer life and swept ya off yer feet. Some other lucky guy would be at yer beck and call," I reply, unable to mask the jealousy in my voice. I've got no doubts about what I just said though. Esp is something special and it doesn't take a genius to see that.

"Don't be silly, Vector!" Espio replies, blushing brightly. He tilts his head questioningly at me and asks, "Haven't you realized how long it took me to befriend you? It took months for me to learn to love you. I certainly would not have let someone else 'sweep me off my feet' as you just phrased it. I'm not very good at wording these types of things, but what I want to say is that I miss you. I know you're here with me right now, but I miss us being a couple. You've been so good to me lately and I think that I love you even more than before. I trust you again. Will you date me a second time?"

My eyes practically bug out of my head as I stare at Espio with astonishment. It takes me a moment before I can find my voice and ask, "Do ya really mean it?"

"Yes," Espio says quietly, searching my eyes as if he thinks I might actually turn him down.

"Oh god, Esp, do ya have any idea how long I've waited for ya to tell me this? I haven't been able to stop thinkin' about it since we broke up. I promise I'll be a better partner this time around. I'll treat ya right," I tell my lover fervently, knowing that nothing in this world is gonna screw things up between us ever again.

"Well, you haven't exactly been inconspicuous about it," Espio replies, a small smile tilting up one side of his mouth. "I missed you, Vector."

"You really did miss me?" I ask, feelin' pleasantly surprised to hear this. I didn't really think that Espio had missed me at all. I always thought I was the only one doin' the missing. When Esp nods, I give him one of my biggest toothy grins yet. I haven't felt this happy since before Christmas. I open my arms to the little chameleon and wait to see what he does. Espio moves into my embrace and wraps the thick, red blanket around the two of us so we're nice and cozy together.

"Putting on this music was very nice of you. This is one of my favorite CDs," Espio tells me quietly, his face inches away from mine. "I suppose it isn't exactly your type of music though, is it?"

"Eh, it's alright," I reply with a shrug of my shoulders. To be honest, I haven't paid any attention at all to the music since I turned it on. All my attention has been focused on the smaller reptile now in my arms. Smiling contentedly, I add, "I'm not real concerned about the music right now."

"Oh?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow as he continues speaking in his quiet, deep voice that sends shivers all up and down my body. He raises a hand and gently cups the end of my snout before asking, "What_ are_ you concerned about then?"

"Geez, Esp, I'm sure ya can figure that one out for yerself," I point out, staring deeply into Espio's eyes and tightening my arms around him. I wanna hold him here forever and never let him go.

"Mm, perhaps I can," Espio replies, that same small smile flitting across his face as he leans forwards and gently places his lips against my mouth. My eyes close and instead of kissing him back and being greedy, I let the little chameleon set the pace. I'm so goddamn happy to have him back that I'm never gonna push him in any way, shape, or form ever again.

Espio's soft lips continue pressing light butterfly kisses along my snout. Everything about the chameleon is so delicate and gentle. His hands lightly skim across my chest, sending ripples of pleasure deep inside of me. It's kinda weird how soft, tender caresses can be just as meaningful as rough, frantic kissing and fondling. I lean forwards and rest my chin lightly on Espio's shoulder as he moves to my neck. I feel his lips gliding up and down the scales there before he whispers in my ear, "Never leave me, Vector."

"Never," I reply, realizing for the first time that Esp ain't as tough as he tries to be. He always pretends to be so hard and cold, keeping his feelings buried deep down within him. Guess he can't hold up to that all the time though. It's not really a surprise how much I mean to him since Espio's got no family of his own and he spent his prior years without friends bein' raped by his bastard of a cousin. Still though, what he says sounds even nicer to my ears than my usual headbanging music.

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of something yellow and black at the edge of the living room. Crap, how long has Charmy been here for? I've been so wrapped up in Espio that I didn't even hear him open the door. Doesn't seem like Espio heard him either by the looks of things.

Clearing my throat, I blush slightly and state, "Er, hey Charmy."

Espio's head immediately lifts from my shoulder and he scrambles awkwardly off of my lap, blushing poppy red as he does so. Charmy looks from Espio to me, not quite sure what to make of this. He gives us a sort of awkward smile and says, "Um, hi...I just got back from Cream's house."

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in, Charmy," Espio apologizes, cheeks still a light pink color as he tries to compose himself. Placing a glove hand on top of one of my hands, Espio states, "Vector and I have something to tell you. We've decided to get back together again."

"Yay!" Charmy cheers, all awkwardness forgotten as he launches himself towards us and flings himself into our arms. His voice comes out muffled since he's talking against my chest as he blabs on, "I _knew_ that you guys were going to get back together if I gave you enough time alone together! It worked! Well, everything except for the closet thing."

"The closet thing?" Espio asks, raising an eyebrow as he asks, "Do you mean to tell me that you locked me in the closet with Vector a few weeks ago to try and get us to work things out?"

"Yeah," Charmy admits sheepishly. "I kind of forgot that you were claustrophobic or whatever you call it. Sorry, Espio."

Instead of looking upset, Espio looks amused as he replies, "That's alright, Charmy. I didn't realize that you wanted Vector and me to get back together so badly."

"Well, you guys are kind of miserable to be around when you're not together," Charmy points out innocently. "You forget to have fun and work too hard and Vector just stares at you all the time and looks sad. I'm so happy that everything is back to normal now!"

"So am I," I reply, giving the little bee and my partner a genuine smile. "In fact, I'm gonna take Esp out for lunch tomorrow to this fancy place not too far away from here."

"You don't have to do that," Espio immediately protests although he does look pleased by my offer. "Besides, we are still short on money at the moment."

"Eh, but it's a special occasion. It'll be my treat," I say, giving Espio a firm look as I squeeze his shoulders lightly and add, "I'm gonna spoil ya rotten, Esp!"

Charmy giggles and points out, "You guys are so funny and weird when you're in love. I guess it's a good thing for you two to be in love because you seem a lot happier. I hope I don't ever fall in love though. All that kissing stuff is so gross!"

"What about Cream?" I ask, unable to resist teasin' the bee a little. "She's a pretty good-lookin' rabbit."

"Huh?" Charmy asks innocently, sending me a confused look. Before I can reply, Espio elbows me lightly and sends me a look that tells me not to continue this conversation. Esp still thinks that Charmy is too young to have feelings for a girl, but I dunno. I had feelings for girls when I was his age. Charmy is still looking at me blankly, but when I don't answer, he yawns and says, "I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Alright, Charmy," Espio says a little sleepily himself. "Sleep well."

"Okay! You guys sleep well too. Goodnight!" Charmy calls happily before flying out of the room and into his bedroom.

Espio and I sit together on the couch for a few more moments after Charmy's bedroom door bangs shut before Espio yawns and quickly covers his mouth. Looking up at me, he murmurs, "I don't know about you, but I'm a bit tired myself after getting lost on the walk you took us on earlier. I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Yeah, yeh don't wanna get too tired," I say even though I'd prefer for Esp to sit on my lap on the couch for another few hours. Hell, he could stay here for forever and I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Espio nods and carefully slides off of the couch and steps across the floor to the hallway. I watch him leave, feeling happy and sad - sad because I wanna spend every minute of the day with the purple reptile and happy because I know things are gonna be okay between us now. As he places a foot in the hallway, Espio turns to me and asks, "You don't want to go to bed now too?"

"Hm. Now that ya mention it, I guess I am kinda tired. I might as well call it a night too," I reply as I find myself yawnin' as well.

"You can sleep in my bed again if you'd like," Espio permits me quietly. "I know you won't do anything to me."

I blink, taken aback by this. Don't get me wrong - I definitely wanna sleep in Espio's bed again. I'm just real shocked that he's gonna let me do that already after our long break up. I honestly wouldn't blame him for never wanting to let me in his bed again now that I know how many times he was raped.

"Yer sure?" I ask, thinkin' about Espio instead of myself for once. "I don't wanna make ya uncomfortable or anything..."

"You won't. I wouldn't have asked you if you wanted to sleep with me if I didn't mean it," Espio says evenly, not exactly realizing how dirty his words just sounded. 'Course, my mind tends to interpret things as dirty whereas normal people might not see the dirtiness in the phrase.

I get up from the couch without another moment of hesitation and start after Espio to the bedroom. As soon as we enter the dark, peaceful room, I tromp over to the bed and pull back the covers. After settling onto my back, I fold my arms under my head and lay on my back as I watch Esp check to make sure the window is locked in his normal routine. I never found this very interesting before, but now everything Esp does is interesting ta me. Guess I've developed a whole new appreciation for him.

After making sure that the window is tightly shut, Espio climbs onto the opposite side of the bed and slides his slender body under the covers before laying down on his side facing me. I turn my body so I'm facin' him as well and give the chameleon an affectionate look as I murmur, "'Night, Esp. Hope ya have good dreams."

"You too, Vector," Espio replies sleepily, eyes already shut.

It only takes a few moments before the chameleon's breathing is deep and rhythmic. I watch him sleep, just enjoyin' the view of his chest rising and falling and the way his whole body seems to relax while he's asleep. I never thought that this day was gonna come, never thought that Esp would ever take me back. ...But the day_ has_ come and I ain't gonna screw our relationship up again!

I close my eyes and am halfway asleep when I feel a warm body press itself against my chest. Popping one eye back open, I notice that Esp has moved up against me in his sleep. He's probably cold. I wrap a gentle arm around him and pull the comforter up to his neck before fallin' asleep with my lover by my side.

As my mind starts to go blank, I think about how far Esp and I have come since we first met. I remember how arrogant and disdainful I thought he was t first. It's kinda funny because there's just no way I ever would have guessed that I'd fall in love with him, especially when I had a gorgeous cream-colored rabbit like Miss Vanilla within my hands. Guess fate didn't want me to be with Miss Vanilla though. Esp and I were definitely brought together for a reason. I'd say we're a match made in heaven if heaven even exists, which is sumthin' I'm not real sure about. Either way, I'm gonna take care of Esp and treat him the way he deserves to be treated. I love him and I'm gonna prove to him that he's made the right decision about givin' me a second chance. He won't regret it, I've got no doubt about that.

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_Do you think that Vector is right and that Espio won't regret his decision in the weeks to come? Review please! :)  
_


	115. Restaurant Ridiculousness

**Hey guys. :) Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter! =3 They really made my day! I spent most of the day feeling crappy in bed. x_x Anyway, mind if I rant about something for a moment? I have someone who sort of copied something of mine. It really annoys me when people do that. I mean, don't steal other people's ideas, come up with your own! =/ Sorry about that, but I just had to get that off my chest. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

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**Chapter CXV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wake up the next morning to find myself toasty warm with a loose arm wrapped around me. I don't even have to open my eyes to realize that the arm belongs to Vector and that I'm clearly snuggled up against his chest. Instead of getting up right away, I stay where I am and just enjoy the moment. I'm very glad that I asked Vector to be in a relationship with me again. We are as good together as hydrogen and oxygen. Our attraction is unstoppable when we're in the same room together. Sometimes, I wonder how I ever managed to deny to myself how much I liked Vector for the first two months after we met. It certainly took us long enough to get around to admitting our feelings for one another. However, now that we have, I know that everything is going to be alright this time.

I do nothing by lie next to Vector for a good portion of the morning. In fact, it's Vector who ends up getting out of bed first. Very carefully so as not to wake me, he slides out of the bed and lands on the floor with a thud that would have woken me up even if I did happen to be sleeping. I open my closed lids and prop myself up onto an elbow.

"Oh, hey Esp!" Vector exclaims loudly as soon as he sees that I'm awake. He looks up and asks me, "Did I wake ya? I was tryin' real hard to be quiet."

"You didn't wake me," I reply since the truth is that I've been awake for the last three hours. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I was gonna take ya out to that fancy restaurant for lunch, remember?" Vector reminds me as he leans against the cream-colored wall of the bedroom and fiddles with his music player. "So I thought I should get up and take a shower so I'm ready for yeh when yer ready to go. Yer still gonna go with me, right?"

"Yes," I reply, thinking that it's a bit silly that Vector thinks I might have changed my mind on him. "Go ahead and take your shower then. I'll be ready for you when you're done."

"See ya in a few," Vector tells me before tromping out of the room, his footsteps still ringing in my ears as he wanders down the hallway.

Deciding to go see if Charmy is awake or not (I assume he is as it's almost noon), I trail after Vector, but go to the living room instead of the bathroom. Not surprisingly, Charmy is sitting on the couch playing one of his video games. I sit quietly on the couch next to him and watch the little bee play his game for a bit. It appears as if he's trying to collect some sort of gemstones. I'm glad to see that he isn't playing a fighting game. I never like watching those. Despite the fact that the violence is completely animated, the blows and punches from those sorts of games still make me cringe.

When Charmy finishes the next level of his game, I interject, "Charmy, Vector and I are going out to lunch. Is that alright with you?"

"Yup!" Charmy replies enthusiastically, eyes still on his game as he says, "I really want to finish the next level of this so I can get to the final boss. Have fun with Vector!"

"Thank you," I say, glad at how well that went over. Part of me assumed that Charmy would want to go out to lunch with us, but he seems to understand what it means for Vector and I to be a couple. It means that we need time alone together without little bees around. Of course, I don't normally mind little bees. When it comes to Charmy, I love him to death. I just need some time with Vector too.

"Mornin', you two!" Vector calls to us as he enters the room, green scales glittering in the light and toothy white teeth looking polished. Waving an eager hand at me to join him by the front door, Vector urges, "C'mon, Esp! Let's beat the noon traffic!"

I get up and gingerly weave my way around the couch and the table before pointing out in wry amusement, "Well, considering the fact that it's past noon, I don't think we can beat the noon traffic. I doubt the sidewalks have much 'traffic' on them though anyway, so we should be just fine. Have fun this afternoon, Charmy!"

Charmy is too invested in his game to hear what I said. Vector rolls his eyes at me and takes my hand gently before leading me out into a beautiful, sunny March day. March weather is strange here. You never quite know what you're going to get. Sometimes, it's warm, sunny, and feels like the summer in March. Other years, it's freezing cold and there are still feet of snow on the ground. I'm hoping that we're going to have a nice, sunny March this year.

Vector and I don't say much on the way to the restaurant, but there's really nothing that needs to be said. Our silence is anything_ but_ awkward. The amorous looks we exchange out of the corners of our eyes and the small hand squeezes are more than enough for both of us. We're clearly content and in love. Nothing could be better.

"Ah, here we are!" Vector exclaims not too much later. He stops in front of a modern, but expensive looking Italian restaurant. Without hesitation, Vector pushes the door open and pulls me inside with him. It smells like pizza within the restaurant and I automatically know why Vector picked out this restaurant for us to go to.

"Good afternoon," a hedgehog waitress greets us as we step inside the restaurant. She turns away from us to smother a yawn and then continues on, "Can I find you a table for two?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, ma'am," Vector nods.

The hedgehog waitress slowly makes her way into the seating area of the restaurant with us following her. I notice that her eyes are red and bloodshot and that she looks awfully tired. A few minutes later, she directions us to a booth at one side of the restaurant. Vector waves his hand in my direction as a gesture that tells me to sit down first. I slide onto one side of the booth and expect Vector to sit across from me.

...Except Vector _doesn't _sit across from me. Instead, he plops down on the booth next to me and sends me a toothy grin. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to concentrate on food with Vector so close to me. His shiny green figure obscures practically everything else from my view, his spicy scent is the only thing I'm inhaling, and the only thing I'm aware of at this moment is the fact that my arm is brushing lightly against his.

The waitress drops two menus unceremoniously down in front of us before obscuring another yawn and mumbling, "I'll be back to take your orders in a few minutes."

Vector wastes no time in grabbing his menu and flipping it open. He scans the menu with searching eyes, clearly looking for the pizza section. I watch him for a moment before realizing that I look like an idiot just staring at Vector. I reach out for my menu as well and use it to distract myself from the charming crocodile sitting next to me.

"Geez, they've got so many different pizzas here that I dunno what one to choose!" Vector complains, giving the menu a perplexed look.

"How did I know you were going to order pizza?" I ask in slight amusement before I skim the rest of my menu and decide on what I'm going to eat. "I think I'm going to order spaghetti. If you don't like your pizza, you can help me eat some of my meal. Portion sizes here are quite generous."

"Sounds good!" Vector replies, never one to turn down more food. He sighs dramatically and taps his fingers on the table for a few more minutes before he finally decides, "Guess I'll get the Hawaiian pizza. It's got pineapple and ham on it. Sounds pretty good, huh?"

I nod and peer around for our waitress. She's nowhere to be seen, but I'm not in any hurry, so I settle back in the booth and prepare to wait for a bit. Vector, however, is not so patient. After only five minutes, he's already moaning about the slow service here.

"Whaddya think happened to our waitress? She said she'd be back in a few minutes, not a few hours!" Vector exclaims after about ten minutes.

"Have a little patience, Vector," I reply, deciding to give the waitress the benefit of the doubt as I go on, "Didn't you see how tired she looked? She might just be moving a little slower than usual today. Besides, it hasn't been a few hours. It's only been ten minutes."

"Huh. It feels like a lot longer than that. If she's not back here soon, I'm gonna go talk to the manager of this place," Vector points out.

I decide not to comment on that statement since the last thing I need is Vector causing a ruckus for the both of us. My goal in life is remain in the shadows and unnoticed by everyone except by a certain bee and a certain crocodile. If I was invisible to the rest of the world, that would be fine with me. Unfortunately, the time continues to tick by and I have to admit that Vector is right. It is taking out waitress an awfully long time to get back to us. It's been about forty minutes now.

"That's it! I'm gonna go talk to whoever runs this place!" Vector exclaims, standing up resolutely.

"Please wait," I beg him, catching onto his wrist and attempting to get the four-hundred pound crocodile to sit back down. "At least give it another twenty minutes. After that, you may do what you like."

Vector hesitates, but plops back down after a few minutes. He always seems to listen to me these days. We argue less and less and get along better and better. I'm curious to see what our relationship will lead to if we continue at this rate. I love Vector more and more by the day.

Luckily, our sleepy-looking waitress appears at our table at that very moment. She stifles another yawn before droning, "What do you want to eat?"

Vector looks like he's going to say something rude, so I go ahead and order for both of us, saying politely, "We'd like one order of a large Hawaiian pineapple pizza and one order of the spaghetti please. Thank you."

The waitress scribbles down our orders and then trudges off to bring them to the chef. Vector follows her progress with narrowed eyes, clearly not pleased with the service we're getting here. After a moment, he frowns and points out, "We didn't get any drinks!"

"Let's not worry about drinks," I quickly reply, knowing that it will take forever for the waitress to get us our food and that waiting around for her to come back so we can order drinks is not a good idea.

Vector refrains from comment on this and so we begin the long wait for the food. I expected it to take quite a while considering how long it took us early just to order our food. However, I did not expect it to take quite_ this_ long. It's been over an hour and Vector and I are still waiting. Vector has been moaning about the wait for the last thirty minutes and I've been trying my best to sedate him. Even I have to admit that this wait is getting a bit long though.

"Argh! This is gettin' ridiculous!" Vector states much too loudly, causing everyone in the vicinity to turn around and look at us. Glad that I'm obscured by Vector's large form and hoping that no one can see me, I shrink back a little farther on the booth. Unfortunately, Vector is not done yet. He gets to his feet and says in an even louder voice, "I'm gonna go find the guy who runs this place!"

Without waiting for a comment from me, Vector starts stomping towards the kitchen. Not wanting to be left at the booth all by myself, I let out a sigh and trail after Vector, wishing I wasn't embarrassed and could concentrate enough to use my invisibility gift. Sadly, the only time I can't seem to concentrate is when I'm embarrassed and I think it's more than obvious that I'm mortified right now.

Vector stomps all the way to the kitchen and throws the door to it open before yelling loudly, "Who's in charge of this place? I ordered my damn food two hours ago!"

A stunned silence follows Vector's outburst. All kitchen activity stops and everyone turns to stare at the angry crocodile with large, frightened eyes. After a few moments, a male fox steps up to us and asks, "Can you describe your waitress for me? That should help me to figure out what the problem is here."

"Uh, yeah, I can describe her. She's a hedgehog with long curly brown hair and brown eyes. Esp here said that she looked tired," Vector says, pointing a finger in my direction. My cheeks flush brightly and I stare at the ground. Of course Vector would have to find a way to bring me into this conversation!

"Oh, you must mean Patricia," the fox replies without even having to think about it. "That would certainly explain the problem. Patricia left for her break an hour ago."

Vector and I exchange a long look. No wonder we've been waiting for so long. Before we can walk away upset, a gerbil waitress with short blonde hair and a platter of food in one hand walks up to us and asks, "What is it you two would like to eat? I promise to try and get it to you as soon as possible."

"We want a Hawaiian pizza and spaghetti," Vector says in a grouchy voice, definitely not in a mood to have to sit around and wait for his food any longer.

"Alright. I'll get your food to you very soon," the gerbil promises us.

Vector makes no comment on this, so the two of us return to our booth in silence. As soon as we're sitting down, Vector rolls his eyes and says, "Have ya ever known anyone to be so stupid as to leave for a break without givin' the chef our order?"

"She _did_ look tired, Vector. Perhaps she's going through a lot right now," I reply, still trying to give the waitress the benefit of the doubt even though I'm not all that happy about the wait either.

"Hmph. All I've gotta say is that the food here better be pretty damn good," Vector points out.

I nod and secretly cross my fingers under the table and hope that we'll get our food soon.

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_How do you think the food from the restaurant is going to turn out? :P Will Esp and Vector like their orders? Review please! :)  
_


	116. Dirty Dreams

**Hey everyone! I'm not having a very nice Thursday morning so far...I can't wait until Friday! Anyway, thank you to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. :3 I'm starting to wonder if I'm updating too fast though. Should I update every other day instead of everyday? Let me know what you think! Also, this chapter is kind of dirty, just as a warning, lol.  
**

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**Chapter CXVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I thought that bringin' Espio out to a fancy restaurant would be a good thing, but now I'm starting to regret it. The service here is horrible! Esp and I have been waiting for our food for over two hours now because our waitress went off for her break without givin' our order to the chef first. Geez! Talk about the number one thing you should never do if yer working at a restaurant! That hedgehog deserves to be fired. I'm starving and wish we could just get our food and then go home already. Espio is a lot more patient than me and is sitting calmly by my side with his hands folded in his lap.

Just as I'm about to suggest goin' home and grabbing a bite to eat there, our new gerbil waitress shows up with my Hawaiian pizza and Esp's spaghetti. All thoughts off annoyance disappear in my head as soon as I get a good look at the food. The cheese on my pizza is warm and gooey, the ham has been cooked to perfection, and the pineapple looks nice and juicy. I can't wait to dig my teeth into one of those scrumptious looking slices! My mouth waters and I'm tempted to grab the platter of pizza from the waitress since she's not settin' it down fast enough.

"Here is one Hawaiian pizza and one bowl of spaghetti. I'm very sorry about the wait. Your meal will be free to make up for the inconvenience. I hope this will be enough to make you want to come back here sometime. I promise that the service will be better then. Enjoy your meal!" the waitress says before turning and hurrying back towards the kitchen.

My mood goes from grouchy and cranky to content and relaxed. This situation isn't turnin' out to be all _that _bad. Hell, we got a free meal out of it and I'm sure not complaining about that. I didn't tell Espio this, but we really don't have any spare cash at the moment. I sorta borrowed money from our savings for next month's rent for our meal, hoping that we could get a job in the meantime to replace it with.

Wasting no time, I grab an entire slice of pizza and pop it into my mouth. It tastes just as good as it smells! The cheese melts in my throat and the pizza crust is nice and crunchy just the way I like it! I'm so hungry that I devour the whole pizza in about two minutes.

Espio, who is meticulously twining his fork around in his spaghetti, asks politely, "How is your pizza?"

"It's real good! Don't think I've ever had a pizza so good before. 'Course, if you made pizza, I'm sure it would be even better," I reply, sending Espio a wink out of the corner of my eye. The little chameleon blushes brightly and takes to carefully observing his fork. Going on, I ask, "How's yer spaghetti?"

"It's very good. Thank you for asking," Espio replies with a smile. "It's a shame they gave you a personal sized pizza. I'm sure you're still hungry. Would you like to help me eat this spaghetti? I'm certainly not going to be able to eat all of it on my own."

I look at Esp's spaghetti and try not to drool. I'm not usually all that into spaghetti, but Espio is kinda right. I am still hungry and the sauce on his spaghetti smells pretty enticing. Trying to keep up my politeness, I resist shoving my fork into Espio's spaghetti and ask, "Are ya sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Espio replies, pushing his plate of spaghetti in between the two of us so I have easy access to it. "Help yourself."

Not having to be told twice, I stick my fork into the spaghetti and start slurping it up, not bothering to twine it neatly around my fork like Espio does. As Espio eats and I slurp, the smaller reptile glances over at me from out of the corner of his eye and asks curiously, "What made you decide to bring me to an Italian restaurant, Vector?"

"I dunno," I mumble through a big bite of spaghetti. "Guess it seemed kinda romantic to me. That and ya know that Italian restaurants always have pizza."

"Thank you for bringing me here. It was very nice of the waitress to decide to let us have our meal for free," Espio comments as he takes a bite of spaghetti.

"Eh, I'd say we deserve it after havin' to wait for so long," I reply dryly, not nearly as forgiving towards people as Esp is.

The spaghetti on the plate disappears quickly with Esp and I sharin' it. I probably end up eating most of it, but Espio doesn't seem ta mind too much. He's got a really small appetite and doesn't eat much. By the time we're done, I'm stuffed and am ready to go home for a relaxing night by the TV with Esp by my side.

"Ready ta go home?" I ask before noticin' a bit of sauce above one corner of Espio's mouth. Grinning, I steal his napkin before he can use it to wipe the sauce away and point out, "Yer a bit of a messy eater, ya know that, Esp? You've gotten sauce all over."

Before Espio has time to register what I've said and freak out about the sauce, I lean forwards and brush the tip of my tongue against the bit of sauce before gently kissing the corner of Espio's mouth. Esp usually hates any signs of affection in public, but he decides to go with it today because nobody can see us from where we're sitting in the back of the restaurant in our little booth.

Slightly flushed, Espio replies, "Perhaps now would be a good time to go home. We've been away from Charmy for quite a while. He's probably wondering if something happened to us. Thank you again for bringing me out on a date, Vector. It was very thoughtful of you."

"Don't mention it," I reply, sliding out of our booth and offering Espio my hand. I half-except him to reject it or to ignore my hand, so I'm kinda surprised when he immediately places a small gloved hand in mine. I squeeze it tightly and walk out of the restaurant with him feelin' like the luckiest croc in the world.

Days turn into weeks and I just keep fallin' more and more in love with Espio. Everything seems right with the world now that we're together again. Charmy's happier, Espio's happier, and do I really need to tell ya that I'm a hell of a lot happier? We manage to scrape by when it comes to paying the bills, but Team Chaotix is really gonna need to start working harder or advertising more so we don't have to save every single penny we earn. I wanna bring Esp out on more dates and do more nice things for him, but that's kinda impossible when I'm broke.

I'm starting to notice sumthin' different about Espio. When we were in a relationship the last time before we broke up, the chameleon seemed very reluctant to admit we were a couple and he didn't really seem to love me. Things are changing now. I'm not always the one initiating physical contact. Espio has come up to me plenty of times in the last few weeks and has held my hand or sat right next to me on the couch. Yeah, it doesn't sound like much, but for someone who used to be ice cold and like his distance, it's a lot. I wonder how much Esp likes me. It would be interesting to get inside his head and see just what he thinks of me.

It's a surprisingly cold night and Esp and I are lying in bed together side by side. He fell asleep almost immediately hours earlier. Guess it's because he's been thinking too much about how we're gonna pay the bills this month. I should be worryin' about them too, but my thoughts tend to revolve more around the chameleon by my side than on the bills. We'll manage to pay them somehow or the other. We always do.

The wind whistles outside the window and the bedroom is lit up only by a stream of moonlight pouring in through the window. I should be sleepin', but for some reason, I'm just not tired. I watch Espio sleep and observe the way the moonlight makes his purple scales glisten. God, he's beautiful.

Suddenly, Esp's forehead creases and he grabs the sheets tightly. I frown and scoot a little closer to him on the mattress. See, Esp gets dreams pretty much at least once every few days. He doesn't like to talk to me about them, but I'm sure that's because his cousin is haunting his slumber. I wish there was sumthin' I could do about this. It kills me to see him when he wakes up with wide-eyed fear written all over his face.

Esp makes a strangled sort of sound from the back of his throat. I cringe and whisper, "S'okay, Esp. I'm right here for ya. Nobody's gonna hurt ya. I promise."

It doesn't look like Esp is relaxin' much, so I decide to try something else. I reach out and carefully stroke the shiny horn on top of his head in an attempt to get him to calm down. Surprisingly enough, it seems to work! The crease in Espio's forehead smooths out and his body seems to relax slightly. Hopin' that I chased his nightmare away, I continue stroking his horn from base to tip.

Suddenly, Espio lets out a low moan that goes straight to my groin. Argh, I forgot that touchin' his horn gets him all worked up. Not wanting him to wake up and find my hands all over his horn since that might result in me losing my bed privileges with him, I quickly remove my hands and wait for Esp to go back to sleeping normally.

...Except, that's not what happens. Still sleeping, Espio moves closer to me on the bed. I dunno what to do at this point. It's like he's askin' for me to keep touching him. He's not really conscious though, so what should I do? I've got no clue, and if he wakes up, I don't want him to be pissed off at me. Still though, all I can smell is the chameleon's sweet scent and I'm all too aware of the heat emanating from his slender body only millimeters away from mine.

Espio sort of makes my mind up for me. He mumbles a word that sounds a hell of a lot like my name. Okay, that's it, I can't keep myself from touching his horn. He obviously wants me to continue if he's muttering my name in his sleep for cryin' out loud!

Determined not to feel guilty about this, I start stroking the chameleon's horn again and suddenly feel him slide even closer to me. Espio's little body is pressed tightly against mine and damn, he's hot. It's kinda weird actually. He's usually ice cold and it's my job to warm him up. Suddenly, I feel something even hotter than the rest of his body up against my thigh. Another throaty moan leaves Espio's throat as he starts rubbing himself against me.

Oh god, I've somehow managed to turn his nightmare into a sort of erotic dream. I sure hope that Espio doesn't remember this when he wakes up or else I'm dead. Not wanting to get "caught" doin' anything bad, I stop touching Espio's horn and let him do the work. He grinds himself even more vigorously against me and I grit my teeth in an attempt not to get too turned on by this. I kinda want to peek under the sheets and watch him, but yeah, I shouldn't do that for obvious reasons.

"_Ohhhhhh, Vector..._" Espio moans loudly, his small body trembling slightly before he goes still.

I wait cautiously for a moment and then feel a splatter of wetness against my thigh as Espio releases. I gulp and know I'm in trouble 'cuz Espio has jerked awake and is staring around himself with a horrified expression on his face. Damn, this is not gonna go well...

"Havin' good dreams over there?" I decide to joke with the chameleon, trying to lighten the mood.

"I wasn't dreaming about anything," Espio immediately replies defensively as he looks around with a lost expression on his face. He abruptly grabs the top of the sheet and yanks it down before peering under the covers and noticing the big wet spot on the sheet as well as on my leg. The blood drains from Espio's face and he goes very still.

"Oh, c'mon, Esp. 'Vector, ohhhhhhhh Vector!' Can't yeh at least admit ya were dreamin' about me?" I ask after imitating Espio's voice. The chameleon stays statue still and doesn't move a muscle. I reach over and gently shake one of his shoulders, saying, "Lighten up! Everything's okay. At least ya didn't have a nightmare, huh?"

"I...I don't think I've ever been so humiliated before in my life," Espio whispers in a barely audible voice as he sits up in the bed in turns his face away from me. "I'm so sorry, Vector."

"Hey, there's nothin' to be sorry about. It's natural to have a, uh, erotic dream about someone ya love," I reply, figuring that using the term "wet dream" around Espio might not go over so well.

"I've never felt this way before," Espio continues on in that same quiet, almost scared voice. "I don't know what's happening to me. I didn't used to be like this. I'm such a horrible person."

I roll my eyes. This is gettin' kind of ridiculous. Having sexual thoughts ain't a sin! I lug myself into a sitting position on the bed next to Espio and try to turn him towards me, saying, "Look at me. There's nothin' wrong with yeh and yer anything _but _a horrible person. Yer body has needs just like everyone's body has needs. It doesn't make ya abnormal or anything. I'm glad yeh were dreamin' about me and not some other bloke."

"B-but I shouldn't be dreaming about you in that way," Espio protests, looking like a lost child who's just heard of sex for the first time.

"Makin' love with someone ya care about ain't a bad thing. It's not like rape. There's nothin' dirty about it," I tell the frightened chameleon, wrapping an arm around him and drawing him against my chest. "I love ya just the same as I did yesterday, ya know."

"I feel disgusting," Espio admits as he allows me to hold him in my arms.

"Well, don't," I reply simply. "Yer not disgusting to me and I don't think anything else matters. Why don't ya see if yeh can go back to sleep? You'll feel better in the morning."

Espio nods slowly and closes his eyes. I guess that it's gonna take a long time for him to go back to sleep, but instead, he's sleepin' in just two or three minutes, still pressed against my chest. There's no way I can fall asleep in this sitting up position, but I don't care. I'm more than happy to cradle Esp in my arms while he sleeps. Tryin' to ignore the stickiness on my thigh is another matter though. It kinda excites me to know that Espio is thinkin' sexual things about me whether he means to or not. Well, either way, I'll be here for him if he ever wants to act on them. We've come a long way. Who knows? Maybe he'll wanna make love with me someday, but until then, I'm not gonna push him. I'll never press him into anything ever again.

The next morning, Espio doesn't mention the incident from the night before and I decide to take his lead and not mention it either. He doesn't act any differently towards me for the most part, but I notice him sending me long, covert glances out of the corners of his amber eyes sometimes. I don't lose my bed privileges, but I notice that Esp makes sure to sleep far to one side of the bed with plenty of distance between the two of us. Oh well. I did say that I wasn't gonna push him and I'm gonna stick to that. I'm a croc of my word. Yeah, I've made mistakes, but I'm not gonna make anymore when it comes to Espio.

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_Do you think that Esp might change his mind about sleeping with Vector in the near future? xP Review please! :)  
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	117. Reunited Again

**Hi people! Due to the reviews from the last chapter, I'll try to keep posting everyday as long as I keep getting reviews. :P Gah, I'm such a review whore. Anyway, happy Friday! I hope that you're all doing well and are looking forwards to the weekend. This chapter kind of changes the mood of this fic. Let me know what you think of it. :)  
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**Chapter CXVII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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Vector is changing me and whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is yet to be seen. He's continuing to be the sweet, gentle crocodile I know and love. His exterior "tough guy" appearance just seems to mask his inner tenderness. Vector can be a bit abrasive at times, but he hasn't shown that side of himself to me for months. When he said he wouldn't mess anything up between us again, he really meant it. I love the Vector I'm in a relationship with very much. ...Perhaps even_ too _much.

I've started thinking things about Vector that I don't mean to think. Sometimes they just pop into my mind without me even realizing that they're there. I've had several dreams about Vector; ones that I don't care to repeat in detail. They're not right, could be called sinful even. I'm starting to want more from Vector even though he's not pushing me into anything. These feelings are so strange and foreign to me. I've never wanted to be with anyone intimately before. However, the more I'm with Vector, the more peculiar feelings rise up inside of me and cause confusion in my usually clear head.

Of course, I haven't told Vector about any of this. It would be extremely embarrassing to say the least. Unfortunately, I think Vector already knows just how deeply I love him. It certainly didn't help that I had a certain dream about him the other night and made a mess on the bed during it. My cheeks flush with embarrassment just thinking back to that mortifying event.

For now, I'm just going to store these strange feelings deep inside of me and lock them away from Vector and myself. We're just fine the way we are. Nothing needs to change. After all, change has a habit of being bad. It could make our relationship fly out of hand. Then again, it could also bring Vector and myself closer in ways I didn't even know were possible.

I sigh at the wooden table and stare blankly into my cup of coffee. It's a dreary March morning and it's pouring rain outside. Vector is still sleeping, but the raucous booms of thunder woke me up hours ago, so I decided to get up a bit early. I really ought to be thinking about a way to pay the bills right now, but Vector is on my mind as usual.

Needing something to distract myself with, I lift my head from my coffee and glance around blearily for something - anything! - to do. The newspaper from Sunday catches my eye. I skimmed through it earlier, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a more thorough read. Picking up the crinkly paper, I start skimming through the newspaper and read the articles that look interesting to me. Unfortunately, there are not many articles that catch my interest. I read about a new store being built at the edge of town and about the crime rate increasing. Why is the news always so depressing?

I turn the page and find myself looking at the obituaries. I don't typically read them, but Vector is still sleeping and Charmy is at Cream's house, so I skim through the section to see if any names catch my eye. Suddenly, my heart stops beating as my eyes zero in on the name of none other than my mother, Marianna. I haven't had contact with my mother for many months. Is this really true? Is she no longer be alive?

I read the words under her name. They explain that Marianna the chameleon died of unknown causes on the twenty-seventh of March, two days ago. Her funeral is going to be held at Oak Crests, a funeral home, on the twenty-ninth of March. Visitations will last all day long, but the speeches will be given in the afternoon. After that, the casket will be brought to the nearby graveyard where the final speech will be given. Apparently, everyone who knew Marianna is encouraged to attend the event.

Shocked through and through, I stare at the article feeling completely numb. I was never close to my mother. She ignored me in my times of need and never admitted the fact that Bryce was abusing me despite the fact that she would see me everyday with more and more black and blue marks covering my body. Still though, she was my mother and I never wanted her dead.

"Hey there, Esp! Gloomy morning, ain't it?" Vector's loud voice comes from behind me as he tromps into the living room, stretching his arms sleepily above his head and yawning widely. When I don't respond, Vector comes closer to me and takes one look at my face before he asks, "Say, what's wrong? Are yeh okay?"

I point at the article with a shaking fingertip and murmur, "My mother...she died."

"Yer mother died? God, I'm real sorry about that," Vector replies, looking a bit unsure of what he should do to make me feel better. He places a hand on my shoulder and says, "Ya weren't all that closer to her though, were ya? I mean, I know yeh ran away from home and never looked back."

"That's true," I reply, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. "Her funeral is being held this afternoon though. I feel like I ought to go to it."

Vector doesn't look like he likes this idea very much. There are two long horizontal lines as well as two shorter vertical lines on his forehead. Frowning, he points out, "I don't really like the idea of ya spendin' time with that family of yers. They sound like real messed up people. Well, everyone 'cept yerself, of course."

"All of them are decent except for Bryce," I reply. "He's the only one who isn't quite right. I'm going to go to the funeral this afternoon. My grandmother will be there. I ought to be there to comfort her if she needs me. If not, well, at least I've performed my duty as my mother's son. It wouldn't be right for me_ not _to attend her funeral."

"I still don't like this idea," Vector replies stubbornly, folding his arms across his scaly chest. "Yer mother obviously wasn't all that great of a person. She knew yer cousin was rapin' ya, didn't she?"

"Well, she wasn't exactly the most intelligent of chameleons, but she didn't do anything about it, no," I reply truthfully.

"Yeah, yer not goin' to this funeral and that's that," Vector states in a voice that says that this conversation is officially over. He pauses and then adds, "Not unless ya let me come with you."

For the first time since I read the disturbing news, I take my eyes off of the newspaper article and look over my shoulder to give Vector a look like he's really lost it this time. Shaking my head, I reply, "That wouldn't be right. You don't even know my mother. The funeral is for friends and family. It's clear that you're not part of her family. Look, Vector, you've done a very nice job refraining from arguing with me lately. Now isn't the time to change that. I'm going to the funeral."

Vector already has his mouth open to protest, but at my words, he reluctantly shuts it. He scratches his head and sighs, "Fine then. Do what ya want, but just know that I don't think this is a good idea. I'm not tryin' to be difficult with ya. I just care about yeh, that's all."

"I understand," I say in that same distant voice I've been using since I read the news. "I'm going to go shower and then I'll go to the funeral. Please don't go out this afternoon because Charmy is coming home then and I don't want him to come home to an empty house."

After Vector nods, I walk to the shower without thinking and quickly wash my body. I still can't seem to get over the fact that my mother is actually dead. She wasn't very old. In fact, she had me at a particularly young age. I don't exactly miss her, but I feel shocked.

It only takes me a half hour or so in the bathroom and then I'm back in the hallway walking towards the living room. Once there, I fetch the scarf Vector gave me from the back of my chair and wrap it tightly around my neck. It even smells like Vector just a bit, which gives me a slight bit of comfort. Head down, I trudge to the door before glancing up. Vector is standing in front of the door with a resigned expression on his face that tells me that he's not going to stop me from going to the funeral, but that he still doesn't approve of it.

"I may be home late. I'm not sure how long this is going to take," I tell Vector as he hands me the keys to the house. I tuck them carefully into my glove and them look up to meet Vector's sympathetic vermilion eyes.

"I really am sorry, Esp. I never knew yer mother, and if ya wanna know the truth, I can't think much of her knowin' that she ignored the pain ya were in. I know yer upset though, and when yer upset, I'm upset too. If there's anything at all I can do for ya, let me know," Vector tells me in a gentler voice than usual before he opens his arms to me.

Too many conflicting, unidentifiable emotions are whirling around inside of me. I step into Vector's arms and let him wrap me into a tight embrace. Vector's scales seem surprisingly warm against mine, but perhaps that's because I'm cold all over. When I glance up, I find Vector's snout inches away from my lips. Needing comfort in a way that I haven't needed it before, I kiss Vector almost desperately, my cold lips sliding against his warm ones. Something feels off. Why does it feel as if I'm never going to see Vector again? I'm just going off to a funeral, nothing more. Yes, it's tragic, but it's not a life altering situation.

Three minutes later, I realize that I need to get out of the door right now or else I will never go to the funeral. Taking a shaky breath, I step out of Vector's embrace and put one hand on the doorknob before twisting it slowly. The doorknob decides to be sticky and it takes a few rattles of it on my part before the door finally opens up.

"Take care of yerself, ya hear?" Vector calls after me as I step through the doorway and out into the gloomy day. "I'll be here for yeh when ya come back."

I nod numbly and listen to the door fall shut behind me as I take the pathway to the funeral home. I've passed it absentmindedly several times before, but I've never actually been inside of it before. I don't think much as I walk along. It's nice that it's no longer raining, I suppose, but even fact does nothing to cheer me up. Luckily, it doesn't take me too long to reach the funeral home. Once there, I quietly open the door and step inside.

Oak Crests is a small building with tacky yellow walls and cheap decor. Perhaps it's suppose to be comforting, but I think it's rather gaudy myself. Not surprisingly, chameleons are everywhere and the building is packed. We have a large family and my mother was particularly social. She had many friends. It's a shame she didn't choose to make me one of them.

I wander around aimlessly through the thick crowd for a bit, looking for someone I recognize. After ten minutes or so, the figure of my grandmother comes into view. I immediately start towards her and come to a halt right in front of her before murmuring, "Hello, grandmother."

"Espio!" my grandmother exclaims in a surprised voice. Her scales are a little more wrinkled than they were the last time I saw her and she looks a bit more tired. I was never one of grandmother's favorites. She preferred Bryce to me. Right now, she sends me an almost disapproving look as she says, "Your mother and I never thought we would see you again after you ran off. It was rather careless of you. It added to her stress level."

I note that grandmother doesn't ask _why_ I ran off. It's because she knows that Bryce was raping me. She actually walked in on us once. Instead of doing something about it, grandmother merely averted her gaze and backed out of the room, obviously trying to pretend that she had never seen the image that had just been plastered in her mind.

Now is not the time to hold old grudges, so I ask simply, "You think she died of stress?"

"Perhaps, but how should I know?" grandmother shrugs. "It could have been anything really. Disease, stress, loneliness..."

I notice that she emphasizes the word "loneliness" and looks directly at me. She clearly wants me to feel like I'm the one responsible for mother's death. I will not take responsibility for it or feel guilty for running away though. If I had not run away, it would be my funeral everyone here would be gathered at right now.

Unable to help myself, I ask, "What of my cousin, Bryce? Is he still living with you?"

"Bryce? Goodness no," grandmother shakes her head. "He moved out ages ago. Actually, come to think about it, he moved out just after you did, saying he wanted to make a life for himself or something like that. I think he opened some sleazy bar at the edge of town. It's a shame really. He was such an intelligent chameleon. I haven't seen him since he moved out. Actually, he did show up earlier, but he left before I could get a chance to chat with him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important people to talk to."

I nod and don't say anything as I think over grandmother's words. Grandmother is right to some extent. Bryce is malicious, but he's not stupid. He_ is_ rather smart. It doesn't surprise me that he moved out of the house just after I did. What was there to keep him at my mother's home without me there to entertain him? A bar seems like just the type of place he would operate.

I stand around for another twenty minutes or so before the speeches begin. Try as I might, I can't seem to pay attention to them. When the speeches are over, I find myself glancing at the clock. It's evening now since the speeches started late and it's already pitch black outside. I decide not to follow the large procession to the graveyard and instead make up my mind to go home. All of the sadness here is making me feel depressed. I just want to go back home and return to Vector. He can't change what happened, but the easygoing crocodile always manages to find a way to comfort me.

Before the procession starts, I slip out of a side door and start the long trek home. It's very chilly outside and the wind insists on blowing directly in my face. I keep my head down as I pass by shops, dark alleyways, and-

A blur just within the alleyway to my right catches my eye. Before I have a chance to see what it is, a hand seizes my wrist in an iron tight grip. Too caught off guard to fight, I allow myself to be tugged into the dark alley and slammed up against the building to my back. Cold, hard metal is placed against my throat. A gleam of moonlight winks wickedly off of the silver knife that threatens to cut into my flesh at any moment.

"Hello, cousin," a sickly sweet voice drones in my ear as hot, sticky breath pours onto my neck. "It's been a long time."

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_...And this is when a fluffy fic turns into an angsty one. xD What do you think Bryce will do next? Review please! :)  
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	118. Too Long

**Hey guys. =3 I hope you're all having a great weekend so far. I've gotta admit that Saturdays is not my favorite day of the week. Tomorrow is Daylight Saving's Time and that always throws my sleep schedule way off. :P ...Er, why am I using my author's notes to complain about sleep? I dunno. xD Anyway, thank you all VERY much for the reviews for the last chapter! It keeps me really motivated to post more chapters when I get reviews. Here's another chapter! Let me know what you think of it. ^^  
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**Chapter CXVIII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Cold, icy fingertips grip at my heart as words sticky and sweet as honey drip into my ears and echo around inside my head. Bryce. After all these months of avoiding him and hoping that he had given up on me forever, he has found me once again. Perhaps those demonic red eyes staring at me from the alleyway outside of the ice cream shop really _did_ belong to my sick, twisted cousin. Something is different about Bryce though. I can hear it from the way his voice flows into my ears. He's actually happy to see me.

"What?" Bryce whispers, words still syrupy as he asks, "Didn't think I'd forget you, did you? Yeah, it might have taken me a lot longer to find you than it should have, but here we are together again. I knew I'd find you. It was only a matter of time really. Guess opening the bar took up a lot of my time. That's why it's taken me so long to find you."

I don't breathe or move a muscle. Escape is the only thing my mind, but I need a plan before I try running. Bryce is taller than me and stronger than me. If I try to run, he will catch up to me in about two seconds. The cold silver blade pressed up against my throat isn't helping me form escape plans in my head. One minute I'm thinking about escape and then my thoughts are right back to that knife. Will Bryce cut me, slit my throat perhaps? I do not know, but I would not be surprised if he did.

The words my cousin has just spoken to me seem to reverberate around inside my skull. Deep inside, I knew I was doomed ever since the day I ran away from my mother's house. I always knew that Bryce would hunt me down and come back for me in the end. He doesn't love me, no, but he needs me. In his precarious life full of alcohol, drugs, and the ongoing procession of prostitutes, I'm the only stable.

"I've missed you so much," Bryce purrs in my ear as he begins to take a step back. "Now let me get a good look at you. I'm sure you've changed over the last few months."

Bryce steps back and, miraculously enough, releases my wrist as he does so. Whether it's foolish or not, I need to run. My fight or flight instincts kick in. Since fighting is clearly not going to work, my feet begin to move. They take me flying over the cobblestone path and out of the alley. My heart thunders against my ribcage and I don't dare look back to see if Bryce is following me or not. I don't hear any thunderous footsteps behind me. Is there a possibility that the black-hearted chameleon has decided to let me go?

Panting, I think I might have actually lost Bryce. It's hard to see in the dark of this cold March evening, but I need to check. My head twists and I peer into the inky blackness behind me. Nothing is there to be seen. No shadows loom directly behind me. I've always been a fast runner, but I feel as if something isn't quite right here. After months of searching, would Bryce really accept letting go of me so easily? I think not, however, now is not the time to sit around and think about these things. Now is the time to get back to Vector and lock the door to our small home to keep us safe from the demons lurking outside. I need Vector right now more than I never needed him before. Knowing that my cousin is on the prowl and that I'm his victim is more frightening than anything else I've ever experienced.

I plow forwards through the dark, refusing to slow down my run despite the fact that my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest and the fact that my breaths come in short, painful gasps. I whiz by another alleyway. Before I can make my way past it, an arm jerks out and wraps itself around my neck. Damn! I was right; Bryce would never let me go without a fight.

The arm around my neck drags me into the alley, causing me to choke and sputter. A rough hand grabs both of my wrists and holds them above my head. Bryce stares down at me, and for the first time since I left him months earlier, I realize how much he's changed. The dark chameleon is at least a half foot taller than before. He looms over me now, his red eyes bright and intelligent. His breath is soaked with alcohol, but that does not surprise me. The scales covering his body have hardened into armor-like plates. My cousin seems impenetrable. Compared to him, it is no wonder that I am sometimes mistaken for a female what with my small figure and purple scales.

"Is that really the way you greet your cousin after not seeing him for months? Be careful. I know these streets better than you do and could easily turn against you at any point in time. Remember who has the upper hand here," Bryce reminds me, a dangerous edge in his voice as he jerks the silver knife in front of my eyes.

From years of pretending, I manage to feign serenity. I look calmly up into Bryce's crimson eyes and do my best to keep my voice steady as I reply, "I am not afraid of death."

Bryce's lips twist into a smirk as he nods and replies, "You're right. You're not someone who would be afraid of death, are you? Everyone has their weaknesses though, even you. Best pray to your god that I don't find yours and turn your life into a living hell. Now then, let's do this right this time. You stand there and I'll stand here and look you over. If you move a muscle, I'll hold it against you later."

With one of Bryce's hands holding my wrists together above my head, I would be a complete idiot to try and move. I stand before the black chameleon without looking him in the eyes. I stare somewhere over his shoulder, refusing to lose my dignity just yet despite the fact that my cousin is making me feel very uncomfortable with his unmasked staring.

"You've changed a little. Not much though, huh? I guess you're always going to be a small one. Tiny little body, pretty amber eyes, soft, delicate curves..." Bryce murmurs, using his other hand to sweep down the side of my body. His touch is light and gentle for now, but I can feel an underlying weight beneath every caress. "My god, Espio, you're fucking perfect. Fucking perfect for _me_. You were meant to be mine. Don't you know that you need someone like me to take care of you? No? Guess I didn't prove that to you well enough last time. Oh well. There are always second chances for everything, huh? Let's go home."

Bryce tugs lightly on my wrist as if he thinks I'm just going to willingly follow him back to his house. I resist this time since I know that even a quick death would be better than a month at Bryce's rundown home whether it is. I know what living with him his like.

"I'm not just going to willingly come with you," I snap at my cousin, disdain in my voice as I try to jerk my wrist out of his grip. Part of me hopes he'll lose his temper and use the knife. There's no escape for me at this point and a still heart is clearly better than a soulless body.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice to you, but you're not exactly making things easy, you know," Bryce sighs. Bright red eyes skim me up and down before that twisted smile curls his lips and he murmurs, "Fine. We'll do things your way. I'm gonna figure out your weakness right now."

I hiss at him and spit in the black chameleon's face in an attempt to get him to shy away and loosen his grip on my wrist. Bryce does not shy away though. Of course he doesn't. Instead, he laughs a cruel, grating laugh.

"Have you really forgotten everything I taught you? Challenging me is a waste of your energy. Get that through your head, okay? Now let's see...hm..." Bryce looks me over, eyes calculating and sly. He's up to something - I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.

Abruptly, my gloves are yanked off of my wrists. A light clatter sounds from somewhere by our feet as the keys to my home fall to the ground. Once safe and protected within my glove, they now lay directly before Bryce. Without a moment of hesitation, he plucks them up and dangles them in front of my face.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Keys to your home, huh? I've been watching you, cousin. You know that though. I know you saw me from the ice cream shop that one time. To give it to you bluntly, I know everything about you. I know what you've been doing these last few months, I know who you've been seeing, and I know where you live. Get the point?" Bryce asks, raising an eyebrow. He's having fun with this. It's written all over his face.

Fear wraps itself tightly around me as I realize what Bryce getting ahold of the keys to my house means. He could hurt Charmy or Vector! What's worse is that he could actually kill them. I wouldn't put anything past my diabolical cousin. He's quite possessive of me. If he considers Vector or Charmy a threat, then..._no_. I can't think about it!

"Give me those keys," I demand in an agonized voice, a gruesome picture of Vector and Charmy covered in blood already at the forefront of my mind. "Bryce, give them to me!"

"Oh please, even I know you're not that stupid," Bryce rolls his eyes, tossing the keys up into the air and then catching them again.

My resolve weakens and shatters as I realize just how horrible this situation is. All three of the Chaotix members are at Bryce's mercy and I'm the only one who can do anything about it. Squeezing my eyes shut, I take to begging and implore Bryce in my low voice, "Don't hurt them. Charmy and Vector have done nothing to you. Do what you like to me, but do not hurt them."

"Believe me, Espio, I will do what I like with you and I'll do a hell of a lot else. There's so much I want from you and you're going to give it to me. To be quite honest, your crocodile lover doesn't hold any interest to me at all. He big, ugly, and stupid. You don't have much taste when it comes to other males," Bryce says before his expression turns ugly and his voice takes on a deadly tone as he adds, "But, one little wrong move on your part and your precious little family is as good as dead. I'll go to your house in the dead of the night, unlock your door, and slit your precious crocodile's throat."

My chest rises and falls much too quickly and I feel dizzy. I can't believe what I've done. When I agreed to getting into a relationship with Vector, I never realize that I might end up putting him in danger. Bryce doesn't seem very interested in Charmy, but I have no doubt that he will harm my partner if things turn ugly.  
_  
Oh Vector_, I think in my mind. _How can you ever forgive me for what I've done? I've put your life on the line without meaning to. Chaos forbid I mess this up now._

"I'll do whatever you want," I tell Bryce, my voice wavering ever so slightly. "Just give me your word not to hurt Vector."

"Eh, I'm not one for sentimental sappiness. You know my terms and they're not changing. You mess up and your 'Vector' is screwed. Got that?" Bryce asks, jabbing a finger under my chin as he forces me to look up at him.

I can tell that my cousin's patience with me is wearing. He's not used to trying to be nice to anyone and clearly can't keep it up for much longer. Yes, as far as Bryce goes, his treatment of me right now would be considered "nice". Before I upset him into hurting Vector, I give one short, curt nod knowing that I've just sold my body and soul to Bryce with that one small gesture.

"Good," Bryce nods before he pulls me towards the entrance of the alleyway again. "So this time you're gonna come with me back to our house without trouble, right?"

My throat fills with bile at the way Bryce describes his home as _our _home. However, I don't let him see that and simply nod again.

"Great. Let's go then. It's getting kind of chilly out, isn't it? I wouldn't normally lurk around alleys at this time of night, but I had to tonight because I was waiting for you, of course," Bryce informs me, his voice trying to portray that I'm something special to him. Hmph. I'm only worth anything to him when I'm flattened against the mattress, body broken and bleeding.

Bryce talks all the way back to his home. I pay no attention to what he's saying, but do try to pay attention to where we are going. If I ever escape him, I need to know how to get back to my house. Unfortunately, Bryce's dingy "home" that looks more like a shack than anything else is located at the very edge of town. I think I've memorized the directions back to my familiar, comforting little home, but it is very easy to get directions mixed up in the dark.

"Here's our place," Bryce says, pulling me up to the dingy looking shack with dead grass surrounding it on all sides. The paint on the house is chipped, one of the windows is cracked, and the house has an ominous aura to it. Giving me a smirk, Bryce adds, "Come on! Let's go in and have some fun. I've waited too fucking long for this!"

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_Espio just got himself trapped. =/ Do you think Vector will "come to his rescue" so to speak? Review please! :)  
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	119. Torn Apart

**Yay, it seems as if I'm getting some of my readers back! Thanks so much for all the great reviews, you guys! You're such great motivators. Happy Sunday to all of you. :) I'm already hating Daylight Saving's Time, but that's my fault for going to bed at 6 am and getting up at 7 am. xD Anyway, I've decided to leave this story at a T rating for now, but I want to give you all a warning. Although nothing is incredibly graphic, there will be several rape/torture scenes in the following chapters. I'm not a nice person and I tend to torture my characters. xP Alright, now you've been warned, so if you continue to read this and hate it, don't blame me. Let me know what you think of this chappie. :3  
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**Chapter CXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I don't want to take a step forwards and willingly seal my doom as Bryce drags me up to the doorway of his dilapidated home. His grip on my wrist is firm, but not cruel. I wonder why Bryce is making an effort to be nice to me. There must be a reason behind this. Perhaps he really_ has _missed me these last few months. It must be nice for him to have a personal slave willing to do his every command. That's what I am now - Bryce's slave. I cannot resist him because that would put Vector's life in danger. Everything I do now is for Vector.

It's for Vector's sake that I step up the three creaky stairs that lead to Bryce's door and take a step within his home. Bryce flips on the light switch and I immediately recoil at what I see. His house is a mess. Vector's old apartment room looks clean compared to this dump. Foul odors reach my nostrils and make my head spin. All kinds of trash from smashed beer bottles to candy wrappers litter the floor. The TV in the living room is playing some awful pornography film. The posters taped onto the walls are vulgar and disgusting. My legs suddenly turn to jelly and I feel myself starting to fall down, down, down. The floor rises up to meet me. I'm going to crash...

"Hey, steady there," Bryce says, yanking me upwards before I can collapse on the pile of garbage on the floor. He waves his hand around the room and says, "Well, this is it. Not much, I know. The living room is connected to the kitchen as you can see and the bathroom and bedroom are just within that doorway."

I don't even bother to listen to Bryce as my head continues to swirl. The reeking odors from the room continue to make me dizzy. If Bryce lets go of me, I'll fall to the floor and pass out. Perhaps that may not be such a bad thing after all.

"Goddammit!" Bryce suddenly curses as he kicks a pile of garbage across the room. He sends a sideways glance at me and says, "Liam and Darryl really shit this place up. They're my two pals who help me run the bar. We all live here together. You'll meet 'em soon enough. Darryl's got a temper, so watch out for him. Since this place is going to be your home now too, you can have access to pretty much anything you want as long as you behave. Just ask my permission first before getting into the fridge. Let's go to the bedroom."

I don't want to go to the bedroom. I want to go anywhere_ but_ the bedroom. I'm not an idiot. I know exactly what going to the bedroom means. My legs refuse to move and I stare at Bryce with expressionless eyes. I don't want him to see my fear. I won't lose my dignity in front of him.

"What's wrong? Oh, I get it. You're scared, aren't you?" Bryce says, immediately interpreting my stillness as fear. I give him no reply and continue standing where I am without moving. Bryce goes on, "I've been thinking a little since the last time we saw each other. We didn't get on all that great, did we? I want things to be different for us this time. As long as you behave, I'll be gentle with you, okay? There's no need to scar those pretty little scales of yours unless we have to. Come on."

I don't believe Bryce for a moment when he says he's going to be more gentle with me. The words "Bryce" and "gentle" can't go together in the same sentence. It simply doesn't work. Coming to a resolve, I force feeling back into my legs and take a tentative step after Bryce as I pick my way around the garbage littering floor on my way towards the bedroom. I keep Vector's image in the front of my mind. I'm doing this all for Vector. Even though I'm like a lamb being lead to the slaughter house, I'm sacrificing myself for a very good thing. Vector's safety means more to me than anything else in the world right now. I would sooner let my body be violated and torn to shreds before putting Vector in danger. Unfortunately, I'm about to have to do just that.

Creak! The door to Bryce's bedroom opens with a loud groan of protest. I'm almost scared to see what his bedroom looks like. Supposing that I might as well get this over with, I scan the room the moment I'm inside of it. It's just as bad as I expected it to be. There's one window above the bed at one end of the room, but the room looks like it's never been finished. The walls aren't painted, there's no carpet on the floor, and dust and cobwebs are everywhere. It stinks of sex; a substance I can identify the smell of easily. A chipped dresser once painted gray is across from the bed at the other end of the room. A pile of shiny, metal objects can be seen in the corner opposite me. I can't see what they are exactly and determine that perhaps that's for the best.

Bryce shuts the door to the bedroom and releases my wrist before turning to lock the door tightly, explaining, "In case Liam or Darryl come home."

I don't know anything about either of Bryce's friends, but I do know that I don't want to know anything more about them let alone meet them someday. Anyone who might befriend my sick cousin is clearly someone who does drugs, drinks, gambles, and commits crimes.

"So, fill me in," Bryce says as soon as the door is locked. He turns to face me, acting like we're two friends who are going to have a pleasant chat. "What have you been doing these past few months?"

I think about my life after I ran away from the living hell I've just returned to. I met Charmy, joined Team Chaotix, fell in love with Vector, and became part of a dysfunctional family. I went from depressed and hopeless to happy and content. Vector and Charmy changed everything for me and I'm certainly not telling Bryce about them.

"Remember what I said about cooperating?" Bryce asks, taking a step forwards. A hard glint is visible in his red eyes as he says, "Guess you need me to ask you more specific questions. I want you to tell me more about that crocodile of yours. Just what is he to you? Your fuck buddy or what?"

I whip my head up and glare at Bryce without thinking of the consequence. How dare he ask about the special bond that Vector and I share? What we share is love. No, we haven't shared a bed in the way Bryce is referring to, but we don't need to in order to love each other.

"I love Vector," I state coolly, looking Bryce defiantly in the eyes. That is a mistake.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?!" Bryce hisses, all signs of niceness dissolving from his features as he raises a fist and pummels me in the face. I stagger backwards and lean against the hard, concrete wall while pain explodes in my face. Bryce descends upon me and glares at me as he continues on, "I would much rather have had you fucking him than falling in love with him! I'm the one who loves you, and until you get that through your head, things are going to be hard for you. Until you learn to love me, you're not going to like it here."

I open my mouth to speak, but then bite my tongue. Bryce is in one of his crazy rages. If I upset him any further, he might stay true to his word and go to my house tonight with dark plans for Charmy and Vector. I need to let him take out his anger on me and me alone. My friends must not suffer for what I've done.

...But what _have_ I done? What have I done to deserve this? I've searched for the answer many times before, but have never come up with it. I don't know or understand why I'm being punished. I suppose I must have done something awful at some point in my life to have angered the spirits so much. Even after hours of meditating, I still haven't figure out just what I've done wrong.

"You obviously need to be punished. Guess I'm going to have to break you in again," Bryce spits in my face, his spittle landing on my forehead, hot and sticky.

Neither of us speak much after that. Bryce grabs me and throws me onto the bed. The mattress makes a creaking sound as I land on top of it. Before I can make a move, Bryce is over me. He grabs my gloves and yanks them off before carelessly tossing them across the room. My sneakers are pulled off next and are thrown against the wall with a loud smack. Bryce is in a violent mood. Everything he does is to let out aggression. He's upset that I've found love and is not determined to crush it out of me.

Once my sneakers and gloves have been discarded, Bryce crouches over me on the bed, casting a dark, foreboding shadow over top of me. Without my gloves and sneakers, I feel very naked below Bryce, but perhaps that feeling comes from the way he's looking at me. Red eyes sweep up and down my body, drinking me in like fine wine. There's nothing attractive about me. I don't know why Bryce wants me. I'm certainly not attractive by any means. So why me?

"You still look like you could be a virgin two years later," Bryce snickers, his anger turning into sick pleasure as he continues to take me in.

I turn my head to the side, not wanting to give Bryce the satisfaction of looking into my eyes as he humiliates me. Despite the fact that my head is turned, I can feel him memorizing every slight curve and detail of my body. I'm all his and the endless possibilities of what he could do to me are making him delirious with pleasure.

Suddenly, there are lips on my neck, hot and heavy as they suck at my tender scales. A hard, scaly body presses itself against mine, causing me to tremble and press my legs together tightly since I know what is to come. The lips move to my mouth. They are vicious and all-consuming as they suck my breath away. A tongue forces itself into my mouth and down my throat. I try to ignore what's right in front of my eyes, try to think of Vector and Charmy instead. It doesn't work. This is my reality now.

"You know, it makes me sick to think of what you might have been doing with that crocodile," Bryce says after he finally removes his suffocating lips from my mouth. "I can't believe you betrayed me, Espio! You're a bastard! I fucking hate you!"

I ignore Bryce's words since they make no sense, but I cannot ignore the hands that grab my thighs and tug them apart. A rush of cold air flows onto the most sensitive parts of my body. I bite my tongue as Bryce shoves my legs up and yanks my tail to the side to get to the part of me that he wants. Greedy hands start groping me, touching me in all the wrong places. I feel as if I'm in the worst kind of nightmare. Unfortunately, this is not a nightmare. There is no escaping the inevitable and even if there was a chance for escape, I wouldn't take it because of Vector.

"I keep forgetting that you need to be punished. What should I do to you? Hm," Bryce frowns, looking around the room. "Why is nothing ever around when I need it? I'm not in a mood to listen to you whine, so this should do the trick."

Bryce thrusts two fingers into my mouth to open it and then gags me with a coarse, scratchy cloth. My eyes water. I already can't breathe. Bryce smirks and replies, "You look real good like that. Now just remember what we talked about before this. The sooner you learn to love me, the better I'll treat you. All the pain you go through is brought on by you."

Bryce moves against me, placing himself against the tiny hole below my tail as he prepares to penetrate me. My breath catches in my throat and I wait to see if he'll bother to stretch me first. In a careless, jerky movement, Bryce forces all of himself within my body. My fingers sink into the dirty sheets as tears come pouring down my face. Pain unlike any pain I've ever experienced before burns through me. Bryce is much too big and my body is far too small. This isn't going to work unless I'm broken apart.

"Damn, your tight. You haven't have sex since you left me, have you?" Bryce asks in surprise before yanking out of my body and slamming his way back inside it again.

More pain red-hot and furious comes shooting up through me. I'm being torn apart from the inside out as Bryce holds me down tightly, his nails grazing my sides and sinking into my hips as if I might possibly be capable of escaping him right now. My teeth grind together as Bryce thrusts merciless inside me over and over again. He grates against my insides, all the while murmuring a garble of words that all tell me in one form or another that this is my fault, that I deserve what he's taking from me.

My vision starts to blur as the black chameleon drives himself even deeper inside my body, tearing and ripping my unwilling form. I lie limp underneath Bryce, tears continuing to leak down my face and dribble onto the pillow as I'm hammered against the mattress. There is no fight in me. I wish I could die now. My dignity has been destroyed and my body is being shredded before my very eyes.

Bryce grates against my insides before giving one final forceful thrust as deep inside me as he can. Blood slicks my thighs and a veil of red falls over me as I wonder if I am dying. A strange heat pours into me before Bryce yanks out of my torn figure. More blood droplets drip down my legs and stain the mattress red.

Panting heavily, Bryce murmurs, "You're as good as I remember you to be. Shit, you don't look so good though. You're kind of a mess too. Uh...maybe this will stop the bleeding."

Bryce yanks the gag out of my mouth and shoves it between my legs to keep the blood from ruining the already stained mattress. I stare blankly at him, all cohesive thoughts having long since fizzled out of my mind. Despite the numbness that I feel in my head, the agony in the lower part of my body is still sharp and brutal.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It sort of creeps me out," Bryce frowns as he collapses onto the bed next to me. "I told you that this was your fault. I didn't_ want_ to do this to you. All you have to do is say that you love me instead of that good for nothing crocodile and things will be better. Oh, and just so you know, you're going to call your 'Vector' tomorrow and tell him that you can't be part of his stupid detective agency anymore. I'll be listening to you the whole time, so if you say one wrong word, well, I think you know what will happen. Goodnight, cousin."

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_I'm sure you were expecting a scene like that. :P Anyway, how do you think Vector will react to Espio's phone call? Review please! :)  
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	120. Gone Forever

**I'm kind of in a hurry today, so here's a quick update. Thank you all for reading and reviewing the last chapter! Hope you like this one. =3  
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**Chapter CXX  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Drip, drop, drip, drop. It's rainin' again. I watch the clear droplets dribble down the window absentmindedly while Charmy plays his video game from the couch next to me. He got home from Cream's place about an hour again. I let him make his own dinner since Espio was still out and then told him he could do whatever he wanted to do for the rest of the night. I'm a nice croc. Well, most of the time anyway. Charmy's old enough to decide what he wants to eat for dinner and how he spends his free time.

Right now, the little bee is making all kinds of dramatic movements with his video game controller. It's gotten real late, but he's insistin' on staying up and waiting for Espio to get home so he can have his bedtime hug. I offered him one instead, but I guess my hugs aren't as good as Espio's. Can't blame Charmy for sayin' that. Esp gives the best hugs.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. I move my gaze from the window to the clock. Geez, it's gotten late. Where the hell is Espio? I know he said he was gonna be out for a long time and all that, but this is startin' to get ridiculous. Can a funeral really take all day like this? I dunno. I've never been to one.

"Aw, man! I died right before the end of the level!" Charmy complains from next to me, glaring at the TV screen where his video game character just drowned.

"Sorry, kid," I reply, trying to sound sympathetic even though I could really care less about Charmy's game right now. I'm too busy thinkin' about Espio to worry about a video game.

Having had enough for one night, Charmy grabs the remote controller and turns off the TV. Yawning widely, he turns to me and asks in a whiny voice, "Vector, when is Espio going to get home? He's been gone all day. I want him to come home so I can have a hug and go to bed."

"I've been wonderin' that exact same thing myself," I reply with a frown as I glance back over at the clock for probably the third or fourth time in the last five minutes. Not sure if I'm tryin' to reassure Charmy or myself more, I state, "Well, he's pretty shaken up right now. He might have gone somewhere after the funeral. Who knows?"

"Maybe I should just go to bed then," Charmy sighs as another yawn slips out of the corner of his mouth. "I guess I can always see Espio in the morning. I hope he's okay!"

"I'm sure he's fine. He told me he wasn't too close to his mother, but having a parent die has gotta be tough," I state before agreeing, "Yeh probably should get yerself to bed. I'll tell Esp that ya said goodnight when he gets home, alright? I'm just gonna hang out here on the couch and wait up for him."

"Okay. We should do something fun tomorrow. Oh, by the way, I have to show you something before I go to bed!" Charmy exclaims before flying excitedly into the air and disappearing behind the couch. A minute later, he returns with a photograph in his hand and dumps it onto my lap, saying, "Remember this picture? Cream's mom let me get some of the pictures on my camera developed!"

I pick up the photograph with one hand and look at it closely. It's a picture of Espio and me sittin' on the couch together after we opened Christmas presents. I'm grinning from ear-to-ear like a deranged person with my new music player in one hand. Espio is leaning up against my side with a shy smile on his face. He looks so happy there.

"That was sure nice of Miss Vanilla to let ya get some of the photos developed. Say, can I keep this one?" I ask, holding the photograph a little possessively. Esp and I would have let Charmy get some photos developed sooner, but we're still struggling to pay the bills and so developing photographs aren't our top priority right now.

"Sure you can keep the picture!" Charmy tells me enthusiastically before he wraps his arms around my neck in a tight hug. "I gave you that one on purpose. I thought you would like it since it has you and Espio in it. I'm so happy that you guys are back together again. I can tell that you really love Espio."

"I do love him," I admit without hesitation before adding under my breath, "I just wish he'd get home though..."

Luckily, Charmy doesn't hear me and releases my neck before flying out of the room, calling behind him, "Goodnight, Vector!"

I listen to his bedroom door fall shut and then turn my eyes to the clock for the fifth time in the last five minutes. I know I'm probably just bein' paranoid, but it feels like Espio's been gone for ages. It's been a rough day for the chameleon what with him realizing that his mother died and all, but I still think he's been gone for too long. Esp doesn't like going out. I get why he feels like he had to go to the funeral, but I definitely didn't expect him to linger at it. The Esp I know would've gone to the funeral to pay his respects and then would've rushed home as soon as possible.

I've had a bad gut feelin' all day long. Even before Espio left for the funeral, I just had this really bad feeling that sumthin' big was gonna happen today. I've got no clue what caused this feeling, but I don't like it. The sooner Espio gets home, the sooner I can relax and feel better.

More time passes. I could turn on the TV, but I find that I don't wanna watch anything. on it Seconds turn into minutes and minutes into hours. I switch positions on the couch and sprawl across it with my eyes on the door. Any minute the little purple chameleon will step through it and I'll be right here to comfort him. ...Except Espio_ doesn't _step through the door. It's midnight and I'm still waitin' for him! I wanna give him a call or something, but there's no way for me to do that unless I call the funeral home and I know that it's gotta be closed by now.

"Goddammit, Esp!" I mutter. "Where the hell are yeh?"

Ominous silence follows my question. Annoyed with myself for getting so paranoid and feeling annoyed with Espio for still not getting home, I drum my fingertips along the edge of the couch. To pass the time, I decide ta count sheep. Stupid, I know, but I don't have anything better to do. One...two...three...

Hm, counting sheep_ is _making me sleepy. Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes. Even with my eyes closed, I'll still be able to hear the door open when Espio gets home. It's not like I can close my ears even if I wanted to. My eyes fall shut and before I know it, I've drifted right on off to sleep.

"Hey Vector! Where's Espio?" Charmy's high-pitched blabber cuts into my sleep the next morning.

"Huh?" I ask, jerking awake and gazing around blearily. "Aren't ya up a bit early, Charm?"

"Nope!" Charmy replies cheerily as he hovers right in front of me and grins his childish grin at me. "So where's Espio? I want to show him the pictures Cream's mom let me get developed!"

It takes me a few seconds to wake up and remember what happened yesterday. I woke up and found Esp actin' real weird. He said that his mother had died and that he had to go to her funeral. I tried to stop him from going since I had a bad feelin' about the whole thing, but the stubborn chameleon wouldn't listen to me. He never ended up coming home last night. Something has gotta be wrong. I just know it.

"Darn, he's still not home, is he?" I mutter, forcing myself awake as I get up off of the couch. Looks like I'm gonna have to go searching for the chameleon at this rate. He might have gotten himself into trouble. He _was _actin' kind of weird yesterday. I thought it was just shock over his mother's death, but what do I know? Maybe it was sumthin' else.

"Espio's still not home?" Charmy asks, his happy smile faltering. "Where do you think he is?"

"How should I know?" I ask grouchily as I tromp across the floor in the direction of the bedroom. "I'm gonna go out and find him though."

"I'm coming too!" Charmy chimes in, following me like a shadow towards my room.

I open my mouth to protest because I really don't need a hyperactive little bee to keep track of while I'm tryin' to find Espio. Before I can tell Charmy that he's gonna stay home whether he likes it or not, the telephone starts beeping loudly, shattering the quiet of the otherwise peaceful morning. Charmy and I both look at each other and then start off towards the phone.

"I bet that's Espio! He's calling to tell us where he is," Charmy decides confidently as he whizzes ahead of me to pick up the phone.

"Wait a sec!" I tell him, stumbling around the corner in my hurry to keep up with the little bee. I wanna be the one to answer the phone in case it is Espio, so I make up a quick lie and say, "I've been expectin' a real important call lately, so lemme answer the phone. If it is Esp, I promise ta let ya speak to him."

Charmy frowns and pulls a face, but decides to let me answer the phone. I reach out eagerly and pick up the damn thing, wishing that this call had been hours earlier. I've worried about Esp all night long! What took him so long to call? I'm sure that it's Espio on the phone. Who else would bother callin' our number?

Just in case it's not Esp, I say into the phone, "Hey, this is Vector. Who's this?"

"V-vector?" a weak, shaky voice replies into the phone.

At first, I think there's something wrong with the phone connection. I pull the phone away from my ear and give it a perplexed look before checkin' the cord. The phone seems ta be plugged in properly. I put the phone back to my ear and ask, "Er, Esp? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," Espio's voice sounds from the phone. "Vector, I have to tell you something."

"I hope ya have something to tell me! Where the hell have ya been? Charmy and I have been worried sick about yeh!" I exclaim into the phone, still wondering why it took Espio so long to call. "Are ya alright? Yer voice sounds kinda funny, but it could be the phone actin' up."

I wait for Espio's answer, but it doesn't come right away. Why's he not answering? I'm about to ask him if he's still there or not when Espio suddenly says all in a rush, "I'm quitting Team Chaotix."

The words hit me like a blow to my face. For a moment, I don't think I heard the chameleon right. Shaking my head to clear it, I reply, "Ya didn't just say that-"

"Yes, I _did_ say that," Espio interrupts me, voice low and expressionless. "It's for the best. We haven't made any money since we started the detective agency."

Something fishy is going on. I'm trusting my intuition on this and my intuition tells me that something is wrong with my little buddy. Deciding not to demand for him to be reasonable about this like I really want to do, I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice even as I say, "Look, the agency may not be the best money maker, but we always manage to scrape by. How 'bout ya just come home and we discuss this over a cup of coffee or something?"

Another long silence follows my suggestion. My chest feels tight as I wait for Espio's answer. A second blow hits me even harder as Espio says four words, "I'm not coming home."

By now, I'm desperate. Espio wanting to quit Team Chaotix is one thing, but Espio not coming home is a completely different thing. Espio lives here for Christ's sake! Gripping the phone tightly, I ask in a completely bewildered voice, "Yer what? Is this some kinda joke? It ain't funny!"

"It's not a joke," Espio replies, voice flat and even. "We're over. Our relationship was a mess from the beginning. I only agreed to it because you were my boss as the leader of Team Chaotix. I was afraid of what you might do to me if I rejected you. I'm not coming home and I don't want you to look for me. I never loved you, Vector."

I can't speak. My throat has gotten tight and all I can do is stare blankly at the wall opposite me with the phone pressed against my ear. Was my relationship with Espio nothin' more than a joke to him? Did he never really love me at all? Have I been such a fool for him that I was never able to see what was clear to everyone else?

"Can we...at least talk this over? I don't wanna lose ya. We don't have to be a couple. Just don't leave like this. I'm beggin' ya!" I implore Espio, needing to talk to him about this face-to-face. My heart feels as if it's just been torn out of my chest and stomped all over. However, even if Espio's words are true, I just can't stand for him to walk out of my life completely!

"I don't want to talk it over. We've talked enough," Espio replies in that same flat voice.

"But what about Charmy? Are ya just gonna leave him too? Don't ya know that you'd break his innocent little heart if yeh left? 'Course, ya don't seem to care that yeh just smashed mine, but maybe ya care about the kid more," I reply, unable to keep the hurt from leaking into my words.

"V-vector, I...I..." Espio's voice breaks as he tries to say something.

"Esp, what is it? Tell me! Talk ta me!" I beg the chameleon. I don't get why his voice sounds so weird, but I feel as if I'm not even talkin' to the real Esp. What if this isn't Espio at all?

Beep! The phone on the opposite end of the line goes dead. Did Espio just hang up on me? I stare at the phone in disbelief, not even understanding what just happened. Charmy is giving me a puzzled look. After a moment's pause, he asks tentatively, "Is Espio okay?"

The hurt building up inside of me starts to turn to anger. How could Espio do this to me? I can't believe he faked his love for me so damn well over the last nine months! 'Course, there always was something mysterious about the small reptile from the beginning. Guess I underestimated him. I made such a fool of myself over him. No wonder he was so reluctant to date me from the beginning. He was scared of me and that was all. He never had feelings for me, not then, not now.

"Vector?" Charmy tries again.

I slam the phone down, causing Charmy to fly a pace or two backwards at the sudden movement. In a harsh voice, I reply, "Espio's not comin' home. He just broke up with me. He never loved either of us. Guess he's gonna go start a new life for himself somewhere else."

"Espio's...not coming back?" Charmy asks after my words sink in. "I know he loves me! He _will _come back! I want to talk to him!"

"Charmy, I just talked ta him! He's not comin' back and that's that," I snap, the hurt within me leaking out in the form of anger. "Yer best off just forgetting about that bastard. He tricked me and he tricked yeh too. He was only in this for the money. When it became obvious to him that Team Chaotix was a failure, he decided to walk out on us. End of story. Nothin' more to be said. Espio's outta our lives now."

Charmy's lip trembles, but I'm in no mood to comfort him right now. I turn and stomp out of the room, forcing back my own angry tears as I hear Charmy break into sobs behind me. I should talk to him and try to comfort him, but right now, I think_ I _need more comfort than him.  
_  
I never loved you, Vector._

Espio's cold, emotionless words repeat in my head over and over again. I stomp into the bedroom before kicking the door shut behind me and slammin' my fist into the wall. I've never felt so miserable in my entire life. Espio was my everything. Turns out I was nothing to him.

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_Well, that did not go well. Do you think Vector will ever see through Esp's lie? Review please! :)  
_


	121. Personal Pet

**I'm really sick again, so I'm not going to write much here. Thank you all for the reviews for the last chapter! They're the best part of my day. :) Let me know what you think of this one.  
**

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**Chapter CXXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Bryce has just yanked the telephone out of my hand and has slammed it back down on the counter covered in dirty dishes. I just told the worst lie of my life. Bryce ordered me to call Vector and tell him that I'm quitting Team Chaotix. He didn't tell me to break up with Vector, but I knew that it had to be done. If I didn't give Vector a reasonable explanation for why I'm not coming home, he would try to search for me. I can't have that. I'm not worth searching for, especially if it puts Vector or Charmy in danger. I told Vector I never loved him. Telling him that horrible lie was just as painful for me as it was for Vector. By saying those words, I sent Vector out of my life. He's free to do what he likes now. He might take Vanilla back or find a pretty girl to date. Vector deserves that though, especially after what I've put him through. If only I had never agreed to dating him. If only I had never met him. Oh Vector, I hope you forgive me...

"That was pretty good, but you got a little shaky at the end there," Bryce says as he turns back to me. "You're sure that crocodile won't be out on the streets searching for you?"

"No," I reply simply because I know it's the truth. Vector will take the blow hard. He will be angry at me for certain. Hopefully, that will help him to forget me. I want to erase myself from his life so I don't cause him any more pain. At the same time, I want Vector to never forget me as he was the only person I ever was able to love.

"Well, you'd better hope he doesn't come searching for you. That's an invitation for trouble right there," Bryce states, leaning up against the counter and taking a long slurp from his beer bottle.

I give him no answer. I'm positive Vector will be too upset to even consider the possibility that there's a different reason I'm leaving Team Chaotix. It will never cross his mind that I've been taken by my cousin and made his whore once again. I wanted this though, don't I? Of course I do. I did the right thing. If I hadn't broken up with Vector, he would have known that something was wrong and would probably be out there searching for me at this very moment. The selfish part of me wants that, but the selfless part of me does not. Bryce is more powerful than Vector. I never want them to come face-to-face.

After last night, I already feel more dead than alive. Constant pain burns deep inside of me. I only made it from the bedroom to the living room by holding Bryce's arm. It was humiliating, but it was better than being carried, I suppose. My body is disgusting. Dried blood coats the insides of my legs. I smell like sex and sweat. Every muscle within me aches after having been pounded into the mattress last night. I feel empty. When I walk, it is like I'm floating along in a dream. My body doesn't belong to myself anymore. I'm owned by my cousin.

Because I'm no longer my own being, I must work to please Bryce. If I anger him, he will take out his anger on Vector. Instead of attempting to flee or fight my cousin, I am standing obediently before him while I lean against the counter. Bryce is in a slightly better mood today. Do I dare make a request to him? Yes, I need to. My body is filthy and I need to wash.

Turning my eyes to Bryce's face, I force myself to ask in a hollow, empty voice, "May I use the shower?"

"Hm?" Bryce asks while he takes another long slurp from his bottle. It's only nine in the morning and he's already drinking. No wonder he's become so messed up. Bryce thinks my request through for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Yeah, I guess so. You obviously can't go out looking like that and I don't want you to be a mess when Liam and Darryl get here. Don't use up all the hot water though and keep your shower to under five minutes. Running water is so goddamn expensive these days."

"Thank you," I reply politely. This time, I don't even have to try and fake thankfulness. I _am _grateful for the opportunity to wash.

The only problem I'm faced with now is getting to the bathroom. What should have been a few easy steps through two rooms now seems like miles away from where I'm standing at the counter right now. Bryce goes off to grab a cigarette and I'm left alone to struggle to the bathroom. I keep my hand on the edge of the counter as I half-limp, half-stumble out of the living room and back into the bedroom. If I let go of the counter, I'm sure to fall flat on my face.

As soon as I'm in the bedroom, the horrible odor reeking of sex and rotting blood greets my nose. I send a disgusted look at the bed. The sheets are wrinkled and stained crimson. Since Bryce is not around to watch me and laugh if I fall, I figure I ought to try and walk without holding onto something. Very slowly, I let go of the wall. My legs wobble, but I don't fall. Good. Now I need to take one step forwards. I tell my right leg to move forwards. It seems to take a long time for my body to respond to my command. Eventually, it does and I take a step without toppling over.

By walking slowly and carefully, I manage to make it all the way to the cramped, dirty bathroom. There's a foul smell in here as well that reminds me of vomit. Grime stains the tiles on the floor, the mirror is cracked in places, and I even notice an ugly black spider in the corner of the room.

For some reason, I partially expect Bryce to change his mind about the shower and to come barreling in here at any moment. Feeling the need to hurry, I immediately step into the shower and turn on the water. It's freezing cold, but there's no time to worry about that now. The coldness distracts me from the dull throbbing in the lower half of my body. I search for a bar of soap and find one. My nose turns up in distaste as I notice something green growing on the edge of the bar of soap.

Making sure not to use the green side of the soap, I begin to vigorously scrub my body. I try not to think because thinking will only complicate things and cause me more pain. I have enough pain to deal with at the moment. Any more will send me over the edge.

Even after scrubbing my body raw with the bar of soap, I still feel dirty. I decide to take a risk and gently try to clean the area below my tail where most of the blood came from. My breath catches in my throat and a dizzying wave of pain rips through me. My knees give way and I fall to the bottom of the shower. The water turns red around me. I'm bleeding again. Tears of misery prick at the corners of my eyes. I have no strength to get up and just stay huddled at the bottom of the shower with the cold water beating down on my back.

I want to bring myself to a better place. No, I _need _to bring myself to a better place. My mind whirls and I find myself thinking about Vector, the only one who has ever brought me true happiness. I wonder what Vector is doing right now. I hope he is not too upset over what I told him. Deep inside, I know I just broke the crocodile's heart though.

The tears spill down my face and I wonder if perhaps I really ought to try and drown myself in the shower. It seems like a good idea until I realize that Bryce might be upset over my early death. In a rage, he might hunt down Vector. Damn. I have to keep doing this. There's really no choice at all for me in the matter. It's either push through and do Bryce's bidding or put Vector in danger.

For this reason alone, I force myself to get up despite the spasms that convulse through my body as I stumble out of the shower and grab a scratchy, stained towel. It may have been white at some point in time, but it has turned yellow now. Ignoring the stains, I carefully dry my bruised figure and then go to the bedroom to find my sneakers and my gloves. I feel so naked without them.

As soon as I enter the bedroom, I come to a halt. I hear loud, crass voices on the opposite side of the bedroom doorway. They must belong to Bryce's friends. What did he call them again? Ah, yes - Liam and Darryl.

For a long moment, I don't move. I don't even want to think about what Bryce might allow his friends to do to me. He used to threaten me with them last time he turned me into his slave. If I didn't please him, he would tell me that he would let his friends take turns with me. The memory sends a shiver down my spine.

Forcing myself not to think of these things right now and to concentrate on the task at hand, I skim the room for any sign of my sneakers and gloves that Bryce carelessly threw around the room last night. Despite my thorough scan of the room, I can't find any of my belongings. It suddenly occurs to me that I was wearing the scarf that Vector gave me last night when Bryce dragged me here. Where is it? I need to find it!

Creak! The door to the bedroom groans loudly. I freeze where I am and whip my eyes over to the doorway as if I've been caught doing something wrong. How can I even know what's considered right and wrong in Bryce's twisted world?

"There you are!" a tall black figure exclaims as he slips into the room and shuts the door behind him. My cousin fixes me with a bright red stare and asks, "What took you so long? Everyone's waiting. We aren't going to the bar without you."

To the bar? I'm actually going to be brought to the bar Bryce opened? Why? What for? My mind spins with questions, but I don't dare ask any of them, especially since I need Bryce to tell me where my belongings are. I will force the questions to the back of my mind and concentrate on only one thing at a time.

"I was looking for my gloves, sneakers, and scarf," I admit in a quiet voice. "Where are they?"

"Oh, you're looking for your stuff. Right. Guess I forgot to tell you where I put 'em. They're up there on that shelf, see?" Bryce says, pointing across the room. I follow his gaze and notice a shelf far above my head. Bryce can reach the items on it, but I certainly cannot. Shrugging his shoulders, Bryce says, "Maybe I'll give them back to you if you decide to behave, but for now, they're staying up there. You're going to dress the way I want you to dress now. Go sit on the bed."

My stomach twists into a knot and I feel like I have to throw up even though I haven't eaten lately. I despise it when Bryce does this. I'm not a doll that he can play dress up with. Unfortunately, when you belong to another person, you aren't allowed to voice these types of thoughts aloud.

Keeping my lips sealed, I drag myself over to the bed and sink down onto the creaky old mattress. Bryce crosses the room to the dusty cabinet, rummages around inside it for a moment, and then pulls out a few things before slamming it shut with a loud bang that causes the entire cabinet to shudder as he turns and makes his way back to me.

"You're probably wonder why I'm bringing you to the bar, huh?" Bryce asks as he dumps the pile of items he snagged from the cabinet onto the bed next to me. Leaning down, Bryce slips black sneakers onto my feet and glances up at me like he's waiting for an answer.

"Yes," I reply softly, still trying to figure out why Bryce likes dressing me so much. I can obviously put on my own shoes. This is so degrading.

"We're short-staffed at the moment. I've got a couple of girls working there, but they're not enough to keep the place up and running. You can help out and serve drinks and do all that shit. I might as well make you useful since you're staying under my roof," Bryce explains.

I frown as I realize I'm going to be working at Bryce's bar. I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I don't notice Bryce take my hand and slip gloves with black cuffs and silver spikes over it. I suppose working at the bar might not be_ so_ bad. It will be better than being kept here in this bedroom all the time.

When Bryce grabs a black choker with those same silver spikes on it and fastens it around my throat, I give him a horrified look. What is he turning me into? I turn my gaze downwards and notice my new gloves as well. I look terrible.

Bryce chuckles and says, "Don't worry, you look good like this. Now I've just got to make up you and we're good to go."

Make me up? Oh god, please no. Not this! I remember how Bryce used to paint makeup on me. I don't understand why he likes it. It must be some strange kink of his. Regardless, it makes me feel more like a whore than I might otherwise have felt. However, I must keep quiet about this. I cannot let Bryce see my displeasure.

"Close your eyes," Bryce orders me.

I do as I'm told and feel him painting thick black eyeliner around my eyes. Grabbing what looks a lot like lip gloss, Bryce tugs it open and dabs the shiny, oozing substance onto my cracked, dry lips. There's a mirror across the room. I dare to look up at it to see my reflection. Espio the chameleon does not look back at me. Instead, the reflection of Bryce's personal pet stares back at me. Where am I? Where is the real me? I feel as if I've lost myself forever.

Bryce steps forwards and blocks my view of the mirror. He grins and tugs me off of the bed before leaning down and kissing my lips roughly. I do not respond, but that makes no difference to Bryce. He sucks and licks the gloss right off of my cold lips.

"You look fucking hot. I'm going to make my pals so jealous with you by my side. Come on, it's time to go to the bar," Bryce says,pulling at my wrist. I feel like I can't move. I don't want to meet these so-called friends of Bryce's. Turning back to me, Bryce raises an eyebrow and tugs harder on my wrist, adding, "Come on, don't be shy. Liam and Darryl are just going to_ love_ you."

* * *

_Well, that sounds promising. *sarcasm* How do you think it will go with Espio and Bryce's pals? Review please! :)  
_


	122. Nameless Introductions

**Hey guys! It's Wednesday; one of my favorite days of the week. I hope you're all having a nice week so far. :) Thank you all for the reviews for the last chapter! I always look forwards to reading them. Here's a new chapter. Hope you like it!  
**

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**Chapter CXXII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Weak-kneed and shaken, I have to choice but to trail after Bryce in shame as he holds my wrist and tugs me towards the door of the bedroom to meet his friends. I can't even find the inner strength to hold my head high like I used to. Keeping my eyes fixated on the ground, I inspect the grime and ugly yellowish stains beneath my feet before shuddering. I try not to step in any of the disgusting substances, but that feat is about impossible since there is dirt everywhere.

Before opening up the door to the bedroom, Bryce comes to a halt and says, "Oh, and by the way, I'm going to tell you how to behave around Liam and Darryl so we don't run into problems later. You're mine, got that? I'll let them touch you and play with you a bit, but I'll put my foot down if things go too far."

I nod slowly, not sure what is "too far" in Bryce's opinion. Will it be too far when his friends part my legs or will it be too far after I've been gang raped and am lying half-dead on the floor? I have no time to think about this since Bryce has already kicked open the door and is dragging me out to the filthy living room.

"That took you long enough," a voice points out as Bryce swaggers into the living room with me by his side like a trophy he's trying to show off.

I'm trying to keep my eyes down and glued to the soiled carpet, but I let them flick upwards for just a moment so I can get a good look at Bryce's friends. There are two of them lounging on the torn up couch, just like Bryce said they would be. One of the chameleons is huge. He's taller than Bryce and twice as thick. His scales as a light bluish-white color and his eyes are coal black. There is a hard, tough look on his face. Next to this chameleon is a dark yellow chameleon. I didn't know chameleons could even come in this shade of yellow. The yellow chameleon is smaller than Bryce and his other friend. This one is just as slender as me, but is a good half foot taller than me. His eyes are bright red, a few shades lighter than Bryce's crimson eyes. On this chameleon's face is a cryptic look.

"Is that your cousin?" the yellow chameleon asks, poppy red eyes stuck on my face as Bryce shoves me forwards. "I want to get a better look at him."

"Look all you want, but don't touch," Bryce snickers as he pushes me directly in front of the sofa before he plops down between Darryl and Liam.

Feeling like I'm being put on display, I keep my eyes down and stand incredibly still. I make a goal for myself of trying to look like a statue. If I don't move a muscle or show any sign that I'm even alive, the two chameleons ought to lose interest in me fast. Unfortunately, my idea does not work the way I want it to.

"Aw, but touching is the fun part! I want to check him out," the yellowish chameleon whines in a slightly high-pitched voice.

"Fine, check him out if you want. Remember that he's all mine though," Bryce adds possessively before turning his attention to a pornography film playing on the TV.

Both of Bryce's friends immediately get to their feet and hurry over to me. A lump forms in my throat as I realize that the only person in this room who might protect me is Bryce...the same Bryce who broke me and made me bleed only last night. I'm in a horrible situation with no one to save me or come to my aid if things get bad. Why oh why didn't I listen to Vector and stay home from the funeral?

"He's pretty," the yellow chameleon, who seems to be much more talkative than his burly friend points out as he looks me over. Abruptly, he grabs my horn and yanks it up so I'm looking into his face. Amber eyes meet poppy red eyes before the chameleon grabs my jaw forcefully and yanks it open so he can look into my mouth. I glance over at Bryce, but he's too entranced with the TV to notice what his friends are doing to me. Releasing my mouth, the yellowish chameleon adds, "Pretty mouth, pretty teeth...now I see why you always brag about him, Bryce."

"Mm. He is quite something, isn't he?" Bryce replies absentmindedly from where he sits on the couch, drinking beer and watching the disgusting film.

The other chameleon isn't quite as gentle as the first. His hands are all over my body almost immediately. He pinches my cheek, runs a hand down my side, and then squeezes my thighs as if he's inspecting me over for something or the other. My legs are still very weak and tremble slightly as the large chameleon grabs at them. A low, deep chuckle comes from this chameleon's throat as he notices how uncomfortable he's making me. Despite being less talkative than the yellow chameleon, I believe that this one is the more dangerous of the two.

My tail is jerked up suddenly and the bluish chameleon starts touching the sensitive area around it. He unexpectedly jabs a finger inside of me, causing my legs to give way and my head to swim. I topple into the yellow chameleon, who must think I'm coming onto him or something of the like because next thing I know, he's slammed his mouth against mine and is kissing me roughly all over. Silent tears well up in my eyes from the pain and the humiliation. I'm a love toy now, a toy that will be used over and over again until it breaks and cannot be glued roughly back together.

Bryce finally looks up and finds his friend's mouth all over mine. Frowning slightly, he orders, "Cool it, Liam! The guy's mine, remember? I got you a beer. Go drink that or mess with Darryl instead."

The yellow chameleon, obviously Liam, shrugs his shoulders and plops back onto the couch before grabbing the bluish chameleon's, Darryl's, arm. The larger chameleon could easily resist, but sits down besides Liam and makes no effort to resist when Liam crawls into his lap and tries to shove his tongue down Darryl's throat.

Disgusted, I look over at Bryce with wide eyes, wondering if this is the normal around here. Bryce catches my wrist and pulls me down onto the couch next to him as he whispers, "Crazy, aren't they? Not as crazy as us though..."

I soon learn what Bryce means by that because he wastes no time in dragging me onto his own lap. There are hands on my back, teeth on my neck, a tongue in my mouth. I ought to be getting used to this by now. To make things easier, I keep my eyes shut and start thinking about Vector and Charmy. What has Vector told Charmy about me? The knot in my stomach tightens as I realize that Vector will be upset when he gets off of the phone. What if he tells Charmy that I don't love him?

"Shit..." Liam curses, eyes on me and nose wrinkled. Pointing at my tail, Liam says, "He's bleeding."

"Huh? Oh. We had a little too much fun last night, didn't we?" Bryce asks, elbowing me with a smirk before he pushes me off of his lap and says, "Go clean yourself up and then meet us by the door."

Bryce doesn't have to tell me twice to get out of the room. I stumble along as quickly as I can with three intense pairs of eyes on me until I'm in the kitchen. Panting, I lean against the counter and focus first on catching my breath before I wet some paper towel and work on dabbing up the small stream of blood running down my leg. If Darryl hadn't felt the need to slam his finger into me, I would be just fine right now. Well, no, I would not be just fine, but I wouldn't be bleeding at least.

My thoughts go back to Charmy as I throw the paper towel into the trash bin across the room. Will I ever see the little bee's carefree, happy smile ever again? Will I ever watch Vector bob his head along to his music before shooting me a toothy grin when he realizes that I'm watching him?

"Are you coming or what?" Bryce's voice comes from the door, sounding extremely impatient.

Praying to the spirits that I will not start bleeding again in public, I walk carefully towards the door. Bryce immediately takes hold of my hand and kicks open the door. The streets are wet and puddles are everywhere after the rain from last night. The sky is gray and seems to fit my mood. Liam, Darryl, and Bryce chat on the way to the bar, but I pay no attention to their words or even to where we're going for that matter. I only focus on placing one foot after the other. Collapsing on the middle of the street would be mortifying.

About five minutes later, I'm pushed into a noisy building. Glancing upwards, I find myself in a smoky, dimly-lit bar. This bar is certainly located in the worst part of town. Everyone I know stays away from these streets. You would never find Vector, Sonic, or Knuckles in this part of town. Everyone likes to pretend places like these don't exist. Well, everyone except for the people who live on these streets or work in these buildings such as Bryce, Liam, and Darryl.

I skim the room quickly to take in my surroundings. There are booths and a few tables sprinkled throughout the main room. Provocatively dressed cats, bats, rabbits, and hedgehogs are everywhere, most of them accompanied by a male. Loud, crass music much worse than anything I've ever heard Vector listen to reverberates around the room and gives me an instant headache. I see a pinball machine in the very back of the room as well as a pool table.

"Alright, get to work, you fuckers," Bryce says, shoving Liam and Darryl off to do whatever it is they do in this place. Taking my arm, Bryce pulls me behind a counter coated in dust and says, "It's going to be your job to get everyone drinks and to refill their glasses if they buy seconds. You can do that, right?"

I nod immediately. Serving people seems like the thing I do best. Working at the bar can't be all that different than working at the cafe. My assumption is wrong. Everyone here is rude. One hedgehog comes in and slams a few crinkled bills on the counter before barking gruffly at me, "Get me a beer and then give me a refill in five minutes."

"Yes," I reply, turning around and immediately fetching a glass and filling it with the alcoholic beverage that makes me sick. Returning to the customer, I give him his drink and am surprised when the rough-looking hedgehog gives me a murderous glare before stomping off to the back of the room to play pinball.

I stare after the hedgehog with my lips pursed. The least he could do is say thank you. There's no need to glare at me. I've never met such rude people before. If Vector was here, he would drag me out of this smoky, foul-smelling building without a moment's pause and knock down anyone in our path.

Oh god, I'm already thinking violent thoughts after only one and a half days with Bryce. No matter what happens to me, I must make more of an effort not to lose myself along the way.

I keep an eye on the clock and decide to distribute refills in exactly five minutes. I pick up the heavy pitcher of beer and weave carefully around the tables until I reach the back of the room where the gruff hedgehog is leaning against the pinball machine.

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, a hand grabs my tail and yanks on it. Pain courses through me and the floor rises up to smack me in the face. The shattering of glass sounds from a slight distance away as the pitcher of beer smashes all over the floor. As I look upwards with shocked eyes, Darryl smirks and stalks by me. It's clear who just pulled my tail.

"Why you little bastard!" the hedgehog leaning against the pinball machine glares at me. "I'll make you pay for this!"

Everyone's attention turns to me at the loud tone of the hedgehog's voice. Before I can even attempt to get back to my feet, a foot comes slamming against my face. Garbled laughter from those watching me ricochets around and around inside my head. I feel another hard kick to my stomach before everything goes black.

When I open my eyes next, the bright lights and noisy chatter of the bar is gone. My body aches all over and even taking a gasping breath is painful. One of my eyes is swollen, so I keep that one closed as I peer around the room with the other eye. I'm back in Bryce's bedroom. Knives of fear cut into me. It's nighttime, isn't it? What will Bryce do to me now?

"Hey, you're awake, huh?" Bryce asks me from my side. I jump, which causes little explosions of agony to run through me. Bryce goes on, "You're jumpy. Guess today at the bar didn't go so well for you. You've gotta learn to be less clumsy."

I nod, biting my tongue so I won't make any noises of pain.

Bryce looks me up and down and says, "I don't think you'd be much fun tonight. Let's just go to bed. It looks like you could really use some rest. Better make sure you get it because we've got a lot to do tomorrow."

With that said, Bryce flicks off the light switch in the bedroom and lays down besides me, wrapping his arms around my waist before he falls asleep almost immediately. My mind is too numb to think of anything, even Vector. I just stare blankly at the ceiling, try to ignore the pain, and wait for morning to come.

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_Do you think we've seen the last of Liam and Darryl? Review please! :)  
_


	123. Team Chaos

**Hello everyone. :) Thank you all for continuing to read and review this! I really appreciate it. We're back to Vector for this chappie. Hope you like it!  
**

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**Chapter CXXIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

After I get Espio's phone call, I spend the rest of the day in shock. I just don't get it. How could Espio have faked his feelings for me during all those months we spent together? We were finally doin' so well together. I was the happiest I had ever been and I thought Espio was happy. He _seemed_ happy anyway. Guess I was wrong about that. I remember how the little chameleon was havin' dreams about me though. Maybe he started developing feelings for me after a while of faking it and wanted to get outta here before he really did fall for me.

My mind reaches a blank. Espio has been and always will be nothing more than a damn mystery. Yeah, I'm supposed to be a detective, but I'm not a very good one. My partner was lyin' in my face for the last eight months and I bought every single lie of his. I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. Worse, I feel hurt and used. I loved Espio more than anything else. How could he have betrayed me?

I could think about this all day, but it ain't gonna get me anywhere. It's best for me just to accept the truth and move on. Espio never loved me. He just went along with what I wanted because he thought he could get rich being part of Team Chaotix. The chameleon walked out on Charmy and me for either one of two reasons. Either he wanted to leave me before he got real feelings for me or he left because Team Chaotix was turnin' into the biggest failure of his life. For whatever reason it was, Espio is gone and I'm not ever gonna see him again.

I've been in Espio's bedroom all day long. I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I feel kinda lost without the small reptile. Even if I am the boss of Team Chaotix, he was the one comin' up with most of our plans and putting me to work. Without him, I just dunno what to do with myself. I should probably get around to editing the Team Chaotix website. Without Espio, it's just not Team Chaotix anymore.

...Eh, I'll edit the website later. I don't feel like getting on the internet right now. Part of me wants to go out and get a drink at a local pub. Drinkin' away my sorrows sounds like a real good plan right now. Just as I'm standing up to go to a bar, Espio's image appears in my mind. I remember promising him I wouldn't ever drink again.

I sit back down on the bed. Dammit, I'm keepin' my promise to Espio even if he's out of my life. The chameleon might have been a liar, but he did know a thing or two. Getting drunk only leads to more problems. Fine. So I won't go to the bar like I really want to. What the hell am I supposed to do with myself though?

The image of a sobbing little bee pops into the forefront of my mind as I search for something to do. A twinge of guilt nags at me as I remember leaving Charmy to face the news about Espio all alone. I probably shouldn't have done that. The kid's only seven-years-old. If I'm takin' this hard, he's taking it worse. Espio was like his mother to put it bluntly. What's a kid suppose to do without their mother?

Taking a deep breath, I get up from the bed and trudge across the room. I open the door by banging my shoulder into it and then cross the hallway into the living room. I've got no clue where Charmy might be or what he might be doin'. A quick look around the living room tells me that he's not playing his video game. I check the kitchen, but he's not there either. I'm starting to get panicky by the time I decide to check his bedroom. What if the stubborn bee decided to ignore my suggestion and went out to search for Espio all on his own? It can be dangerous for a kid to be all alone at night, especially if ya don't know what streets to avoid. There's a bad part of town that nobody ever talks about or goes to. 'Course, Charmy doesn't know that though.

Before I start out the door to go look for Charmy, I check his bedroom. My racing heart immediately turns to normal speed when I find a little lump in the bed. Charmy is sleeping, not searching for Espio in the dead of the night like I was worryin' about. Another stab of guilt hits me as I notice tissues flung all over the room. Charmy must've been crying over Espio. Tomorrow, I'll make an effort to comfort him. We were both tricked by that sly chameleon. We might as well help each other get over him.

Without anything else to do, I go back to my own bed. I guess the bed and the entire place is mine now that Espio's gone. I kinda think I deserve the house after he toyed with me like he did. Wonder where he's gonna go though? Is he gonna stick around town or move out?

I tell myself not to think about it. Who cares what Espio does? He's not my friend. He never was my friend. I should be glad he's outta my life and focus on the future. I've already decided to stay here and act as a sort of guardian to Charmy. He'd be so lost without Espio and me.

As I flop onto the bed and stare at the ceiling, my mind goes right back to the subject I'm tryin' not to think about. Forgetting Esp - er, Espio - isn't gonna be easy. I wonder how much he lied to me. I bet all the stories about his cousin were total bullshit. He probably made them all up just to avoid getting too close to me. Still, those scars on his body and the photographs of his cousin did seem real enough. Argh! Why am I still thinking about this? Even if Espio's stories were real, I shouldn't even care anymore. Hell, he might even have deserved being raped for all the hurt he's caused me!

Er, no, nobody deserves that kinda treatment. I'm too pissed off to think straight right now. I'll feel better in the morning. Right now, I'm still in shock. I can't believe that five little words could have completely changed my life like they did. After months of loving Espio, one single sentence of his smashed my heart.  
_  
I never loved you, Vector._

It's funny how those words turned me from the world's happiest croc into the world's most miserable croc. No matter how hard I try to forget the chameleon, I can't. Espio's shining amber eyes, the light brush of his hand against mine, and his shy little smile are things I don't wanna forget.

Hm. I'm getting nowhere thinkin' about all of this. It's time for bed. No more thinkin' about Espio tonight. Keeping this thought at the front of my mind, I close my eyes and try to sleep. It takes a long time for my body to relax and my mind to go blank. Finally, after what seems like ages, I fall asleep.

The next morning, I wake up and find that I actually do feel a little better. Just hearing Espio's name hurts me, but I'm gonna try real hard not to think about him today. It's gonna be my job to comfort Charmy after I sort of abandoned him yesterday. I do feel bad about leaving him to deal with Espio's news on his own yesterday. Does Espio ever feel bad about lying to me?

I get out of bed and tromp to the kitchen. Charmy still isn't up, so I figure that the least I can do is make him breakfast. I go to the fridge and open it up. It's full of foods Espio likes to eat. There's that gross lookin' almond milk he likes as well as lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the fridge. I pour the almond milk into the sink and throw the empty carton into the trash bin a little violently. I haven't done anything to get rid of the hurt and anger festering deep inside of me. I hope I'm not gonna end up exploding from it.

Since there's nothing edible in the fridge besides for the veggies, I go to the pantry and grab the chocolate cereal that Charmy likes so much. I pour him a large bowl full of it and then hesitate before pouring myself a bowl of the cereal too. I'm not hungry, but maybe eating will make me feel better.

After the cereal is poured, I grab both bowls and accidentally knock over the box of still-opened cereal on the counter. Cereal goes spilling all over the counter. Crap. Espio was always way better with all this cooking stuff than I am. Deciding to worry about the cereal later, I go to the living room and sit on one of the wooden chairs before tossing a handful of cereal into my mouth. It doesn't taste so good. It's too dry and crunchy.

As I'm debating about whether or not I should finish the cereal, the door to Charmy's bedroom creaks open and the little bee flies out of his room with his wings down and without his usual smile on his face. When he sees me, he stops and hovers where he is in midair, obviously not sure what kind of mood I'm in.

"Hey Charm," I tell him to make sure he realizes that I'm not still mad. Actually, that's a lie. I _am_ still furious at Espio for lyin' to me these last eight months, but I'm not gonna let it show anymore. Forcing myself to smile at Charmy, I point at the bowl of cereal I fixed for him and say, "Why don't ya come sit down? I got some cereal out for yeh."

"Um, okay," Charmy says, unable to turn down breakfast. He flies over to his chair and starts crunching on the cereal.

A long, awkward silence falls between us. I've gotta say something to Charmy, but what? I'm not good with words. Espio was a real smooth talker, but that was just never my thing. As much as I don't wanna talk about it, I realize that I'm gonna have to talk to Charmy about Espio at some point.

"So how's it goin', Charmy? Are ya feelin' alright?" I ask a really stupid question just to break the silence.

Charmy gives me a look that tells me he thinks I'm a bit of an idiot before he says, "That's a silly question, Vector."

"Er, yeah. I guess yer right," I reply before sighing and deciding to tackle the subject of Espio right now. "Look, I know yer real upset about Espio. I am too. Yeh know how much he meant to me. I guess we just didn't see him for what he was though. He was a real good liar and he used both of us. We need to just move on and forget about him. At least we've got each other, right?"

"Espio isn't a liar," Charmy says a little more firmly than he usually talks. "I know he would never lie to me! Espio loves me and cares about me. He told me that!"

Looks like it's gonna be a lot harder to get Charmy to see the truth than I thought it would be. He doesn't seem to want to face the truth. Can't blame him for that. I don't wanna face the truth either, but it's just something we've gotta do and doin' it sooner than later is best.

"I know he acted nice ta you. He was nice ta me too. That doesn't mean he didn't lie to us though," I try to explain this to Charmy as gently as I can.

"I _know_ Espio wouldn't have lied to me! He wouldn't have offered for me to live with him if he didn't care about me! He offered for me to live with him even before he met you," Charmy points out stubbornly. "I know him better than you do and I know that Espio is coming back!"

Oh god. How am I ever gonna get Charmy to see the truth? I'm not good at explainin' stuff like this and Charmy's attitude isn't making things any easier for me. Trying to keep my voice even - something else I'm not so good at - I add, "Charmy, Espio isn't coming back. He told me that on the phone. I know it's easier to pretend that he lied about that too, but that's the one truth he did give us. He's not comin' back. Let's tough it out together and accept the truth."

"You can give up on him if you want to, but I won't. I believe that Espio is coming back," Charmy says firmly, throwing a bit of cereal in his hand against the side of his bowl for emphasis.

"Look at it this way then; where is Espio now if he's supposedly coming back?" I ask Charmy. It's not a nice question, but I dunno how else to get the kid to accept the truth.

"I don't know, but I'm never giving up on him. I trust Espio," Charmy tells me resolutely in a voice that tells me that arguing with him isn't going to do me any good.

I sigh and decide to drop the subject of Espio for now. Talking to Charmy about him isn't doin' him any good. I wish the kid could just face the truth, but he's young and I guess he just can't accept the fact that Espio's really left us. I guess it's time for a new subject.

"I'm gonna redo the Team Chaotix website," I tell Charmy. "Let's change our team name. Without Espio, it ain't Team Chaotix. Whaddya want the new name to be?"

"I don't care since it's a temporary name," Charmy says with a shrug of his shoulders. "We'll change the name back to Team Chaotix when Espio comes back, right?"

"Sure, I guess," I sigh in defeat before choosing the first name that comes to my mind and asking Charmy, "What about Team Chaos?"

"Doesn't 'chaos' mean mess?" Charmy asks with a frown. "I guess it works if you want to be called 'Team Mess'. It does sound kind of cool, I guess though."

_ Team Mess_. I feel like that's exactly what Charmy and I are right now. Without Espio, we're just a damn mess. Charmy can't face the facts, I'm suffering the worst heartbreak possible, and together, we can't come to any resolutions. Espio, why did ya have to leave? Why'd yeh have to lie to us?!

"I finished breakfast. I'm going to go to Cream's house for a while," Charmy says, flying straight towards the door. It's obvious that he's trying to get away from me. I'm just not Espio to him.

"Alright, Charmy. Whatever ya want," I sigh, feeling like a failure. As Charmy opens the door, I suddenly get an idea and add ,"Say, do me a favor and ask Cream's mom to give me a call, won't ya?"

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_Vector is still being a stubborn idiot. :P What do you think he wants with Cream's mom? Review please! :)  
_


	124. Gradual Asphyxiation

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating yesterday. I had a stressful morning and I'm really sick again today. I swear life is just a constant circling of getting sick, starting to feel better, and then getting sick again. x_x Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you all have a great weekend even though I hate the weekends and am already looking forwards to Monday. This is kind of random, but I actual kind of like my OCs from this fic. Bryce is evil, yeah, but I like Liam and Darryl. :P Anyway, hope you all like this chapter! Thank you very much for the reviews, they are really appreciated. :)  
**

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**Chapter CXXIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wake to a world I don't want to wake up in. My body aches all over. Bright red splotches and angry purplish-black bruises are showing up all over my body after being kicked at the bar yesterday. I never knew people could be so cruel. Actually, that's not _quite_ true. After Bryce raped me at the party I met him at, I learned that people living on this planet are not pure and innocent. This world is fallen and so are the people living in it. There are some good people like Vector and Charmy and there are also evil people. I'm living in a world of evil right now.

I force my eyes open and glance around myself. I'm lying in Bryce's bed all alone for once. I let myself relax just a bit knowing that I have a few moments all to myself. Wanting to see just how injured I am, I hesitantly raise myself onto an elbow. Aches and pains shoot through me. I grit my teeth to keep from crying out or making any sort of sound of discomfort. I don't want to remind Bryce that he's left me alone in this disgusting bed. As much as I don't want to be here, I have to admit that being here alone is better than being here with a black chameleon lying on top of me.

As I scan the bedroom, my eyes fall onto the shelf where Bryce put my sneakers, scarf, and gloves. The metal shelf is high above my head and there's no way for me to reach it. However, the scarf is hanging down a few feet from the shelf. I wonder if I might be able to get to it if I stand on my tiptoes.

I hesitate as I realize that trying to reach the scarf is going to mean getting out of bed and walking. I give myself a sad sort of smile as I think about how much of a chore a simple task like walking as become for me. I'm very weak after Bryce forced himself on me and after I was beaten up at the bar. I haven't eaten since I arrived here, which is most likely a good thing since everything here is filthy. Unfortunately, it just adds to my weakness and tends to make my head spin dizzily every few minutes.

My eyes zone in on the scarf and I suddenly realize that I need to have it. That scarf was given to me by Vector and it even has a bit of Vector's scent on it. Just holding it will give me a bit of comfort. Now is the time to try and get it since Bryce is out of the room. He could return at any moment and an opportunity to get the scarf may never present itself to me again.

Setting my mouth in a firm line of determination, I sit up and bite my lip as white hot pain rushes through me at the sudden motion. Tasting blood in my mouth, I force myself out of the bed and stumble along until I'm standing directly below the shelf. It's a very long ways up, but if I stand on my toes and try to reach the scarf, I may be able to grab it.

Deciding to test out my theory, I put one hand on the wall and reach up with the other one. The scarf is just about two inches above my extended hand. Damn. I decide to jump for the scarf. Hand still stretched out above me, I use the muscles in my legs to jump. I only make it a few inches off of the ground, but it's enough. I grab hold of the edge of the scarf and yank it off of the shelf.

Crash! My legs can't support me after my fall and I topple to the floor with the scarf in my hand. I turn my head to the door anxiously, wondering if Bryce will come for me. One minute passes and then two. Bryce doesn't come. I stop holding my breath and pull the scarf close to me. The fabric feels warm and comforting. I bury my face in it and realize that it smells just like Vector.

Getting back to the bed will take too much effort, so I stay where I am on the ground with my head buried in the scarf Vector gave to me. It gives me a sort of comfort I didn't have before. I can't seem to sleep when Bryce is lying next to me on the bed. However, I am able to sleep when I'm on the hard floor holding the scarf. Using it as a pillow, I drift off into a painless slumber.

When I wake next, I'm shocked to find that Bryce still hasn't come for me. I can't help but feel like something is wrong. It's not like Bryce to leave me alone for too long. Part of me wants to figure out what he's doing just so I can have the peace of mind of knowing that he isn't planning a new way to torture me.

I've wrapped Vector's scarf around my neck and am sitting cross-legged on the floor. My eyes flick upwards and I manage to steal a glance at my reflection in the mirror on the opposite side of the room. Bryce removed the awful collar from around my neck and the gloves he forced me to wear yesterday, but the dark makeup he painted on my face is still there. It's oozed down my cheeks and has created a big mess. I look filthy and need to wash.

Forcing myself to my feet, I decide to kill two birds with one stone by finding Bryce and then asking his permission to use the shower. It takes me a long time just to cross the room. By the time I reach the door, I have to stop and rest just to catch my breath. After that, I ease open the door and step into the kitchen.

As soon as I've taken two steps into the kitchen, I come to a halt. Strange noises are coming from the living room. Panting, moaning, and screaming fills my ears. It sounds like someone is either being tortured or murdered. In this house, I can't say that one possibility is more likely than the other.

A dark figure leaning up against the counter and smoking a cigarette glances over at me. Bryce. He looks me up and down and gives a low whistle, "Shit, you don't heal well at all, do you? Guess I was right to let you rest all day. I hope your scales toughen up because working at a bar isn't for the weak."

I barely hear Bryce because I'm too concerned with trying to figure out who is murdering who in the other room.

Bryce suddenly notices my expression and laughs as he replies, "Oh, that's just Liam and Darryl at it again. They always argue over girls and end up fucking each other. Dunno if they're actually a couple or not. I guess so. They've been together for over a year now."

My cheeks flush as I realize what's going on in the other room. Nobody is being murdered although from the screams piercing the air, it certainly sounds like someone's getting beaten up. Ignoring the noises, I decide to be glad that the TV is blocking the view of the couch from me.

Returning to the task at hand, I ask politely, "May I use the shower again?"

"Hm..." Bryce muses for a few moments before his eyes zero in on my scarf. Jabbing a finger at it, he asks in an accusatory voice, "How'd you get that?"

Lying comes easily to me these days. In my same even voice, I reply, "It fell on the floor. I was cold and picked it up."

"Hmph. I see that you've forgotten that you're supposed to ask my permission before doing stuff like this," Bryce grabs the scarf from around my neck and yanks it off before he throws the only item I have from Vector into the trash bin. My eyes widen in alarm and Bryce narrows his eyes further at me as he accuses, "Your crocodile lover gave that to you, didn't he?"

I make no answer and stare blankly at the ground, already trying to figure out a way to retrieve the scarf when Bryce isn't look. Unfortunately, Bryce isn't going to take silence for an answer.

"DIDN'T HE?" Bryce repeats the question, grabbing my sore shoulders and rattling my body as he shakes me back and forth.

My head spins, and to keep from passing out in Bryce's arms while he's in a rabid mood, I say simply, "Yes."

"I knew it!" Bryce hisses, hands still on my shoulders although he's stopped the violent shaking at this point. I don't bother trying to get away from him since his hands are the only thing keeping me upright. After a moment of furious debating, a wicked grin crosses Bryce's face as he murmurs, "Alright, you can wash off, but it's not gonna be in the shower. You're going to go in the bath. With me."

Bryce's words sink in and I know that I'm in trouble. The black chameleon has already grabbed my wrist and is half-pulling, half-dragging me along to the bathroom. I stumble after him and try not to think about what Bryce is going to do to me in the bath. After we enter the bathroom, Bryce shoves me against the wall while he turns on the running water. The bath is small and two people will barely fit into it. No wonder I've never noticed it before.

The bath fills much too quickly, and before I know it, Bryce has yanked me over the side of it and I'm now submerged in the water up to my waist. The dark chameleon looks me up and down lustily before grabbing the same bar of soap with the green edge I used in the shower the other day and using it to clean me. I'm not quite certain why Bryce does this. I'm under the impression that he likes to think that he's taking care of me so to speak, but I don't know what goes through my cousin's mind nor do I want to know what goes through it.

"So you never did anything with that crocodile of yours, huh?" Bryce asks as he scrubs me a bit roughly.

I watch the bar of soap go up and down my sides, and don't respond.

"I expect answers to my questions," Bryce adds, his voice taking on a hard tone as he moves the soap to the inside of my legs and starts rubbing it against a place he shouldn't even have access to.

"N-no," I reply in a monotone, wishing that Bryce would just stop.

"You're a weird one, you know that? Pretty, feminine, and a good fuck, but also very weird," Bryce says before abruptly tossing the bar of soap at me and saying, "Your turn."

I catch the bar of soap and inconspicuously turn it so that I'm using the green edge of it on Bryce's body as I scrub him clean. It's rather silly of me, I suppose, but I like to think that I'm getting back at him in some way or the other. Truth be told, I much prefer washing Bryce than having him wash me. I hate having hands on my body. They strike fear up inside me.

As I wash Bryce's body, he watches me with intent eyes. After a while, he gets bored and tugs the bar of soap out of my hands before tossing it out of the bath. When I give him a puzzled look, he says, "The soap only does so much good. Use your mouth."

My mouth? Bryce really can't be serious. He doesn't actually want me to...I can't even bring myself to think of it. In a timid voice, I ask, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't play the innocent card with me," Bryce rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."

I do know what he means, but I still can't believe that Bryce is being serious. I look from him to the surface of the water. Although I know better than to protest, I try to get Bryce to see how insane this is by pointing out, "I'll choke."

"Do I look like I care?" Bryce asks, starting to get impatient with me before he grabs my horn and shoves my head down towards the water.

Knowing that this is never going to work and that I'll probably end up drowning - which might not be such a bad thing - I feel my head shoved under the water towards Bryce's crotch. He keeps a firm hand on my head to keep me under the water until I fulfill his wishes. I ought to do this quickly. This sooner it's over, the sooner I can breath again.

Shuddering slightly at the degrading thing I'm about to do, I part my lips to take Bryce into my mouth. Water is already between my lips, spilling down my throat and choking me. I haven't even begun what Bryce wants me to do and I already need air. Bryce shoves my head forwards, forcing himself into my mouth. I choke and gag both from Bryce in my mouth and from the water in my lungs. Obviously annoyed that I'm not doing anything besides trying not to drown, Bryce squeezes my horn. Intense pain floods through me and I try to slide my lips up and down Bryce's shaft without choking to death in the process. More water rushes into my lungs. My vision starts to blur.

Just when I don't think things can get any worse, Bryce grabs my head with his other hand and uses it to shove himself all the way back to the back of my throat. A dark haze surrounds me as Bryce continues to push my head this way and that. I need to breathe, but how can I ever escape to the surface of the water with Bryce's firm grip on me? There's only one thing I can do to keep myself alive and so I do it. I bite.

A putrid, whitish liquid pours into my mouth and down my throat. From what seems like miles away, I hear Bryce cussing from above the surface of the water. With only the thought of getting oxygen in my head, I move towards the surface of the water, but am suddenly stopped. Something is holding me down. I fight and thrash against it, but it's no use. Bryce is taking revenge on me for biting him. I gasp underwater, accidentally allowing more water to go pouring into my lungs. A horrible burning sensation fills me. It gets worse and worse by the moment until the side of the bath blurs and everything falls dark.

* * *

_More evil Bryce! Do you think that things can get any worse for Espio? Review please! :)  
_


	125. Moving On

**Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I forgot all about how it is St. Patrick's Day until five minutes ago. Everyone is still sick here and things are just really blah right now. Anyway, thank you all for continuing to read this. Let me know what you think of this chapter. :)  
**

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**Chapter CXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I asked Charmy to tell Miss Vanilla to call me. Why? Well, I'm thinkin' that the best way to get over Espio is to hook up with someone else. Miss Vanilla seems like the only person I know who might consider hooking up with me. Problem is that I was the one to break up with her. I remember tellin' her that the reason I broke up with her was because I loved Espio more, probably not a very good thing to tell someone you might wanna get back together with in the future. Ya never really know what other people are thinking though. There's always a possibility that Miss Vanilla might wanna get back into a relationship with me if I tell her how sorry I am for breaking up with her and about how my relationship with Espio turned out to be just a huge mistake.

I flinch at the word "mistake". Was that all my relationship with Espio was? I guess so, I mean, what else do ya call a one-sided relationship where one of the people in it lies to the other person for eight long months? A feeling of bitterness lodges itself inside my chest. Try as I might, I can't seem to get the purple chameleon out of my head. I sit on the couch and instead of watching the TV, I'm thinking about Espio and what he might be doin' right now. Does he ever think about me anymore? I sure as hell think about him.

Time passes by slowly as I wait for Miss Vanilla's call. She _will_ call me, won't she? I don't think Charmy will forget to pass my message on to her, but ya never know with Charmy if he gets excited about something. He has a tendency to forget everything then. There's also the possibility that Miss Vanilla won't wanna call me after I broke up with her and so she might ignore my request.

I worry about all of this for a long five minutes before realizing how stupid I'm acting. If I wanna get back into contact with Miss Vanilla, I should be the one to give her a call, dammit! Why am I tryin' to make her be the one to call me? I need to just toughen up and be the one to give her the call. Now is the perfect time to do that.

Mind made up, I get up from the couch and tromp into the kitchen with the intention of calling Miss Vanilla. Just as I'm reaching for the phone, it begins to ring. Talk about ironic timing! I hesitate before picking up the phone, wondering who might be callin' me. It could actually be a number of people. It could be Miss Vanilla of course, someone callin' in need of Team Chaos, or it could be Espio.

Argh, here I am goin' on about Espio again! Shaking my head at myself, I pick up the phone with a little more effort than is necessary to pick up a phone and shove it against my ear. In case it is Miss Vanilla, I take a deep breath to calm myself before I say, "Hey, this is Vector speakin'."

"Hello, dear," Miss Vanilla's warm, pleasant voice sounds from the other end of the phone. "Charmy said you wanted me to give you a call?"

"Er, yeah," I reply, suddenly realizing that I haven't figured out exactly what I want to say to Miss Vanilla yet. It would probably be easier to tell her about Espio in person instead of blabbin' about it over the phone. I go on, "Do ya think we can get together this afternoon maybe? If yeh already have plans, tomorrow then?"

"I don't have any plans at all. My afternoon is completely open. Would you like to come over? I just baked some cupcakes and I'd love for you to be the first to try them out," Miss Vanilla says.

"That would be great. Thanks, ma'am. I'll be over in just a few minutes," I tell Miss Vanilla gratefully before hanging up the phone and immediately striding towards the door. The sooner I get outta here, the better.

The walk to Miss Vanilla's house ain't a long one, but as I stride along the pathway, it seems long to me. I have too much time to think about what I'm gonna say to Miss Vanilla. Should I tell her everything about Espio or should I just tell her I made a mistake and broke up with him? Nah, I can't tell her I broke up with him because that's not true, and for some reason, I just can't lie ta Miss Vanilla. Am I even making the right choice by going to Miss Vanilla and asking her to heal my broken heart? I don't even know if I have any real feelings for her. Whether I wanna admit to it or not, I know that Espio was the one who I really loved. There was something electrifying that shot through me and made my insides tingle every time I touched him and every time he sent one of those shy little smiles in my direction. Things could have been so good for us if Espio hadn't faked his affection for me the whole time.

Anger and hurt mix and become one inside me. I shove Espio out of my mind as I come to a halt in front of Miss Vanilla's cozy little home. After adjusting the gold chain around my neck and squaring my shoulders, I take a deep breath and knock politely on the door. It opens after just a few seconds.

"Hello, Vector," Miss Vanilla says sweetly as she opens the door wide and waves me inside. "Do come in!"

I step inside and give her a grateful smile as I reply, "Thanks. Sorry for comin' over after such a late notice. It's real nice of ya to see me like this. Are Charmy and Cream out?"

"Yes. They just went off to the park actually. I think they will be there for quite some time," Miss Vanilla answers my question as she leads me to the living room and motions for me to sit down on the couch. "Please sit down. There are cupcakes and some tea on the coffee table if you would like them."

I send a sideways look at the cupcakes on the coffee table. Usually, they'd already have caught my eye and I'd be chomping on one right now. Today, things are different. My mind isn't on food for once. I do wanna be polite though, so I grab a cupcake anyway and take a big bite of it. It seems flavorless and dry to me, but that's probably just because I'm so distracted right now.

"Yer cupcakes are really good!" I lie just to be polite.

"Thank you very much, dear. I'm very glad you like them," Miss Vanilla smiles at me from across the couch. "Now, I'm sure you didn't give me a call just because you wanted to drop by on a whim. I have a feeling that something might be troubling you. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I've got a few problems right now. 'Course, I did just wanna see yeh too though," I reply, not wanting to sound rude. Looking up, I meet Miss Vanilla's kind brown eyes and realize that she really _does_ care about me. I wanna tell her the whole truth. Leaning forwards, I ask, "Can I talk to yeh about anything, ma'am? Anything at all?"

"Of course you can," Miss Vanilla nods kindly. "Please do tell me what's troubling you. Perhaps there is something I can do to help you."

I thought I had decided not to tell Miss Vanilla about Espio fakin' his role in our relationship, but the entire truth is already spilling out of my mouth as I say, "It's Espio. He left me and Team Chaotix. Gave me a phone call just three days ago. It was a short call. He told me that he never loved me and that he had faked our entire relationship 'cuz he was scared of me. Espio's gone for good now."

I hate the sadness clearly notable in my voice, but I can't seem ta talk about Espio without feelin' sad. Miss Vanilla's smile has faded and has been replaced with a sympathetic expression. She reaches out and touches my hand with a light, gentle one as she exclaims, "Oh my! That sounds absolutely dreadful. I'm very sorry to hear this. I never thought Espio was the type to fake a relationship with someone. He always seemed so very polite and quiet. Are you certain this isn't just a misunderstanding?"

"Nope, it ain't just some stupid misunderstanding. I wish it was though," I reply without thinking and then end up mentally smacking myself. Here I am in this living room with the intention of getting back with Miss Vanilla and I'm telling her about how sad I am over Espio!

"I'm so sorry," Miss Vanilla apologizes again, looking extremely compassionate to my cause. "I would never have guessed Espio might do something like this. You must be feeling miserable!"

"Well, yeah. I am kinda feelin' miserable right now," I admit. Shaking my head, I throw my hands up into the air and say, "I just had no idea, ya know? I trusted Espio with my life. It never occurred to me that everything he said to me was all just a mixture of lies! How could he do this to me? I loved him and he...he..."

My voice cracks and I realize that there are tears in my eyes. Geez, now is not the time to tear up and get sentimental! I'm tryin' ta get myself a girl, not a sympathy party! It's kinda too late though and I'm forced to turn away in embarrassment as one tear leaks down my cheek. I haven't had a good cry over Espio yet and I guess I'm gonna have to have one before I can get over him completely.

"Here's a tissue," Miss Vanilla says softly as she turns over one of my hands and gently places a tissue in my palm.

"T-thanks, ma'am," I reply as I use the tissue to roughly wipe the tear away. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to try and calm down. Right now, I feel like I could easily break into sobs, but I can't. I'm at Miss Vanilla's house for Christ's sake!

"Here are some more tissues in case you need them," Miss Vanilla tells me in that same sympathetic voice she's been using with me all afternoon. "Feel free to go ahead and cry if you need to. I like to think that I can be a good comforter. Cream tells me that I am, but I have yet to comfort someone besides her."

"Thanks, but I...I think I'm gonna be alright," I nod firmly, tryin' to convince myself that I'm gonna be alright. I force the rest of the tears back and take a shaky breath before I send Miss Vanilla a half-smile and apologize, "Sorry 'bout that. I thought I was over Espio already."

"It isn't easy to get over someone special, especially someone you loved," Miss Vanilla says intelligently as she reaches out and takes my hand again. Her hand is warm and gentle, but I don't feel any sparks from her touch. Definitely no sparks like the ones I got when I touched Espio's hand. Miss Vanilla goes on, "It may take a few days before you're able to move on. That's completely normal. I've had my heart broken several times before in my life. It was very difficult at first, but as time went on, I was able to accept the truth and move on."

Guilt suddenly pours through me and I find myself asking without being sure if I want the answer to my question or not, "Was I one of the ones who broke yer heart?"

Miss Vanilla intentionally looks down at our clasped hands so she can't look me in the eye as she murmurs, "You needn't worry about that now, dear. You have a very heavy burden on your shoulders right now. I can only imagine what you're going through. I know you loved Espio very much."

"Yeah, I did," I admit, seeing no point in denying the truth. "I did love him. I gave him everything and all he gave me were made up lies! I don't get it. Do ya think there's sumthin' wrong with me?"

"Oh no, of course not," Miss Vanilla replies firmly. She meets my gaze again with her gentle brown eyes and murmurs, "There is absolutely _nothing _wrong with you, Vector. You're a lovely person. I would consider anyone who you might want to be in a relationship with very lucky indeed."

I listen to Miss Vanilla's words and suddenly realize that it sounds like she might actually want to get back with me even after all I've done.

"I really need ta apologize to ya," I admit. "It was wrong of me to break up with ya. I really do like yeh, ma'am. I'm sorry if I ever hurt ya. That was something I never meant ta do."

"It's quite alright. I understand completely," Miss Vanilla replies with a nod.

I've never been good with words, so I decide to stop beating around the bush and just get to the point. Taking a deep breath, I ask, "Will ya let me date yeh again? I swear I'll do it right this time. I never should have broken up with ya in the first place. I was just bein' stupid. Please give me another chance. I won't ever break yer heart again."

Miss Vanilla looks a little shocked at my words. She hesitates for a moment before replying, "Why, there isn't anything I'd like more than to date you. Do you think you're ready to date again though? Perhaps it would be best for you to take a few days to get over Espio first?"

"Hm. Yeah, I guess that might be a good idea," I admit, realizing that I'm not over the chameleon yet. "Whaddya think about comin' over to my house on Friday evening? That's three days from now. I should be over Espio by then."

"That sounds just fine. I will certainly be there," Miss Vanilla says with a smile as she gently squeezes my hand.

"Great! Yeh really are sumthin' special," I tell Miss Vanilla before blushing slightly and leaning over to kiss her cheek. I've finally made a start to movin' on. I'm gonna date a beautiful woman and forget all about Espio. This is gonna work out just fine...right?

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_Vector can be such an idiot sometimes. :P How do you think his first date with Miss Vanilla will go? Review please! :)  
_


	126. Pinball Predicament

**Here's a quick update because I'm really sick (again, ugh!) and I'm short on time. Thank you VERY much for the reviews for the last chapter. They really help me get through the day. This chapter contains rape, so just a heads up. Let me know what you think of the chapter if you decide to read it. :)  
**

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**Chapter CXXVI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wake inside the bath, although now it's been drained of water and I'm simply lying at the very bottom of it. Bryce must have decided I wasn't worth dragging out of it after I had "misbehaved" the other day. Fear suddenly clutches at my heart. Did I make Bryce angry enough to consider going after Vector? My pulse starts racing and I suddenly need to know where Bryce is and what he's doing. How long have I been lying here for? I have no way to tell what time it is or how much time has passed since earlier.

Needing to get up and find Bryce to know that Vector is safe, I try and sit up. A sudden impulse to throw up overtakes me. Clutching at my stomach, I lean over the side of the bath and vomit up mostly water. I haven't eaten for days now, but I am full of water after Bryce decided to attempt to drown me after I bit him during our episode in the bath.

I don't think about myself as I tumble over the side of the bath and onto the filthy ground. My head is spinning and I realize that I need to eat. Biting my tongue, I force myself to my feet and drag my way through the bathroom, through the bedroom, and then into the kitchen. I expect to find Bryce there or in the living room. Where else would he be?

My expectations prove to be correct. As soon as I appear in the doorway of the bedroom, I find Bryce with his head in the refrigerator. He grabs a cold beer and then turns blood red eyes on me. I meet his gaze with steady eyes. As long as he hasn't dressed me up and as long as I'm not bleeding, I have enough dignity to look him in the face.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up," Bryce points out, scrutinizing me carefully. "Let's hope you learned your lesson from the other day. I should've drowned you, but your ass is too nice to waste. Liam and Darryl are already at the bar. We're going to go there next."

I ignore the way Bryce down talks to me and try to find a way that will help me figure out whether or not Vector is alright. I can't very well just ask Bryce about him. I don't want to remind Bryce that he has my lover's life in his hands in case he's forgotten about it.

"Come on," Bryce says, grabbing my hand and pulling me back into the bedroom. "You're obviously not going to the bar looking like that."

I cringe since I know exactly what this means for me. Bryce will fulfill his fantasy and dress me up however he wants again. Once he forces me to sit down on the bed, I resolutely turn my body away from the mirror, deciding that it's for the best if I don't know what I look like. Bryce crosses the room and sorts through one of the messy drawers of his dusty cabinet before he returns to me with the same gloves, sneakers, and collar he forced me to wear last time I went to the bar.

As Bryce fastens the collar around my neck, I dare to ask, "How long have I been passed out for?"

"Just a day," Bryce replies, tugging the collar around my neck a bit tighter than before. I suspect that this is some sort of punishment, but decide not to comment on it. Bryce pushes one of my eyelids down and takes to drawing eyeliner around the corners of my eye before he shoves fake eyelashes against the top of my eyelid. Shame and humiliation roll over me. I can't stand looking like this. Thankfully, Bryce hurries along with the makeup and finishes with me after just five minutes. He tugs me off of the bed and says, "Come on. We're already late."

Just like an obedient slave, I trail after Bryce, my head still spinning dizzily from lack of food. On the way to the kitchen, I stumble three times. If it weren't for Bryce's iron tight grip on my hand, I would have fallen each and every time.

Annoyed, Bryce turns on me and snaps, "What's wrong with you?! Oh, I get it. You haven't eaten since you got here, huh? Guess I could give you a little something. Here, eat this on our way to the bar. If we don't hurry the fuck up, Darryl and Liam will insist that they deserve all the money we earn today."

Bryce shoves a bag of potato chips into my free hand as he continues towards the door of the house. I don't like potato chips by any means. They're greasy, fatty, and certainly not nutritional. However, under the current circumstances, I'm grateful for anything I'm given to eat. My stomach feels empty and I know that I will pass out of I don't eat.

Outside, it's raining. Droplets of water drip onto my head and run down my body. Bryce curses under his breath while I try and open my bag of chips with one hand. After five minutes of getting nowhere with them, I lean down and use my teeth to tear open the bag. I feel just like a wild, starving animal. The thought makes me shudder, but I'm mostly glad to have the bag of chips open. I eat them too fast and find that my stomach doesn't react well to the food after being empty for so long. By the time we reach the bar, I feel even more queasy and sick than before. The only good thing is that I haven't fainted.

Bryce pushes the door to the bar open violently, still upset about the rain for some reason or another. The two of us are immediately engulfed in a smoky, foul-smelling atmosphere. The bright, flashing lights inside the bar blind me and the loud, degrading lyrics of the music make me wish that I had earplugs. Bryce wastes no time in dragging me behind the counter of the bar where I worked yesterday.

"You know what to do," he tells me, already stalking off to find Darryl and Liam. "Do your job and don't screw things up like last time!"

Since Bryce has turned and cannot see me, I allow myself to glare at his back. It's as if he thinks I asked to be beaten up the last time I was here. I certainly didn't ask for a beating and I certainly haven't asked for any of this. If Bryce hadn't threatened me with hurting Vector, I would have done everything in my power to try and escape him. However, the fact remains that he_ did _threaten Vector and I will continue to do everything in my power to sate Bryce's abnormal temper to keep the crocodile safe. I will continue to living in a nightmare until I simply cannot go on anymore.

I serve drinks for a few hours without having any incident. I'm starting to think that today may end up being a fairly decent day as far as things at the bar go. I've gotten several glares and unfriendly looks, but nobody has laid a hand on me yet. Glowers and stares I can take. Physical abused I can only take to a certain extent. Everyone's body will break after a while.

"My pals back there and I want five bottles of beer," the largest chameleon I've ever seen in my life suddenly barks at me in a gruff voice as he points to the back of the bar by the pinball machine.

I know that staring isn't polite and I usually do try not to stare, but this chameleon is simply ginormous. He's even bigger than Darryl and I'm forced to crane my neck upwards to look at him. Figuring that this is a customer that I do not want to upset, I immediately set two bottles of beer on the counter.

"Don't give them to me, you lazy bastard. Bring 'em to my friends. I'll pay you once you've done that," the chameleon sneers at me before turning and sauntering off to the pinball machine.

I'm starting to get a very bad feeling about this. Something doesn't seem quite right here. Whenever I used to mention my bad premonitions to Vector, he would always tell me that I was just being paranoid. However, in this situation, I don't think that it's just paranoia bothering me. It seems suspicious that the chameleon couldn't just take the beer bottles from me. There's a reason why he wants me to walk them over to him and his group of friends.

Unfortunately, I don't have any choice in the matter and have to do as the enormous chameleon ordered me. Bryce told me the other day to do whatever it takes to keep the customers happy here. I suppose that's what I'm going to do right now.

Tucking five beer bottles under my arms and doing my best to forget about how ridiculous I look wearing makeup and the items Bryce decorated me with such as the spiked collar and glove cuffs, I pick my way around the tables in the bar and go straight to the back where the chameleon and his friends are all eying me. I walk straight up to the chameleon, pretending to be unafraid as I hand him one of the bottles. He simply stares at me and doesn't pay up.

Shadows fall over me as I look the chameleon in the eye. The only thing more important to Bryce than keeping his customers happy is money. He won't be happy if this chameleon doesn't pay up and the punishment will fall onto my shoulders.

As dark shadows begin to loom over my head, I rip my eyes away from the glittering black eyes of the large chameleon to see where the shadows are coming from. The chameleon's friends are surrounding me. One of them is a hedgehog with matted fur and bloodshot eyes. Two other hedgehogs with nasty grins on their faces press in on me from my right. My claustrophobia gets the better of me and I drop the remaining bottles tucked under my arms. My chest is tight and I can't breathe. What does this group want with me?

"Clumsy idiot," the chameleon hisses as his lip curls malevolently. He looks me up and down and asks, "What are you supposed to be anyway? A cross-dressing prostitute or something else?"

"Who cares what he's supposed to be? I wouldn't mind getting my hands on him," the hedgehog with the matted brown fur and bloodshot eyes slurs in my face.

A hand suddenly grabs my shoulder and pushes me towards the pinball machine. I try to yank away, but despite the fact that I ate earlier, I'm still much weaker than the rough gang closing in on me. Trying to look my assaulter in the eye, I whirl around and state in a deadly low voice, "Let go of me."

"Hm. Well, if you say so," the hedgehog with a firm grip shrugs his shoulders before he pushes me backwards, sending me staggering against the pinball machine.

"Even though you smashed our beer bottles, I _did _promise to pay you, didn't I?" the large chameleon asks, his eyes gleaming as he takes a step forwards and suddenly pushes me up onto the pinball machine. Glancing at his hedgehog friends, the chameleon orders, "Hold him down."

A hand grabs my wrist and pins it above my head. Another hand does the exact same thing to my other wrist. I'm not stupid. I can see exactly where this is going. It's one thing to be abused by my cousin because I know that I'm saving Vector by putting up with it. I will not - and I repeat will not - let anyone else take me without putting up a fight.

As the hands pin me down, I meet the eyes of the chameleon looming above me and hiss at him. He leers and me, so I spit and kick him as hard as I can. The chameleon stumbles backwards and I seize my opportunity to get free. I tear myself away from the nails biting into my shoulders and slide off of the pinball machine. I don't get father than one step forward before more rough hands seize me. There are hands on my arms, on my throat, and over my mouth. I bite, thrash, and kick in an attempt to save myself.

My escape attempts prove to be futile. I'm slammed back up onto the pinball table with the large chameleon's greedy hands already forcing my legs apart. He spits in my face as he presses his hot, sticky body against mine and asks, "What's the problem? Aren't you suppose to like this sort of thing, you little whore?"

The word hits me hard like a slap in the face. I stare daggers at the chameleon and continue trying to fight to break free of the hands holding me down. I am Bryce's whore, but that is by choice to save Vector. I would never ever become someone else's whore.

All coherent thoughts suddenly fizzle out of my head as sharp, all-consuming pain ripples through me. The chameleon shoves his entire length within me, ripping and tearing me in his struggle. The fight goes out of me and I immediately fall limp as the chameleon begins thrusting deeper and harder inside me. My head is filled with feverish pain, and despite the fact that I am no longer attempting to get free, the hedgehogs' hands still clutch at all parts of my body. Someone is holding my thighs open. Someone else has grabbed my horn.

Any pride I've ever felt in being a swift, intelligent chameleon is stripped from me as my body is shredded before my very eyes. Never again will the name Espio provoke respect in people. I am nothing. I have no feelings according to the rough gang of hedgehogs and chameleons surrounding me. All I am is a body, a body that is here for them to use and tear apart for their own purposes.

Sweat flies from the chameleon's body as he digs more vigorously within me. How deep will he try to get? How far is enough? I'm already torn and bleeding. Is this chameleon trying to kill me? I thought that nobody could be more cruel than my cousin, but as agony continues to ripple through me, I realize that I have been blind. There is a very dark side to this world and there are people more evil than my cousin.

Finally, the chameleon shatters inside me and sends spurts of warm, whitish liquid within me. My stomach heaves. I need to get sick, but I can't when I'm being held down at every angle. I expect the chameleon and his friends to drop me and leave me lying on the floor, but instead, the hedgehog with the bloodshot eyes takes the chameleon's place. His eyes shine wickedly at me before he wastes no time in taking me even more brutally than the chameleon. I can feel him thrumming inside me and this time can hear the gang surrounding the pinball machine jeering and chanting. They urge the hedgehog to go on, tell him to go faster...

I squeeze my eyes shut and allow my soul free of my body. I float to the ceiling and watch my numb, motionless figure trapped on the pinball machine as the hedgehog mocks me for dressing like a whore. He says I deserve this. My skin is slick with sweat and tears of pain roll out of the corners of my closed eyes as I observe myself from far away. I know that I'm going to die here. It will be a pathetic death, but what chance did I ever have against a group of seven drunk hedgehogs and chameleons? No chance at all.

I hear my breath coming in short, quick gasps as the hedgehog above me finally reaches a peak and pulls out of me before releasing all over my stomach. There's more laughing and jeering as another hedgehog is pushed towards me. He will rape me too. They all will if they get the chance to.

Unsure of how much longer my body can put up with this type of abuse, I think of everything important to me just in case I do die here in the next few minutes.

Vector. The name of my best friend in the whole world comes to my mind first. Sadness beyond any sorrow I've ever felt before grips me. I recall Vector's toothy smile, his laugh, and the way he'd say my name. I wonder what he thinks of me now? I lied to him for his own safety. I know him well enough to know that he will have bought my lie.

_Oh, Vector_, I make a silent plea to him that he will never hear. _ If only you could see me now. I never meant to hurt you. I lied to you to save you. Does that make any sense at all? You tell me. I cannot think straight anymore. All I know is that I _do_ love you. I love you more than anything. I had hoped to see you once more, but I don't think that's possible. Please forgive me._

My soul is jerked back into my broken body as a hand slaps my face. There's a voice above me jeering, "Open your eyes, slut! I wanna see how much you're enjoying this!"

The third hedgehog still has his hands wrapped around my fragile hipbones and is continuing to grate mercilessly inside me. I lose a bit more of my soul in every second that passes. Just when I know that I can't stand a moment more of this, a voice shouts. It sounds very familiar.

"Get the fuck away from him! He's mine! Get the hell out, you fuckers! Go!" the loud, harsh voice of my cousin yells from what seems like hundreds of miles away.

Everyone in the gang must recognize Bryce as the owner of the bar because I'm immediately released. I crumple on top of the pinball machine in a mixture of sweat, tears, blood, spit, and other substances I won't name. Bryce comes to stand over me and then shakes his head in disbelief.

"Damn. Guess it was a bad thing to bring you here after all."

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_Bryce seems jealous. Do you think he'll bring Espio to the bar again? Review please! :)  
_


	127. Instant Regrets

**Well, it's Tuesday, one of my favorite days of the week. :) It's snowing a lot here right now, and although I like the cold, I'm ready for spring/summer! Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter. Here's another one, which again contains sexual content, so here's your warning. It's kinda...awkward as you'll see if you read the chapter, lol. Let me know what you think of it!  
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**Chapter CXXVII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Three days since the day I first met with Miss Vanilla have passed. I'm real shocked that she decided to take me back even after the way I treated her. Guess I never realized I broke her heart until we chatted about it during our last meeting. I was a fool to break up with a sweet, beautiful woman for a smooth talking, lying chameleon. What the hell did I ever see in Espio anyway? Yeah, he was mysterious and alluring, but I never really knew him. The real Espio was always hidden from me. I've spent the last eight months in a relationship with a lie. Great.

'Course, I gotta admit that the lie was pretty damn good while it lasted. In fact, the lie is so good that I find myself still missin' Espio. Even now when I know he's nothing but a liar, I still miss him! How much sense does that make? Not much sense at all, huh? I'm glad I'm meeting with Miss Vanilla tonight. Maybe visiting with her for a while will get my mind off of the purple chameleon for a bit.

I'm busy studying myself in the bathroom mirror to make sure I'm lookin' like the attractive croc I'm meant to be when Charmy flies into the bathroom without bothering to knock. I narrow my eyes at him and immediately lose my charm as I point out, "At least learn ta knock, Charmy! What are ya? Five?"

"No, I'm seven now, actually," Charmy giggles, obviously thinking that the whole situation is kind of funny. When I continue to scowl, he gives me a sheepish look and says, "Sorry, Vector."

"Yeah, well, just remember ta knock next time," I reply grudgingly before realizing that I'm gonna have to tell Charmy that I'm havin' Miss Vanilla over at some point before she gets here. I dunno how he's gonna take the news. I think Charmy likes Miss Vanilla, but I've never talked to him about her before. Still examining myself in the mirror, I ask, "Say, do ya think I could talk to yeh in the living room?"

"Um, sure, I guess," Charmy shrugs after a moment's thought. "I'll meet you there!"

With that said, Charmy turns and flies from the room. I give myself one last look in the mirror before I adjust the gold chain around my neck and tromp after Charmy. He's perked up a little bit since the day Espio left, but he's still not given up on the chameleon. Everyday, he insists on tellin' me that Espio ain't a liar and that he's coming back someday. Since I've noticed he's real stubborn and won't listen to me no matter what I say, I just listen to him and nod along absentmindedly. He'll accept the truth in time.

I step into the living room and find Charmy lounging on the couch looking extremely bored. When I step into the room, he glances up at me with bored brown eyes and asks, "Will you read me a story out of my storybook tonight? Espio used to read to me at least one night a week before bed."

"Sorry, Charm. I've got plans for tonight," I reply quickly, a little too glad to have gotten out of readin' Charmy a bedtime story. Espio might like reading adventure stories to Charmy, but I sure don't like reading of any sort. I'm starting to wonder if Espio really was a girl after all. Oh wait, I remember fondling him that night I got drunk. Guess he's not a girl...

"You have plans for tonight?" Charmy repeats my statement, jerking me out of my thoughts about - ya guessed it - Espio. The little bee's eyes light up as he asks, "What are we going to do? Are we going to go see a movie or do something really fun? There's this ninja movie out that Espio was telling me about last week. We should go see that!"

Argh, must everything that comes out of Charmy's mouth have sumthin' to do with Espio? It seems like the kid is doing everything possible to keep me from forgetting about Espio. That's exactly the opposite of what I'm trying to do, dammit! My only goals in life right now are to win Miss Vanilla's heart, forget Espio, and make Team Chaos a success. Charmy's not helping with any of these things.

"I kinda meant that_ I _have plans for tonight, meanin' that they concern only me," I tell Charmy lightly, trying not to make him feel bad. Charmy's expression has already fallen though and he looks extremely disappointed. I try to keep him from feeling bad as I add, "Ya wouldn't want to hang out with me tonight. I'm havin' a date over."

"You can't have a date over! That's not right!" Charmy suddenly frowns at me, getting that stubborn glint in his eyes.

"And just why can't I have a date over?" I frown right on back at him.

"Because you love Espio, of course!" Charmy points out as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world. "You shouldn't date anyone else when you know how much he loves you and how much you love him. Yeah, he's not around right now, but he'll come back. I just know it! Don't you know that you'll break Espio's heart if he comes back here and finds you dating someone else?"

I give a harsh laugh and say in a gruff voice, "Charmy, let's just get this straight here a sec. Espio was the one who broke my heart. He dated me for seven months and then told me on the telephone that he never loved me. There was nothin' ever there between us. Don't ya get it?"

"I don't believe it," Charmy says resolutely as he sticks his nose in the air and adds, "You probably just heard him wrong. I mean, you've always got that loud music playing in your ears. It wouldn't be that hard to mistake something Espio said."

"I know what I heard! Can't ya just grow up already and face the facts? How many times am I gonna have to tell ya that Espio's not comin' back? Yeah, I miss him, but he doesn't miss me and he doesn't miss yeh either," I reply a little angrily, having had enough of the topic of Espio for one night. Folding my arms across my scaly chest, I add a bit selfishly, "Miss Vanilla is gonna be here any time now and yeh had better get used to her 'cuz she's gonna be my sweetheart from here on out. Got that?"

"You're being so silly, Vector!" Charmy says, not realizing that I've already been pushed to my limit tonight. "Espio wouldn't ever leave us without a good explanation. I don't see why you haven't gone out and looked for him yet. He might be in trouble!"

"Charmy, for the thousandth time, Espio is not in trouble and he's not comin' back! Geez!" I yell, throwing my hands up in the air in annoyance.

Knock, knock, knock! The light sounds of someone knockin' on the door greet our ears. Knowing that it must be Miss Vanilla at the door, I immediately get up from the couch. Charmy's lip trembles and he looks like he's gonna start crying. Oh god, sometimes that little bee is impossible!

Reaching the door, I fling it open and smile my good-lookin' crocodile smile at Miss Vanilla as I greet her, "Hello, ma'am! C'mon in!"

Miss Vanilla blushes and smiles at me politely as she steps inside the door. Before I can shut it behind me, Charmy goes whizzing out of the door with a stubborn frown on his face. I think about goin' after him, but then decide against it. I've got a date and everything else can wait. The kid can take care of himself. He just needs some time to cool off.

Miss Vanilla's eyes follow Charmy as he flies out of the door and out of sight. Frowning slightly, she murmurs, "Oh dear, I hope I didn't interrupt something."

"Nah, yeh didn't interrupt anything. Don't worry 'bout a thing. Everything's fine!" I reply, offering Miss Vanilla my arm. She smiles slightly and places a petite hand on my arm, allowing me to lead her to the living room. I've set out some snacks for us to munch on and have one of Espio's classical music CDs playin'. "Have a seat, ma'am! It's real good to see ya."

"It's very nice to see you as well, dear," Miss Vanilla replies as she tucks her long skirt under herself and sits across from me on the couch. She looks up into my eyes with her big brown ones and asks sympathetically, "How are you doing?"

"Me? Well, I've seen better days, but I'm doin' a whole lot better now that yer here," I reply to Miss Vanilla before leanin' across the coffee table and grabbing some cookies from out of one of the bags of snacks I set out for us earlier.

A silence falls between Miss Vanilla and me almost immediately. That's what has always seemed to be the problem between us; we can never come up with things ta talk about! I always feel kinda nervous around her and Miss Vanilla is real shy. Our personalities don't match up all that well. I manage to talk to her about Cream for a bit, but that topic soon grows old and we're back to the same old silence we started in. I'm wracking my head for more conversation topics when Miss Vanilla does sumthin' very unexpected.

Placing a hand on my chest, Miss Vanilla moves closer to me on the couch and leans up to lightly press her lips against my mouth. We haven't kissed since that one time in Espio's cafe, but as soon as she kisses me, I realize that nothin' has changed. There's still no spark in the kiss. What's wrong with me? Why did I respond to the touch of Espio's mouth so much more than to the kiss of a beautiful woman?

I expect Miss Vanilla to draw back, but she doesn't. Instead, she kisses me again. Wanting myself to try and like this, I tentatively kiss her back. I can feel Miss Vanilla smile under my lips, so I kiss her back a little more firmly. Slender arms wrap around my neck as Miss Vanilla slides onto my lap. My tongue runs across Miss Vanilla's smooth lips, asking for entrance into her mouth. Miss Vanilla gives me the answer I want, allowing my tongue to squirm into the heat of her mouth. I'm still not feelin' any spark here, but is it too late ta stop this now?

Miss Vanilla takes one of my hands and brings it up to her chest before gently layin' it over her breast. I stare at her in shock before realizin' that she's willing to give herself to me. Wanting to make sure I've got her permission before I do anything I'm gonna regret, I break off our kiss and ask doubtfully, "Do yeh...uh...wanna go to the bedroom?"

"If you would like to, then yes," Miss Vanilla whispers, her voice as sweet and whimsical as always despite the fact that her cheeks are slightly flushed.

Hoping that maybe making love to a gorgeous woman will help me forget Espio once and for all, I scoop Miss Vanilla tenderly into my arms and lock lips with her once more before starting off towards Espio's bedroom. Slender legs wrap around my waist as Miss Vanilla kisses me back passionately, her sweet scent of roses wafting into my nose all the while.

It doesn't take long to reach Espio's bedroom. Once there, I yank back the covers of the bed with one hand before gently laying Miss Vanilla down on the virginal sheets. She blinks up at me with big, brown eyes, clearly waitin' for me to make my move. Since I've never exactly done this before, I take a deep breath before I climb onto the bed and straddle her prone figure. Keepin' my eyes locked on hers so I can try and read into her emotions, I reach down and begin to undo the ties on the bodice of her dress.

"This alright?" I ask a little breathlessly as the bodice falls open, revealing creamy breasts with pebbled pink nipples.

"Yes," Miss Vanilla whispers quietly, eyes still on my face.

I've never touched a woman's body before, so I'm not exactly sure what ta do here. I gently lean down and cup one of the soft mounds of flesh in my hand before rubbing it lightly. A soft moan leaves Miss Vanilla's lips, telling me that I'm doing something right. I place my other hand on her opposite breast and gently knead them in circular motions. Miss Vanilla certainly seems to be enjoying this, but I can't help but feel like something is wrong here. This is Espio's bed for Christ's sake! I should be makin' love to Espio on this bed, not a woman I don't have real feelings for...

_ Shaddap already! _I tell that annoying little voice in my mind that keeps remindin' me of Espio. _He left yeh! It's time ta move on!_

I reach down and slide a hand under Miss Vanilla's skirt. She immediately parts her legs for me, allowing me access to the center of her body. My hand travels up her warm thigh and hesitates there. I don't know if I dare touch Miss Vanilla at that one place I've never dared to go before. Instead of touchin' her, I tug on her skirt until I've completely undressed the cream-colored rabbit. She's beautiful, perfect even. A lotta guys would die for the chance to be with her. So why am I still not feelin' anything?

Sensing my hesitancy, Miss Vanilla whispers, "You won't hurt me, Vector. Go ahead if you like..."

More curious than excited, I allow my fingertip to slowly move to Miss Vanilla's glistening center. Damn, she's hot and wet. It's clear that she wants me, but do I want her? Guess it doesn't matter anymore. I can't stop this now. Better just get it over with and pretend that I'm enjoying it.

Biting on my lip, I place myself over Vanilla and gently press my body against her wetness. Miss Vanilla emits a little sound of longing. Not wanting ta hurt her, I slide into her with as much care and caution as I can. Vanilla reaches up and wraps her arms around me, clutching at my back before pressing her lips against mine. I find a steady rhythm and kiss Miss Vanilla back before allowing my hands to roam over her body. She seems ta like it when I touch her breasts, so I fondle them lightly and tease her nipples with my fingertips.

I guess I'm not goin' fast enough because Miss Vanilla suddenly bucks her hips up against mine and whispers my name. I increase my tempo and nuzzle down her neck, trying to give her as much pleasure as I can since it's become crystal clear that I ain't gettin' anything out of this.

"Vector!" Miss Vanilla cries my name a moment later as I give a final, forceful thrust to the core of her body. We reach a peak at about the same time, our voices mingling as we both cry out. 'Course, it's not Miss Vanilla's name on my lips. It's Espio's.

Embarrassed and ashamed, I pull out of Miss Vanilla and collapse next to her on the bed. Either Miss Vanilla didn't hear me or she's tryin' to ignore the fact that I just called out for Espio because she gazes up at me through lovestruck brown eyes and murmurs, "I love you, Vector. I'm so glad you chose me."

Luckily, I don't have to reply ta that. Miss Vanilla curls herself up against my body and falls asleep in about thirty seconds. I stare miserably at the wall. I should be bathing in the afterglow of lovemaking, but instead I feel downright miserable. This was wrong. I shouldn't have done what I did here tonight. It's too late now though and I'm gonna commit myself to this relationship. Oh god, ya know what I just realized? I'm just as bad as Espo pretendin' to love someone I don't.

Sighing, I drop my chin onto the pillow in front of me and realize that it still has Espio's strong exotic scent on it. I breathe in deeply and feel a tear come to my eye. That little chameleon made my entire life fall apart. Now I'm mixed up in a whole tangle of lies and it's all his fault.

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_That was awkward to write seeing as I despise the Vectilla ship. xD Anyway, do you think Vector will continue to date Vanilla? Review please! :)  
_


	128. Drugged Up

**Ugh, I'm having major internet problems today and is it just me or did FF change its settings again? =/ I wish they could just leave the site alone because all the crazy updates screw up my computer. *sighs* Anyway, thanks for the reviews for the last chapter! Here's another one. Again, more rape scenes, so here's your warning.**

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**Chapter CXXVIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

It's been a week since the pinball machine incident. Bryce carried me back home after the event cussing under his breath the entire way. When we got back to the house, he laid me down on the bed and left without a word. It's ironic how Bryce was the one to save me from the gang of hedgehogs and chameleons at the bar. I've merely gone from the hands of one evil doer to another. Nothing seems to matter now. I feel like I've been in shock ever since I was gang-raped. My eyes stay open all the time and I stare unblinkingly at the ceiling without any thought whatsoever passing through my head. Will my body ever heal? I highly doubt it anymore, but even if it does, the mental scars will never heal.

Right now, I'm lying flat on my back on the bed staring up at the ceiling as usual. My mind is numb and I think of nothing as I stare at the cracks in the ceiling. There's a bang as the bathroom door opens up and Bryce staggers into the bedroom looking drunk. He hobbles over to my bed and peers over me. Still, I stare at the ceiling.

"You're not much fun anymore, you know that?" Bryce sighs, poking my side lightly as if he's trying to see if I'm still alive. I blink. Bryce frowns and folds his arms before he states, "You look like you've healed up decently. I'll give you a few more days, but then you're going to be expected to pay me somehow for living under my roof, got that?"

I make no reaction to Bryce's comment. I don't even allow my mind to register what he's saying. Yes, I do know that not answering Bryce makes him angry, but my body is so numb at the moment that I don't think I will feel a slap to my cheek or a jab in my side.

"Damn it, you're so messed up," Bryce slurs before shaking his head and staggering out of the room as he calls over his shoulder, "I'm going out for a bit, not like it's going to make a difference to you."

The door falls shut behind Bryce, and this time, I do allow my mind to think about what Bryce just said. I would have smiled at the irony if I wasn't beyond the point of smiling. I'm messed up? I'm the one lying beat and broken on the beat because Bryce dressed me like a whore and let his customers gang-rape me and yet I'm still the one who's messed up? Perhaps my head is a bit cloudy, but I think it is very clear who is really messed up. It would be the black chameleon who let me fall into the hands of the gang and who only saved me only after most of my soul had been chipped away.

The bedroom is very silent besides for the sound of my breaths in the cold, chilly room. I'm starting to think that Bryce cannot afford to heat his home because it is always very cold in here. I would cover myself with the blankets, but the blankets are stained and filthy. I wouldn't want them to brush against my scales even though I'm not exact clean myself.

Clean? Me? I'm the exact opposite of it. I feel so dirty and disgusted after having been used by so many different people. Bryce wiped me off after the pinball incident, but sticky substances still cling to my dull scales. I wish I wasn't trapped in this body of mine. I long to get out of it and to turn into someone else, anyone except for Espio the chameleon, a ninja in training gone badly wrong.

I've given up hope of ever seeing Vector again. I'll never escape this place, not that I was planning on escaping anyway. I'm slowly dying here day by day. Each day, I grow a little sicker and get a little weaker. My body may appear as if it's healing, but my immunity is breaking down and my will to live has simply vanished. When my time comes, I will embrace death with open arms. Until then, I will lay here and warm Bryce's bed for him to keep Vector safe. I wonder if Vector would do the same for me if he was in a situation like this. The answer comes to me immediately. Of course Vector would do the same for me although I cannot exactly imagine Vector in a situation like this. Vector is so strong and solid. He would never let anyone use him like this.

I allow my mind to travel to other things besides for my impending doom since I seem to be able to think again now that Bryce has left and I have the house to myself. What has become of Team Chaotix? I don't think that Vector will have abandoned his dream of having his own detective agency even without me as part of it. Knowing Vector, he'll merely change the name and perhaps hire someone else to take my place. A stab of hurt jabs between my ribs at the thought of being replaced.

I try to think of something that wouldn't hurt my already fragile heart and move to thoughts of Charmy. I know he's young, but I hope he understands that I never left him for any reason other than to protect him. For some reason, I really do believe that Charmy will understand that I left for a good reason. Charmy and I share a connection different than the bond that Vector and I share. Charmy understands me in a way that Vector doesn't. I believe that Charmy will truly stick to the belief that I did not abandon him even though Vector will long since have considered me a betrayer.

The loud creak of the front door opening jerks me out of my thoughts. Is Bryce so drunk that he's returned home already? I listen intently and hear two voices jabbering loudly as two pairs of footsteps sound on the kitchen floor. It only takes me a minute to recognize Liam and Darryl's voices.

At first, I think nothing of this and go back to my staring at the wall. However, Liam's and Darryl's loud banter distracts me and I suddenly realize that I've never been here alone with just them before. Fear strikes deep within me and I pray to the spirits that the two chameleons will not enter this bedroom.

Luck is with me for about thirty minutes, but does not last. At the end of thirty minutes, I hear Liam complain in the other room, "I'm bored. What should we do?"

"I dunno. Hey, I think Bryce is out. Let's go have some fun with that cousin of his," Darryl suggests.

Laughter reverberates outside the bedroom walls and I know immediately that my fate has been sealed. Loud, ominous footsteps sound outside the bedroom door before it's tugged open and the yellow chameleon and the light blue one stand side-by-side in the entrance of the room. I don't move a muscle and hope that the two will simply go away. They don't.

"So, your name is Espio, huh? Bryce told us that you got pretty beat up at the bar the other day. You don't look too bad now though. In fact, you're pretty hot for a chameleon with purple scales," Liam says as he observes me. When I don't answer him, Liam continues on, "Not much of a talker, I see. What should we do with him, Darryl?"

I catch a glint of something shiny in Darryl's hands. Figuring that I ought to figure out what this unknown object might be, I tilt my head just a millimeter and notice a camera in Darryl's hands. I'm wondering what the camera is for when Darryl says, "Take some pictures of him tied up and stuff. You can post them on that website of yours I could fuck him if you want and you could get some better pictures that way."

"I just love the way your mind works!" Liam exclaims, high-pitched voice higher than usual. "I'll tie him."

Liam goes for my wrists, but I'm going to put up a fight this time. I will not allow myself to be photographed and put on a degrading website. Just the thought makes me sick. I spit at Liam and kick out at Darryl. My foot lands in his stomach. The larger chameleon grunts and stumbles backwards. Liam does not release my wrists as he starts tying them together with something I cannot see. He puts a hand too close to my face. I bite it. A metallic tang fills my mouth as my teeth break flesh and blood flows freely.

"Goddammit!" Liam shrieks, removing his hand from my wrist and giving me a glare. "You need something to calm you down, don't you? I have just the thing."

I try to move, but realize that moving is going to do me no good now that my wrists are bound. A moment later, Darryl returns to my side with a needle. He finds a vein in my arm and injects whatever is in the needle into my arm. It only takes me a moment to figure out that I'm being sedated. Darryl and Liam leave me alone for ten minutes. Ten minutes in enough to change everything.

By the time Liam and Darryl return to me, my head is thick and cloudy. I feel as if I've forgotten almost everything about myself. Thinking is too much work. It's far too much effort to fight the thick fog surrounding my past memories. My limbs are too heavy to move.

"He looks like he's calmed down, Liam. Take all the shots you want," a voice says from what seems like miles away.

Flash! A bright light shines in my eyes. I close them in displeasure and tilt my head to the side. Flash, flash, flash! Someone is photographing me, but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Hands pull my legs apart. I let them fall open and don't even think twice when the camera disappears between my thighs. Suddenly, my head is jerked upwards and a piece of cloth is being wrapped around my eyes. Everything is dark. Why am I being blindfolded? Is there something going on that I am not meant to see?

"Why don't you take some pictures of me and him?" a low voice suggests. "I'm dying to have a go at him."

"Fine, but do it on the floor. The bed is a mess. You know that Bryce never bothers to wash the sheets," a higher-pitched voice replies.

The blindfold stays over my eyes, so I'm kept in the dark as I feel myself being lifted into the air. I'm dumped carelessly onto the floor. My face smacks something hard. Is that the floor? I assume so, but if I am on the floor now, then where was I earlier? I feel as if I ought to know this, but I do not. I lay limp on the floor face down and continue wondering about this.

"Geez, Liam, did you really have to give him such a high dose?" the low voice says from almost directly in my ear.

"Eh, at least you can do whatever you want with him now. Besides, you didn't almost get your finger bitten off like I did. Now do your thing. I've got the camera right here," the person who I realize must be Liam replies.

My face is still on the ground, but warm, greasy hands are sliding over my sides and curl around my hipbones. My hips are pulled up and I feel a hot, heavy weight against my back. Something hard and burning is placed against the area below my tail. Before I can realize what is happening to me, I'm stabbed with little knives of pain from the inside. My fingers try and grab onto something, but end up scraping against the floor since there is nothing to grab ahold of here. Who is doing this awful thing to me? What is going on? Why is it getting harder to think by the moment?

Another rough hand grabs my horn and pulls my head up from the floor. I hear a low voice pant, "I thought you were taking pictures?"

"Fuck the pictures! I wanna have some fun too," Liam replies.

The grip on my hips becomes tighter as something is forced down deeper inside of me. I want to cry out and plead for this to stop, but I don't seem to remember how to make my voice work. I'm still trying to figure this out when something scorching hot is pressed against my lips. Frowning, I keep my lips tightly shut, not wanting anything else invading my body. A rough hand yanks my jaw open and slams something throbbing and hot inside my mouth. I try to spit it back out, but it does no good. Whatever is in my mouth is shoved to the back of my throat, causing me to gag and choke. Hands clutch at my head, holding it steady as the thing that's choking me is thrust further back through the heat of my mouth to my throat. I gag more, choke harder. Pain comes from everywhere. Something is slamming brutally into the lower half of my body and now something is forcing its way to the back of my throat, slowly suffocating me in the process.

The pounding below my tail suddenly reaches an insane speed before it stops altogether. I'm too concerned with trying not to suffocate to feel grateful though. My hips crash back down to the floor and the back of my head slips out of the grasp of whoever has been holding me. The thing choking me slips out of my throat and I can finally breath again. Before I can gulp in oxygen, something hot and sticky spurts all over my forehead and runs down my face. What is this all over me? It's disgusting whatever it is...

"Oh god, Liam, you sure made a mess of him," the low voice says with a chuckle.

"Heh," Liam replies. "He's fun to toy with. Come on, let's go watch a film in the other room."

Footsteps retreat to the door and I'm left lying on the floor. I make no attempt to move and find that my mind has gotten even cloudier. Toy? What is a toy? Is that what I am? Why don't I even know who I am? Exhaustion ends up shutting down my mind and I fall into a drugged sleep.

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_How do you think Bryce will react to all of this? Review please! :)  
_


	129. Beaten Down

**Hey everyone, quick update since there's somewhere I'm supposed to be right now. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter! Please let me know what you think of this one. :)  
**

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**Chapter CXXIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wake to hear voices mumbling incoherent words above me. My mind is still thick and foggy. I try to fight through the fog, but I'm too tired to make any progress through it and simply let my mind rest. A dark yellow, light blue, and pitch black chameleon all come to stand above me. Their eyes are calculating and curious. I know these chameleons, but how? Are they family? No, that's not right. None of them are related to me except for perhaps the chameleon in the center of the group with the crimson eyes.

"I was thinking that we'd go down to Oscar's place for a bit," the dark yellow chameleon says in what seems to be a higher-pitched voice for a male chameleon.

"Oscar's place? Isn't he having a party or something?" the light blue chameleon asks, raising an eyebrow at the first chameleon. When the first one nods, the light blue chameleon turns to their black chameleon leader and says, "Let's go party for a bit! I'm sure your little pet here is gonna be just fine. He seems pretty out of it still. If you want to make sure he doesn't wake up, then give him this."

Despite the fact that my head is still a jumble of confusion, my eyes work perfectly fine. I watch in bewilderment as the chameleon who just spoke hands a needle the black chameleon leader. The leader scrutinizes me closely before he shrugs and takes a step closer to me before grabbing my right arm and flipping it over. Even though I can't seem to figure out what he's trying to do to me, I know that this is wrong. I make a feeble attempt at trying to get away from him, but it does me no good. My arm feels as if it's two hundred pounds and I can barely move it an inch to my left or to my right much less use it to try and help me get away from that awful looking needle.

There's a quick stab as whatever is in the needle is injected into the vein of one of my arms. I watch it in puzzlement, unsure what it's going to do to me. The black chameleon sighs as if he's just done something he'd rather not have done before he takes a step back from the bed I'm lying on and says, "We're really messing him up. Guess he's not as strong as I always thought he was. Oh well. A few days on his own while we're at Oscar's house will probably do him some good. He'll be ready to play some more then. Come on! Let's get the fuck out of here."

"It's about time," the dark yellow chameleon points out before he turns and follows the black chameleon out of the room with the blue chameleon trailing behind him.

I spend a few minutes trying to figure out if I know who this "Oscar" is. However, after a long few minutes, I abandon the thought, certain that I've never heard of an Oscar in my life. I try to clear the fuzziness in my head, but it seems to be getting worse. My eyelids feel weighted down and close without my permission. My body refuses to do anything I want it to do and insists on shutting down instead. It's odd because I know I'm not the least bit tired. I've been lying here for ages.

Even though I try my best to resist sleep, waves of darkness pour over me and I'm asleep before I know it. I sleep for a very long time. In fact, I've completely last track of time by the time I wake up next. My head is still fuzzy, but it's a bit clearer than it was when I was awake last. I can't quite seem to struggle through the stubborn fog that surrounds all of my memories trapped somewhere within my head. Frustration sinks in and I slip in and out of slumber several more times.

Finally, I wake on the third day (I only later figured out that it was the third day since my track of time is extremely warped at this point). For the first time ever, I realize that the fog surrounding all the knowledge I've ever possessed is penetrable. Hope for answers spurs me on and gives me the strength it takes to break through the fog and release my locked up memories.

Good thoughts, bad thoughts, and things I'd never hoped to remember come flooding into my head so fast that I feel as if I'm going to wind up with a horrible headache. It only takes me a moment or two to figure out where I am. I am still Bryce's love toy, am still trapped in his house, and still belong to Bryce. Nothing has changed in terms of my state of captivity.

Now that I think about it, something else _has _changed though. Anger suddenly ripples through me as I realize what happened to me the other day when Bryce was out. Liam drugged me and then photographed me. Degrading, disgusting pictures of myself will no doubt turn up on a pornography website or in a trashy magazine. That isn't the worst part though. After I was drugged and swimming in my head, Darryl had blind-folded and raped me while Liam had shoved himself into my mouth and had practically choked me. If there was another hole somewhere on my body, I'm sure they would've dragged another chameleon into the group. I hate what I've become, loathe the way I'm an obedient pet and not a human.

Why exactly am I doing this again? Oh yes, Vector. My god, I practically forgot about Vector! How could that have possibly happened? Oh right - the drug. I'm not sure what exactly it is that Liam and Darryl have been sticking into my veins, but I know that it makes me sleep even when I'm not tired, it makes me forget, and it also makes my body weak and pliable.

Now that I'm finally able to think once again since it's been a couple of days since I was drugged last, I finally realize what is going to happen to me if this is kept up. I will eventually lose all my memories. I will forget Vector and everything about how my life was before I met Bryce. In fact, I wouldn't even be able to remember who Bryce is or why he insists on abusing me constantly. I'll just be a living body without a soul. Perhaps that sounds like a good thing so I can be numb to all the mental agony I've been put through, but losing my memories scares me. What if I forget Vector, slip up, and am the cause of his death? I must do something about this and it must be done now.

I try to sit up on the rumpled sheets I am lying on, but despite the fact that my head is now clear, my limbs still feel heavy and are about impossible to move. Gritting my teeth together tightly, I clutch at the sheets by my feet and use them to haul myself into a sitting position.

My active mind races as I try to come up with a quick escape plan. I need to get out of here before things go badly wrong. It's all too obvious that I will slip up if I cannot even remember Vector. Once I slip up, I've sealed his fate. The only way to save Vector is for me to escape. I'll run to Vector, tell him what's happened, and then the two of us will take Charmy and move across the planet somewhere where Bryce will never find us. In fact, we could even take a lesson or two from Eggman and attempt to build ourselves a spacecraft. Bryce would never find us in a hundred years if we aren't on this planet.

Reality crashes back in on me and I realize that in order to put my plan into motion, I first have to escape. What was it that Bryce said to me before he left with Liam and Darryl to go to Oscar's party? I can't recall exactly what he said, but I do remember him saying that they would be gone for a few days. This means that I have no time to waste. It's most likely the third day. Bryce might be home at any minute. Unfortunately, I don't know if I can even make it all the way through the bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room to get to the door. What is merely steps seems like miles.

I turn my head and suddenly notice the grimy, cracked window above the bed I'm lying on. I may not be good at hardly anything anymore, but I remember that I used to be good at climbing. I can use the window for my escape plan. I'll unlock it and then climb out the window and into freedom before making straight for my old home. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to get there on legs that refuse to support me, but I will worry about that later. First, I just need to get out of the window.

Setting my eyes determinedly on my goal, I grab the ledge of the window with tight fingertips and pull myself up onto the window ledge. Once upon a time, I would have been able to do this gracefully and easily. Now, I do it awkwardly and clumsily. No matter though.

My frantic hands search for the lock to the window. Ah, here it is. I immediately start fumbling with the lock, trying to get the window open as fast as possible. I'm so involved in my work that I don't hear the creak of the door opening. My fingers continue working around the lock to the window. Yes, I've finally gotten it open! I slide towards freedom, but at that very moment, a hand latches onto the coil of my tail hanging off of the window sill.

My heart stops beating and I make one last attempt to throw myself towards freedom, knowing that this will be my last chance to help Vector. It does me no good. The hand cruelly yanks me back through the window, off the window ledge, and then onto the bed. I flop onto the hard mattress with a thud.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Bryce's infuriated voice meets my ears.

I don't answer him and just stare at the mattress. All hope I might have had a few minutes ago fizzles out of me and dissolves into nothingness.

"I expect an answer, you little fucker!" Bryce curses as he roughly grabs me and throws me onto my back so I'm forced to stare into his simmering red eyes. Needing to rant, Bryce goes on, "I take care of you, feed you, and I even saved you back at the bar the other week! Look, I was even going to be nice to you. See this? I was gonna give it to you! Not anymore though, not now."

Bryce holds up the purple scarf that Vector gave me in one hand. My heart immediately leaps and I reach out frantically towards the scarf, longing to hold the familiar piece of fabric against my aching body. Bryce throws the scarf down on the bed next to me just out of my reach before he stomps off across the room, muttering a long string of curses under his breath.

No longer caring what Bryce might be up to, I use his momentary distraction to lift myself up onto an elbow. I strain to reach the scarf when something cold and metal whacks my into hand. Stung, my arm drops and I blink back tears of surprise as I notice a silver gun in Bryce's hand. Is he going to shoot me? Do I even care if he does? If living will save Vector, than I choose to live. But if not...

"Keep your hands off of that, you bastard! I'm not giving in to you now! Now, you're going to get punished!" Bryce yells at me, his voice a slur and his breath soaked with the smell of alcohol.

I watch Bryce carefully, expecting him to pull the trigger and lodge a bullet into my chest. Surprisingly enough, he does not. Instead, he pulls my legs apart and jabs the tip of the gun at the small opening in my body. I let out a soft gasp of surprise as I realize what Bryce is up to. He slips the mental tip of the gun just inside of me and sends me a malicious smile. The gun is icy cold against the heat within my body. Strange sensations tumble through me as Bryce shoves the gun deep inside of me. The metal is smooth, thankfully, but it's already pushing and stretching me.

"Better be careful and not move an inch," Bryce jeers at me, "Who knows? My finger might slip and pull the trigger."

I bite my lip and don't notice the fact that it's bleeding. Being shot in the chest is one thing, but being shot..._here_ is something else. I do as Bryce commands and stay deadly still. The gun is shoved deeper inside of me. It's becoming extremely painful now. It's hard not to jerk away or resist in some manner or the other.

"Part your legs more," Bryce commands me abruptly. I hesitate and he yells, "If you don't do what I tell you to do, I'll blow your insides out!"

Bryce is perhaps the drunkest I've ever seen him before. I part my legs. Bryce's hand curls around one of my hips and holds me down forcefully so he can shove the gun even further within me. Just when I think that this can get no worse, Bryce starts doing strange things with the gun. He jabs it up into me at strange angles, pushes the tip of it against my tender inner parts. Sweat dribbles off of my body and soaks into the sheets. I'm starting to believe that Bryce is just trying to build this up to a crescendo before he decides to shoot me. That would be quite a thrill for him, wouldn't it?

Just when I've given up hope, Bryce yanks the gun all the way out of me. It's slick, sticky, and covered in red. Bryce grabs the scarf by my side and uses it to wipe off the gun, murmuring a bit more calmly than earlier, "I suppose that's enough for one day."

The twisted black chameleon sends me a smirk before he tosses the scarf out of the open window and then works to close it once more. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling utterly humiliated. It's only when I feel hot breath on my neck that I dare to open them again. I find Bryce leaning over me with a needle in his hand. Before I can even think to resist, it's in my vein. I let the tears of hopelessness dribble out of the corners of my eyes. There is no hope left. I will be swimming in a drugged world once again and only god knows what will happen to me then.

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_Who thinks that Espio is going to lose his mind after a while of this? Review please! :)  
_


	130. Stunning Realizations

**Hi guys, happy Friday! I hope you're all having a nice end of the week. Thank you all very much for the reviews for the last chapter. I know I've mentioned this before, but they really make my day. I know this story is starting to get depressing, but this chapter is kind of a turning point in a sense. Hope you like it!  
**

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**Chapter CXXX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I can't sleep after my first night with Miss Vanilla. Everything just seems real messed up. It shouldn't be messed up though. Everything should be goin' great for me right now. I've gotten Team Chaotix switched around so that we're now Team Chaos. Yeah, we haven't gone on any new missions since the team reformed, but that ain't so much of a surprise. I don't even remember when Team Chaotix went on a mission last. Besides for my team, I've also got a beautiful woman on my arm. Miss Vanilla really does love me, I think. She didn't act all awkward the morning after we slept together. I just kinda followed her lead even though I thought the whole situation was pretty awkward myself. Why? Well, it's because I just don't feel a damn thing for Miss Vanilla. She's gorgeous and has a body to die for, but she just doesn't make shivers run down my spine or spark nerves when she touches my hand. There's just nothing there.

'Course, I've got myself into this mess and now I've got to deal with the consequences of it. I broke Miss Vanilla's heart once and I've already sworn to myself that I'm not gonna do it again. So despite the fact that I don't feel anything for her, I'm gonna keep our relationship up. Who knows? Maybe I'll learn ta love her over time.

It's been a few hours since Miss Vanilla left the house and I've just been lounging on the couch since then with nothing to do. I'm feelin' a bit nervous right now because Charmy still hasn't come home. He's not exactly a little kid, but he is only seven-years-old. I sure hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time passes and I find myself lookin' up at the clock every few minutes. Charmy was kinda upset when I told him I was gonna start dating Miss Vanilla again. He seemed to think I should keep myself for Espio. I'm starting to think that he's never going to realize that Espio isn't coming back. Either way, I probably shouldn't have yelled at him like I did just before Miss Vanilla arrived at the house. What if Charmy's run away? There's no telling what that stubborn little bee might do.

Frowning, I decide to turn on the TV in an attempt to distract myself from Charmy's absence. As evening turns into night, I try to convince myself that Charmy went to Cream's house for a while. He probably just wanted to get away from the grouchy ol' croc he's been forced to put up with for the last week or so. That's gotta be it.

I end up falling asleep on the couch. My sleep is not restful and I end up dreaming about Charmy getting kidnapped. That's obviously not gonna happen, but it has me worked up enough that I'm covered in sweat by the time I wake up from the dream. Wishing that my imagination was a little less vivid, I get up from the couch and decide to go and give Miss Vanilla a call to see if Charmy is over playing with Cream at her house. I really need to know that he's alright. It's gonna drive me crazy until I know that Charmy's safe and sound.

After I tromp to the living room, I waste no time in picking up the phone. I dial the familiar numbers to Miss Vanilla's phone number and drum my fingers impatiently on the counter as I wait for someone to pick up. The ringing goes on and on and I find myself glancing over at the clock. Ugh, it's before eight am. I shouldn't be calling this early.

Just when I've about given up hope of someone answering the phone, Miss Vanilla's pleasant, but slightly sleepy voice sounds in my ear, "Hello? This is Vanilla speaking."

"Hey there, ma'am. I'm real sorry to be callin' this early, but I'm kinda worried about Charmy," I say in a rush, not wanting to keep Miss Vanilla awake for too long in case she wants to go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure I just woke her up. Going on, I add, "I haven't seen him at all in the last two days. We sorta got into an argument. Is he with you and Cream?"

"Why, no. No, he's not. I haven't seen Charmy around here at all lately," Miss Vanilla replies, making my chest tighten painfully. "Would you like me to help you look for him?"

"Nah, that's alright. I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just out messin' around or something. Sorry ta wake yeh up," I apologize as I start planning on where to search for Charmy first.

"It's not a problem, dear. I love getting phone calls from you. Are you quite sure that you don't want me to come over to your home and help you search for Charmy? I don't have any plans for today and I'm sure Cream would like to come along and search for her friend," Miss Vanilla offers once again.

"That's awful nice of ya to offer, but I'm good. Charmy's probably just hidin' in the backyard or sumthin'. I'll talk to yeh later, alright?" I reply, feeling that I'll end up getting distracted if Miss Vanilla tries to join the search party. I'll put all my energy into pleasing her and forget about Charmy.

"Yes, we will talk soon then. I wish you luck with your search for Charmy. Let me know how it turns out. Goodbye, dear," Miss Vanilla says before hanging up the phone.

I hang up as well and immediately tromp over to the door. Charmy has run away and there's just no gettin' around it. I had an intuition that he had run off, but now I'm absolutely sure of it. If he's not with me and he's not with Cream, then I just don't know where the hell else he could be.

Pushing open the door to the house, I'm greeted by a vicious gust of wind. Not about to let a little wind get the best of me, I square my shoulders and step outside before slamming the door shut behind myself. Once outside, I stand around stupidly for a few minutes. Where exactly should I go to look for Charmy? I've got no clue where he might have gone. Guess I'm just gonna have to start searching the streets and go from there.

As I begin my search, I find myself wishing that Espio was here. He would know exactly where Charmy might have run off to and I'm positive that he would have been able to come up with a better plan than me for finding Charmy. Sighing melodramatically, I shove Espio to the very back of my head. Now is not the time to think of the chameleon. Now is the time to think about Charmy!

I let my feet take me wherever they wanna go and I find myself at the park a few minutes later. Hm. The park is actually a good place to look for Charmy. I cross the street and start searching around the swing set, the volleyball net, and behind the trees for any sign of yellow and black. Five minutes later, I've searched for Charmy behind every plant in the entire park and still haven't caught a glimpse of him. Looks like findin' the little bee is gonna be harder than I thought it might be. He's obviously not in the park. Where else could he have run off to?

My mind stays blank, so I decide to take to the streets once again. I walk past the beach, past the mall, and even past the grocery store without seeing any sign of Charmy anywhere. I'm startin' to get real nervous now. What if Charmy really is in trouble? The hyperactive been can be a pain sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't care for him. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him.

"Charmy!" I start calling out as I search for him street by street. "Charmy, where the hell are ya?!"

I've practically searched the entire town for him by now. If I don't find Charmy soon, I'm gonna have to go to the bad parts of the town. You know, to those streets that nobody from around here ever goes to because they're swarmin' with criminals and shady people. I've never been down those streets before, but I've heard stories about the things that go on in those parts of the town. I shudder just thinkin' about some of the things I've heard. If Charmy goes down those streets, he's gonna find trouble.

At this point, I've just about searched the last street for Charmy and am resigning myself to the fact that I'm gonna have to search for him in the parts of town I never wanted to go to. The wind whistles around me and makes me wish I had a scarf or gloves to keep myself warm with. Yeh definitely need some nice, warm winter gear to keep yerself toasty on a chilly day like today.

Just as I'm turning the corner, the wind catches onto a voice calling something from not all that very away from me. A voice that sounds an awful lot like Charmy's is callin', "Espio!"

I turn in the direction of the voice and immediately start towards it. Oh god, I should have known that Charmy would be out here lookin' for Espio. I was hoping that he would just forget the chameleon over time, but who am I foolin'? A child can't just forget his or her mother overnight. Espio was that and more to Charmy.

I sigh loudly as I hurry clumsily through the streets to where Charmy's voice is coming from. Neither of us are exactly taking Espio's disappearance too well. I've been trying too hard to forget about him and now I've gotten myself tangled up in a relationship with a woman I don't have any true feelings for. Charmy refuses to admit to the fact that Espio walked out on us and is searching the streets for him, not realizing that Espio isn't going to be found there since he left us on purpose.

As I round the corner, I catch sight of a small black and yellow blur hovering next to the pharmacy. Relief pours over at me and I run to the bee, calling out, "Charmy! There ya are! I've been searching all over for yeh. Why did ya have ta leave without tellin' me? Don't scare me like that again!"

"Sorry, Vector," Charmy says a little sheepishly although he doesn't quite look apologetic. "I'm looking for Espio. Are you going to help me look for him?"

At the mention of searching for Espio, I feel like exploding. Goddammit, why can't Charmy just stop bothering about the true love of my screwed up life? Yeah, I admit it, I'm still in love with Espio. He's a liar and a betrayer. He also broke my heart after I gave him everything. Guess what though? I still love the hell outta him.

"Charmy, I dunno how to put this any other way. I've told ya that Espio's not comin' back. Yer just wasting yer time out here in the cold. Let's go home and get some hot cocoa. How does that sound?" I ask, tryin' to be nice just to get Charmy back safely inside Espio's house where I can at least keep an eye on him.

For once, hot chocolate does not perk Charmy's interest. He shakes his head immediately at my offer and replies, "No, that's okay. I'm going to keep searching for Espio."

"No, yer not. I'm not gonna let ya keep wastin' yer time over Espio! I'm already wastin' my time thinking about him every other second!" I snap, accidentally saying more than I meant to said.

"You still love him, don't you, Vector?" Charmy asks knowingly, immediately picking up on what I'm trying to say.

I make an exasperated noise and throw my hands up in the air, admitting, "Yeah, I still love him. Whaddya expect? I was with him for eight months. That's a long time. I'm not gonna be able to forget him in a day or two even though I'm tryin' real hard to do that. Searching for him when he told me not to search for him ain't gonna help either of us."

Charmy suddenly holds up a hand and says, "Wait. Did you just say that Espio told you _not_ to search for him? That's a little weird, don't you think?"

"Um, not really," I reply, giving Charmy a blank look since I've got no idea where he's going with this. "Why's it weird? If he doesn't wanna be found, of course he'd tell me not ta search for him."

"If Espio wanted to break up with you, he wouldn't have done it with you over the phone. Espio just isn't like that. Besides, he also wouldn't have left his house to you if he was all worried about money like you keep saying. Espio didn't leave Team Chaotix because of the lack of money. There's something strange going on. I just know it! You're a detective, Vector. Don't you feel it too? Didn't you say that Espio sounded weird on the phone on the day he broke up with you?" Charmy asks.

I think back to the phone call and admit, "Now that ya mention it, he _did_ sound a little weird at the end. He just said my name and sorta trailed off. Then he hung up. I wasn't sure what ta make of it exactly. He probably just felt bad about breakin' up with me, that's all."

"What about the house thing though?" Charmy persists, refusing to let the subject go. "Do you really think that Espio would have left you the house if he was all that concerned about money? He left without taking anything at all with him, right?"

"Okay, okay, yer right. It does seem a little weird. In fact, this whole thing is a little weird, but I don't see what ya want me to do about it," I say with a haphazard shrug of my shoulders. "I'm not gonna search for Espio when he told me not to though. Let's go home, Charmy. Yeh can search for Espio more later if ya have to, but at least come home and eat sumthin'."

"Well, I guess I am a little hungry..." Charmy admits before flying to my side.

Sighing with relief since I've finally convinced Charmy to come home with me, I start off back towards the house with the little bee by my side. Only problem is that now Charmy's got me feelin' all paranoid about Espio. What if there is just the slightest chance that he is in trouble? I find myself glancing this way and that just in case. Suddenly, something purple and familiar looking catches my eye. Without thinking, I cut across the street over to it.

"Where are you going, Vector?" Charmy asks curiously, immediately flying after me.

I don't reply as I fight the wind and tromp over to where the bit of purple material is lying on the middle of the road by my feet. It's Espio's scarf - the one I bought him for Christmas. The wind must have blown it here. It means that Espio is somewhere nearby, right? I lean down and pick up the scarf. I almost end up dropping it again when I feel something sticky all over my hand. Not sure I wanna see what's on my hand, I turn the scarf over. It's stained red from blood. ...Espio's blood.

"Dammit, Charmy," I whisper in a voice of shock. "Yeh were right about Espio after all."

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_Yay, Vector stopped being the world's biggest idiot. ;P How long do you think it will take him to find Esp? Review please! :)  
_


	131. Endless Darkness

**Well, it's the weekend. I hope you all have a very nice Saturday and Sunday. Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! They really made my day. :D Here's another one, sorry if it's not as...uh...cheerful as some of the other chapters.  
**

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**Chapter CXXXI  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Who am I? What am I? I know I must have an identity, but it evades me now. Try as I might, I cannot even come up with my name. My mind is a blur of the unknown. I don't know anything about myself or about anything else for that matter. I'm sitting upright on a stained mattress, but I do not know who it belongs to or if it is my own bed. I lift the edge of the crumpled sheet by my knee and finger the edge of it with delicate fingertips. I hope that the feel of the sheet will help me remember if it belongs to me or not. It doesn't.

I think about getting up off of this bed and moving around a little. My legs feel cramped and tight. I know I have not used them for a while. It would be quite nice to get up and stretch them out for a bit. I scoot myself towards the edge of the bed and try to move my right leg. It won't budge. Frowning, I attempt to move my left leg and find that this one refuses to obey my brain as well.

Puzzled, I sit on the bed and just stare blankly from my legs to the wall, trying to figure out why my legs won't move. Ah, there's the problem. Both my ankles have been chained to the bed. How odd is this? I thought only criminals were kept in chains, but perhaps this isn't the case.

A horrible thought crosses my mind. Am_ I_ a criminal? Have I done something horrible? I glance around myself frantically and realize that this room could easily be a prison cell. The walls are gray, unpainted, and dirty. The floors are stained and the only piece of furniture in the room is a dusty cabinet that has most of the paint chipped off of it. This could certainly be a cell.

A nauseating feeling starts from somewhere deep inside of me. How could I be a criminal and not even realize it? As I'm trying to work this out, another strong sensation starts in the pit of my stomach. Hunger. I can tell that it's been a while since I've eaten by the emptiness in the pit of my stomach. No wonder I feel so very weak and sleepy. I'm not quite sure how it works in prison cells, but I figure that someone will come to my cell to give me food soon. Even criminals have to eat.

About five minutes later, the door to my room creaks open. Hm, I thought cells had bars instead of a door. Perhaps this is a new kind of prison cell. I keep my thoughts to myself as a tall black chameleon with blood red eyes steps inside. He's holding something in his hands. I can't help but hope that it's food.

Thud, thud, thud. The sounds of approaching footsteps echo through the cold, dark room as the chameleon starts towards me. I stare up at him with wide, innocent eyes as I try to see whether or not he's bringing me something to eat. My stomach makes a pained noise as I eagerly search the chameleon's hands. He's holding a bag of something within them.

"Here," the chameleon says, tossing me the bag. "Eat up. Guess you deserve a little food. You haven't eaten for a while and you haven't caused too much trouble. Of course, with the state you're in right now, I really don't think that you could cause any trouble even if you wanted to."

Trouble? Oh my, that must mean that I really _am_ a criminal. I flinch at the thought of being a criminal and not knowing what I've done. I hope that whatever it was that I did was something minor. My stomach growls once more and my thoughts go from my unknown past to the bag on my lap. It appears to be a bag of chips. Chips seem like an odd food to feed a criminal, but I suppose that chips are cheap and aren't prisons all about cheapness?

I try to open the bag of chips, but the muscles in my arms are weak and I can't seem to open the plastic bag. Frowning, I struggle with the bag for a few more moments, but to no avail. The chameleon with the red eyes watching me finally sighs and grabs the bag of chips out of my hands. He opens them and then hands the bag back to me, shaking his head slightly as he mutters, "Damn."

Grateful to have access to the food, I smile a small smile at the helpful chameleon leaning over me and murmur politely, "Thank you."

The black chameleon gives me a strange look, but doesn't reply. He just continues staring at me with those glowing red eyes of his. Figuring that it's this chameleon's job to keep an eye on me, I decide not to let his intense gaze bother me and begin to eat my chips one at a time. I'm very hungry and would like to eat them all at once, but my stomach seems to be having a hard time digesting the food. I can't decide if eating is helping or making things worse since my stomach is churning painfully by the time I finish the chips.

"You done?" the chameleon observing me asks once the last chip is in my mouth.

Since my mouth is still full, I merely nod and let the chameleon take the empty bag of chips from me and toss it carelessly to the floor. A crease forms on my forehead. Wouldn't it be a bit more sanitary to put the empty bag of chips in a garbage bin?

I decide I have more important things to worry about and decide to ask my most pressing question to the chameleon leaning up against my bed. Not even sure if I want to know the answer to my inquiry or not, I ask in a rush, "Am I a criminal?"

"A...what?" the chameleon leaning against my bed asks in surprise before a dubious expression crosses his face. He shakes his head at me and mutters, "Shit, you really are messed up. Tell me something. Do you know your name? Tell me who you think you are."

My heart lightens slightly as I realize I must not be a criminal. Of course, that doesn't answer the question of why I'm chained to the bed or the question of my name. I admit, "I was actually thinking about that earlier, but came up with no answer. Do you know who I am? If so, please tell me my name."

"Your name? Believe me, you don't need to know your name," the chameleon suddenly laughs viciously, making me tilt my head at him in surprise. Leaning close to me, the chameleon adds, "All you need to know is that you're mine. I'm your master and you belong to me. Your purpose in life is to serve me. Got that?"

I don't understand and so I make no comment. It doesn't seem right that one person should be owned by another person, but when you're the one chained to the bed, arguing is probably not a smart thing to do. I sit where I am and wait to see what will happen next.

The black chameleon slides onto the bed next to me and sits facing me. His eyes move from my face to my chest and then down from there. I shift uncomfortably, wondering what he's looking at. Yawning widely, the chameleon says, "I'm bored. Entertain me."

"How?" I ask, not seeing what I'm expected to do when I can't even get off of this bed.

"Mm, good question. I'd tell you to come up with something on your own, but I think you're too drugged up for that at this point," the chameleon rolls his eyes before thinking for a few moments and grinning evilly as he commands, "Play with yourself."

There's something strange about the chameleon's words. I don't quite understand what he's asking me to do, but I can tell from the vicious look on his face and the eager sound of his voice that it's something derogatory. Despite the fact that I know I'm not in a position to argue, I purse my lips together and don't move a muscle. This chameleon can figure out a way to entertain himself. I have enough to worry about as it is. I still need to figure out my name and what exactly I'm doing in this strange place. I'm starting to think that this place cannot be my home. It most likely belongs to this strange black chameleon who calls himself my "master". Do most people have masters? I did not think so...

"Hm, you're going to refuse? Fine then. I guess it's up to me to have some fun with you," the chameleon across the bed from me replies, getting a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Before I can figure out what is happening to me, my wrists are grabbed by the black chameleon. I watch in surprise as I'm cuffed to the bedpost. Confusion runs through me and I ask blankly, "Why am I being chained up if I've done nothing wrong?"

"But you _have_ done something wrong. Refusing me is a crime around here. Now I'm going to have to punish you," the black chameleon replies with a smirk.

I want to move and get away from this strange black chameleon. Although he was kind enough to give me something to eat, he's acting strange now and I don't like it. Unfortunately, I cannot move with my wrists and my ankles chained to the bed. I'm forced to sit still as the chameleon leans forwards and presses his lips to my mouth. Shocked, my eyes fly open wide.

"W-why are you doing this?" I ask in bewilderment as the chameleon releases my lips and runs a hand down my chest and over my stomach.

"Because you're mine and I can do whatever I want to you?" the chameleon asks with a shrug.

The hand below my stomach suddenly starts rubbing the sensitive skin there, causing a strange heat to rush down my body. I dislike this feeling and wish that the chameleon would stop. A lump forms in the back of my throat as I try my hardest not to respond to the rubbing. When the hand moves to my inner thighs and starts tracing circles on them, I give up. Flushing bright pink, I keep my head down as the chameleon starts stroking the most intimate part of my body. It doesn't feel terrible physically, but my mind is screaming at me that this is wrong.

"Please don't," I beg, my cheeks turning from pink to a shade of dark red.

"Mm...nah, I don't think I will. It's fun to watch you squirm," the chameleon replies with a he moves his hands up and down my sensitive flesh.

I open my mouth to protest, but then realize that a spontaneous moan is forming in the back of my throat. I suppress it and clamp my lips shut. The chameleon decides to change tactics and leans down, kissing my stomach, the scales beneath it, and then the part I really want him to stop touching. I distract myself by chewing on my tongue and concentrating on the pain I'm causing myself as the chameleon's long tongue wraps around the sensitive bit of flesh, massaging it in a way that sends a horrible tingling sensation to the pit of my stomach. The tongue beings to lap at my tip, encouraging the smoldering feeling within me that I'm trying so hard to overcome.

"You're cute when you're blushing like that," the chameleon says as he removes his lips from my shaft and starts massaging and squeezing me between his palms. "I really want to taste you."

If I was a bright red before, I'm a purplish-red shade now. This is so humiliating and I just can't seem to control my body. I need to release. I attempt to hold myself back for a few more seconds, but my body overrules my mind. I turn my head away as I'm forced to orgasm against my will. My lips part spontaneously and an unknown name falls from my tongue, "V-vector..."

Smack! A fist connects with my nose and my mind reels wildly from the pain rushing through me. A few tears leak down my cheeks as I turn to look at the chameleon and notice the mess I've created on the bed. Cringing, I shut my eyes and turn away again.

My chin is grabbed and I'm forced to stare into the chameleon's angry red eyes as he snaps, "Vector?! Really? You forget everything about yourself and you still remember Vector?"

I frown at the accusation and try to remember who Vector is. I reach a blank and stare shamefully at my lap.

Suddenly, the chameleon barks an abrasive sounding laugh and says, "Oh, I get it. You remember his name, but you don't know who he is. Good. I think my work here is done."

Smirking to himself for some strange reason, the chameleon exits the room, leaving me mortified and perplexed. Why did he just do what he did to me? It was humiliating and degrading and now I feel worthless. Wait, perhaps I _am_ worthless. The chameleon told me I didn't even deserve a name. Also, who is this Vector? I feel as if he must be important, but I can't seem to remember who he is. I stare blankly at the wall, mind spinning with far too many questions and not enough answers.

The next few days pass by in an ongoing blur. During these days, I finally get some answers and some more questions. I learn that the black chameleon is drugging me and that this is why my head spins and I can't seem to remember much of anything. I also learn that he is right; I do not deserve a name or an identity. What I am is filth. I lay here in this bed day and night for anyone to use as they please. Sometimes I wake up to hands all over my body. At other times, I wake to find someone straddling me. When I wake to these situations, I just close my eyes tightly and try to fall back into my narcotized slumber. I must have done something terrible in my past life because only that would explain the constant abuse thrown at me from every angle. I'm beyond the point of trying to remember anything about what happened to me before I was chained to this bed. I believe that the abuse I'm being put through is torture that is leading up to my death. At least, I hope it is. Sometimes I feel hands on my throat that end up squeezing my breath away. I hear sadistic, muted laughter in my ears, but the hands always release me before I fall into a pit of endless darkness. I long for that darkness. Eternal slumber is the only thing that will save me now.

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_Do you think Espio will ever recover his memory? Review please! :) Also, I'm writing some other fics and I have a poll on my profile to decide what to write next. If you have time and want to vote on it, please do! Most of the options are for different fandoms, but I think I have one or two Sonic story options posted. Thanks guys!  
_


	132. Ripped Inside

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating yesterday. The router for my computer broke and I had to go without internet for a whole twenty-four hours. Ugh, the horror! :P Anyway, my dad got a new router and the internet connection should be fixed now. Thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter. Here's a new one! Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Chapter CXXXII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Times passes although how much time has passed is something I do not know. A week might have passed or it could have been a month. In fact, years may have gone by for all I know. Everything remains the same. I lie in this filthy, bloodstained bed day after day. Sometimes questions pop up in my mind, but that happens less and less often now. I find that I don't care about my questions or the answers to them. What good will answers do me? I will live in this same body until I die regardless of what knowledge spins around inside my head. Why should I bother to try to think and fight through the thick fog that has formed a firm wall around my past memories?

The black chameleon - I know he has a name, but I can't remember it at the moment - is the own who ones me. He does whatever he pleases with me. Weak as I am, I simply lay there as he molds me this way and that to get me just the way he wants. After that, I learn to pull myself out of my body the best I can. I don't have much of a soul anymore, but I use the little bit of it remaining within me as a way to escape my body. As my master does unthinkable things to me, I watch him from a distance with unseeing eyes. Perhaps it's a good thing that my mind is so muddled. That way, the true horrors of what he does to me never quite sink in.

The black chameleon isn't the only one who takes advantage of me. He has friends over quite a bit. The friends of his who visit me the most are a dark yellow chameleon and a light blue one. They seem to have the strangest ideas of all when it comes to different ways of using me. Unfortunately, they aren't the only two who are allowed to take advantage of me. Other chameleons, hedgehogs, and bats take advantage of me. I noticed one of them paying the black chameleon after taking what he wanted from me. My body is being sold.

I try not to let all the hurt and disgust with myself overtake me. If I could think properly without constantly being held down under this drugged nightmare, I would certainly have had a breakdown by now. However, at this point, I have learned to accept that this is my life. Pain is the only emotion I feel. Most of the time though, there's just nothingness.

At the beginning of my captivity, I used to wish that someone might come and find me here. No, no, not like one of the black chameleon's friends who pay him to have a go at me. I mean someone good-hearted and kind, someone who might take mercy on me and bring me away from this horrible place. Nobody deserves to be used this way. My life is a consistency of use and abuse. I never get a break except for when I'm in a drugged sleep.

I've begun to wish for an imminent death. I can feel it coming. My heart beats a little slower, my mind doesn't quite process things the way it used to, and my body responds to things far too slowly. I die a little more each day. I've begun to refuse the food offered me. At first, this made the black chameleon angry. He shouted something about me being ungrateful, but at least he didn't try to force feed me. I like the feeling of having an empty stomach. I've had so many other things inside of me that it is nice to know that one part of me is empty and clean.

I don't recall anything about my past life (did I even have a past life or have I always lived here with this black chameleon?), but I can make a guess that cleanliness was very important to me in my past life. Greasy fingers, sticky spit, and grime on the bed make me flinch and shudder even when nothing else does.

It's morning now. At least, I believe it's morning since there is just a faint ray of light coming from the dirty window above the bed I am always lying on. I've long since give up on trying to remove the cuffs on my wrists. Keeping my hands above my head has become natural to me at this point. People seem to like me better that way.

Creak! The door to my bedroom opens. A raspy sigh comes from my mouth. I just woke up from a long sleep. I want to fall right back asleep before I'm violated again. However, try as I might, my body is stubborn and won't fall back into slumber. For once, I find myself wishing for the drug that will make me forget everything.

Thud, thud, thud. Footsteps come from nearby my bed. They sound fairly light. At least I shouldn't be crushed to the mattress this time around unless whoever has come for me is violent. The footsteps stop and I force one heavy eyelid open. I stare blankly through a glazed eye and notice the black chameleon. I immediately slam my eyelid shut.

"You're such a goddamn mess," the black chameleon sighs with what sounds like a note of regret in his voice. "You're no fun anymore. At least I can make money off of you though. Of course, you don't really seem like you're going to last too much longer at this rate."

No much longer? Those words revolve around my mind for a few minutes before I can comprehend what they actually mean. Ah, good. This must mean that I'm going to die soon. The sooner, the better. Death means eternal slumber and no unwanted awakenings by rough, mean-spirited strangers.

More footsteps enter the room. It sounds like the black chameleon has brought some friends into the room with him. A long time ago, I might have struggled to get away from my bindings, but now I know better. I will be here until the end of time. How foolish it would be to think that I might be able to break free of these chains.

"How much longer do you think he's going to last, Darryl?" the voice of the somewhat familiar dark yellow chameleon asks his friend as he comes to stand over me lying on the bed next to the black chameleon.

"God, I don't know. Not long by the looks of it. He already looks more dead than alive," a low, deep voice sounds as the icy blue chameleon comes to loom over my bed with his two friends by his sides. He shrugs his shoulders and goes on, "It's a shame though, isn't it? We could have had a threesome with his tight little ass. He's probably caught some STD at this point."

"Ew, STDs..." the dark yellow chameleon makes a face and gives a shudder in response. "Maya gave Oscar crabs. He's been complaining about them since."

"Hey, my cousin doesn't have an STD!" the black chameleon replies in annoyance, folding his arms over his chest and sending the other two chameleons deadly looks.

One of his words rings a bell in my mind. _ Cousin_. Am I this black chameleon's cousin? I must be if he says so. I don't know what it means to be someone's cousin though. Does it mean that you belong to them or does it mean that only under certain circumstances?

"He sure could have an STD for all you know," the dark yellow chameleon argues. "You don't exact keep him clean anymore and only god knows who's been having their way with him."

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't make a good fuck now anyway," the black chameleon shrugs carelessly. "Wanna go watch some TV for a while? I'm bored."

"TV is boring. Let's bring your cousin into the living room and have some fun with him," the yellow chameleon suggests.

"Whatever, but I've got no clue what you have in mind," the black chameleon shrugs again.

A shadow falls over me and I feel the chains around my wrists being released. I'm free for one moment even though it does me no good since I have no strength to move my limbs even if I try to. My freedom lasts for only a second. A thick collar is fastened around my neck. I lift my bleary eyes up a few inches and find myself staring up into the crimson gaze of my cousin. He's holding a leash that's been attached to my collar. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about this. There's always something chained or attached to me.

"C'mon, slave," my cousin commands as he follows his friends to the door of the room.

Since my collar is connected to the leash, I'm pulled all the way to the edge of the bed. I stare at the floor dubiously, not sure how to get my legs to work so I can step onto the ground. Unfortunately, there's no time for me to try and work this out. I topple headfirst off of the side of the bed and crash onto the floor. None of the chameleons turn to give me a second glance. I'm dragged across abrasive, unfinished bedroom floorboards, through the kitchen, and then into the living room. By the time we reach our destination, which is the dilapidated couch in the living room, my hands and knees are scraped and bleeding. I'm tossed onto the sofa and lay there stunned.

The dark yellow chameleon gets an evil glint in his bright red eyes and suggests, "Hey guys, I have an idea! Let's film this! You start the film, Bryce. I'll hold his leash."

"Heh, do you even know what you're going to film yet?" Bryce, the chameleon who must be my cousin, asks as he hands the dark yellow chameleon the leash and crosses the room to grab a video camera.

The dark yellow chameleon shakes his head and grabs a sandwich he's been eating. He suddenly gets an idea and plucks an olive out of it. I watch only half-interested until the chameleon lifts my tail and suddenly pushes the piece of food into me. Laughter reverberates around the room.

"What did you do_ that_ for?" the low voice of the icy blue chameleon asks from where he's leaning up next to the sofa.

My cheeks burn with humiliation as I realize that I'm being used for the sole purpose of entertainment. The yellow chameleon just continues smirking and replies, "I dunno, but we're being filmed, so we might as well try to do something funny, right? Ooo! I have an idea. Darryl, get me that baseball bat from across the room."

"Why do I always have to be the one to do your work?" Darryl, the light blue chameleon, complains although he does as the other chameleon wishes and stomps across the floor. He swings the baseball bat over his shoulder and then asks, "Why do you have this thing anyway?"

"I have it so I can whack you on the head when you decide to be a dick," the dark yellow chameleon teases as he snatches the baseball bat from Darryl's hands.

"So...you're gonna whack him on the head with it or what?" Darryl asks, obviously not getting it.

"Of course not, stupid. This is why you're going to be the one getting whacked pretty soon here," the dark yellow chameleon says, before snickering, "Let's see how far we can get this thing in him."

Fingers brush up against my opening and then push their way inside me. The fingers swirl around within me, trying to stretch the tight space they're invading. I grit my teeth and prepare for more humiliation. I'm more asleep than awake and I haven't been following the conversation being held by the three chameleons. When the fingers are replaced by something cold and smooth, tight hands of fear wrap around my heart. I've been used many ways before, but never like this. The smaller end of the baseball bat is shoved up inside of me, tearing and ripping flesh and muscles. I haven't felt pain like this for a long time. Well, perhaps I have, but if so, I don't remember it. The foreign object is slammed up inside me twice more before it's out of me completely.

"And now for the other side..." the yellow chameleon grins as he turns the baseball bat so that the wider end of it is pointed towards me.

"You'll rip him apart with that damn thing," the black chameleon warns with a frown. "I still need to use him to pay the bills, you know."

"Oh, lighten up for shit's sake, Bryce! This is gonna be a laugh," the dark yellow chameleon insists.

Blinding pain that I never knew existed racks through me as I'm torn open. I don't even need to turn to see that I'm bleeding all over. Still, the pain does not stop. The large end of the baseball bat is forced up deeper within me. My insides crumble and my head reels with the white hot pain simmering through my every vein. Inhuman noises I never knew I was capable of making slip from my mouth

"Quiet, fucker, you're ruining our fun!" the dark yellow chameleon snaps at me.

My head is slammed down into the couch. I open my mouth to bite and end up with my teeth in the couch. My fingertips clutch at the dirty fabric as the baseball bat digs viciously up to my core. I can't put up with this anymore. I want to disappear from this world altogether. My eyes roll back and a howl of pain escapes from my lips.

Thud! The baseball bat whacks me on the forehead and then everything goes pitch black.

The darkness lasts for only so long. Despite my wishes for unending slumber, my eyes open once again. Sharp, inward shock causes me to squeeze my eyes shut. My mind is blank as an unstoppable current of agony jolts through me. All I can hear is my gasping, ragged breathing.

Suddenly, a voice sounds from very far away. Too consumed by the spasms tormenting my body, I don't understand what the words mean when the voice says, "Geez, Liam, you've ruined him completely. I'm not gonna be able to make any more money off of the little piece of shit. I guess I'll sell him to Isaac. He'll find something to do with him."

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_Do you think that Bryce will sell Espio? Review please! :) Also, thank you to those of you who voted on my poll. If you haven't gotten a chance to yet and have the time, please do so! Thanks guys!  
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	133. Search Party

**Hi guys, how are you all doing? I'm on spring break in two days and am not exactly looking forwards to it. Anyway, I know a lot of you are getting sick of torture scenes, so I'm glad to tell you that those are mostly over. The fic will get a lot less...uh...sadistic from here on out. :P Let me know what you think of this chapter! :)  
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**Chapter CXXXIII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

It's been a week since I started searchin' for Espio. My search for him began the day Charmy and I found his blood-stained scarf on the street. I hate admitting I'm wrong about stuff, but in this case, I've clearly had to eat my words regarding Espio. Charmy was right all along about the little chameleon. I knew there was sumthin' fishy going on that day when he called me on the telephone to break up with me. There was something off about his voice, but I was too blinded by hurt to bother looking any father than the words uttered from the chameleon's lips.

I'm lying on the couch with my head in my hands as I wait for the sun to rise. As soon as it's light enough outside, I'll begin my search once again. After all, there's no use searching for Espio in the dark. I'll never be able to find him if I can't see a thing. Still, I'm kinda tempted to start my search anyway since I'm already awake.

Wave upon wave of unstoppable guilt roll over me. I can't believe how blind I've been. I accepted the fact that Espio wanted to break up with me and didn't allow myself to realize how out of character Espio was actin' on the phone. It shames me to admit that Charmy was right about Espio all along and I've been the one acting like a complete idiot.

Fear runs down every vein in my body. I've searched the streets for Espio time and time again since beginning our search, but I've come up with absolutely nothing besides for the scarf I found on the first day. I've got no doubt that it's Espio's blood on the scarf. It smells way too much like him for it to be anyone else's scarf. Yeah, I smelled the damn thing. A detective has to assess every single clue given to him! Well, there's that and the fact that I just wanted to breathe in Espio's exotic scent again. I miss him so much and now I feel like the worst lover ever for doubting him.

What kind of trouble is my little buddy in? I've asked myself this question so many times in the last week and have come up with several answers for it. Each prediction of what I think might have happened to Espio gets more and more creative. I even came up with the idea that he might have been abducted by aliens. Hey, ya never know! I bet yeh that there are aliens out there in space!

Knowing that I'm never gonna be able to fall back asleep when my mind is consumed by worry, I force myself into a sitting position. Yawning, I don't bother to cover my mouth as my eyes fall onto a photography lyin' in front of me on the coffee table. I immediately lean forwards and pluck it up with a large gloved hand. A big lump forms in my throat as I recognize the photograph Charmy gave me of Espio and me sittin' together on the couch during Christmas. We both look so happy there, especially Espio. Can't believe I doubted his love for me even for a second. I've been the disloyal lover in our relationship, not the smaller reptile. All of this brings me to another pressing matter, one that I've been tryin' hard not to think about.

What the hell am I gonna do about Vanilla? I did tell her about Espio's disappearance and she agreed ta help me look for him. She didn't comment on our relationship though and she even kissed me to try and comfort me, saying that everything is gonna be okay and all that. I've only slept with her once, but does she expect me to do it again?

My plan for now is just to lay low when it comes to my relationship with Vanilla. I did swear to myself that I wouldn't break her heart again and I intended to stick to that promise before I realized Espio didn't break up with me because he wanted to. He only did that because he's in danger and I'm gonna guess that he wanted to keep me far away from whatever danger he's in. That's Esp for ya - he's always so selfless and lookin' out for others.

'Course, knowing this just makes me feel a thousand times worse. I honestly have no clue what I'm gonna do when I find Espio again. I know he's my true love, but what am I gonna do about Vanilla? It's obvious to myself that I don't love Vanilla, but after promising that I'll never break her heart again, what am I supposed ta do? Did Espio and I really break up or are things just gonna go right back to normal if - no, _when_ - I find him?

I will find Espio, there's no doubt about that in my mind. I'll search for him my whole life if I have to. It's all my fault for not starting my search for him sooner. I can't stop beating myself up over how stupid I was to have thought that Espio had broken up with me and left town because Team Chaotix was failing. Of course Espio would never do that! Why do I always gotta be such a goddamn idiot?!

From the other room, I hear someone chattering on the phone. Guess it must be Charmy. I dunno who else it would be. Yawning widely, I tear my eyes away from the photograph of Espio and myself and decide to just take things one step at a time. I can worry about the matter of our relationship once I've found Espio and he's safe and sound once more.

"Hey, Vector," Charmy says as he rounds the corner a moment later, a guilty expression on his face.

"What did ya do?" I ask, narrowing my eyebrows at the little bee since I can tell from the look on his face that he's done sumthin' to get himself into trouble.

"Nothing that bad..." Charmy trails off, giving me big, puppy-dog eyes. That innocent expression of his may have worked with Espio, but it won't work with me. My jaw stiffens and I wait. Charmy goes on in a rush, "I invited Sonic over here and told him to bring a few of his friends along. We need to tell them that Espio is missing and ask them to keep an eye out for him."

I expected Charmy to tell me that he broke something or made a mess in the kitchen, so when I hear that he invited Sonic and the gang over, I'm feeling kinda of relieved. In fact, I'm also feeling impressed. Smacking my forehead, I admit, "Geez, why didn't I think of that sooner? That's a good idea, Charm."

"Thanks!" Charmy replies in surprise, obviously having thought that I was gonna yell at him. "Sonic said that he'd be here soon, which probably will be soon since you know how Sonic is. He's always on the run. I think he was going to bring Knuckles and Tails along."

"Well, the more the merrier. The sooner we find Esp, the better," I sigh miserably, already staring at the door and waiting for the blue hedgehog, red echidna, and two-tailed fox to arrive.

"Hey, you called Espio 'Esp' again!" Charmy blurts out before turning pink-cheeked when I turn to him and give him a nonplussed look. Charmy quickly explains, "Well, it's just that you only called him Espio when you were mad at him. Does this mean that you love him again?"

"I never stopped lovin' him," I admit, feeling regretful all over again. "I got so worked up when he broke up with me that it never occurred to me that he might have gotten himself into trouble."

"At least you figured out the truth now though. You were being so stubborn!" Charmy chides me. He's a surprisingly smart little bee considering his age. Sometimes I wish he wasn't so smart though because his next words to me are, "So are you going to break up with Miss Vanilla now?"

Argh, the topic of Miss Vanilla is probably the one topic right that I do not want to talk about with the little bee right now. Sighing, I beg, "Can we _not_ talk about this right now, kid? Let's just worry about findin' Espio first. We can worry about all the other stuff later."

Charmy doesn't look too happy about my answer, but he keeps quiet about it. We both keep our eyes glued to the door for the next ten minutes or so. Luckily, it doesn't take Sonic at all to arrive at my house. I'm shocked when the door opens and a whole group of people tramp inside. There's Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, Shadow, Vanilla and Cream all standing in my living room with worried eyes and concerned expressions on their faces. Wow. It's real nice ta see just how many people wanna help Espio out.

"I got here as soon as I could," Sonic tells me since he's the one standing at the front of the group. "Charmy says that there's been some trouble. Fill us in!"

"Er, yeah, there's been trouble," I nod, getting butterflies in my stomach about speaking to such a large group of people. I like to talk, but talking about the disappearance of my lover is hard for met. Taking a deep breath, I inform the group, "About two weeks ago, Espio disappeared. I haven't seen him since, but I did find his scarf with blood on it out on the streets last week. I know he's in trouble. It's not like Esp to go and disappear."

"He just disappeared without a word to you about it?" Rouge asks in a calculating voice, already sensing that I'm hiding something from her.

I wanted ta try and get through this conversation without admitting that Espio and I were lovers because Espio never gave me the clear to come out in public with our relationship. Still tryin' to get around that, I reply, "Kinda. He gave me a phone call the day after he left to go to his mother's funeral."

"It would help if you tell us what the phone call was about," Rouge points out, looking like she's resisting rolling her eyes at me. "If the two of you got into an argument, then it's no surprise that he left. I'm sure he'll come back in time. Men always do."

Rouge sends a sideways look at Knuckles, which causes the echidna to blush bright red and purposefully turn away from her. Realizing that I'm just going to have to come clean about our relationship, I take a deep breath and admit, "Espio called me to break up with me. Yeah, yeah, I know yer all surprised. We've been lovers for a while, but Esp wanted ta keep it secret."

A long silence follows my statement. I fiddle with my hands and look from face to face. Shadow shows no emotion, Rouge still looks calculatingly at me, Tails and Knuckles don't look surprised, Vanilla of course already knows about my previous relationship with Espio, and Sonic is the first to speak.

"I'm surprised, but love comes in lots of different forms," Sonic points out cheerfully before he gets back to business and says, "But you said Espio called to break up with you though, right? _Why_ did he want to break up with you? Did he tell you why?"

"No! That's the problem. He just said he wanted ta break up and mentioned sumthin' about bein' scared of me. I don't get it though because we were so happy with each other. It was weird too because his voice started cracking while we were talking on the phone towards the end of our conversation. He said my name a few times and then the phone went dead," I explain, forehead creasing as I try and figure out what Espio was tryin' to tell me with those last words of his.

"Hm. I'm going to go take a look at your phone and see if I can track down the phone number Espio called you from. If case he really is in trouble, the phone number will help me figure out where he was when he called you last," Rouge explains before turning and sauntering towards the kitchen, "accidentally" brushing past Knuckles in the process.

"Alright, so Espio's missing," Knuckles states, getting straight to the point as always. "How long have you been searching for him and where have you been searching for him?"

"Uh, let's see..." I trail off, coming up with the answers in my head before I reply, "Well, I started searching for him last week. Since then, I've searched for him all throughout the town a few times."

"A week is a rather long time, dear," Miss Vanilla admits hesitantly. "There is a slight possibility that Espio may no longer be in town and that we may not be able to find him. We'll all do our very best to help, but a missing person could have gotten very far away in a week."

I start chewing my lip since I know that Miss Vanilla is obviously right. Tails doesn't help out the situation much by agreeing with Miss Vanilla and nodding, "She's right, you know. Two weeks_ is_ a long time. That doesn't mean that we should give up hope or stop searching though, right everyone?"

"That's the way to look at it, Tails!" Sonic nods, giving his friend a high five just as Rouge steps back into the room with a frustrated look on her face. Raising an eyebrow at her, Sonic asks Rouge, "Did you find anything out about the phone number?"

"I did, but it's not helpful information. The phone number no longer exists, meaning that Espio called you from a disposable cell phone," Rouge explains. "Either he's upset at you and doesn't ever want you to find him or someone forced him to call you with that number."

"I'm sure it's because of the second reason. Look, Rouge, you're not being helpful. Why don't you just go home?" Knuckles snaps in irritation.

"You may not want to admit it, but I'm just as good of a people finder as I am a treasure hunter," Rouge replies smoothly, flicking her fingers at Knuckles' nose.

"Okay, so what's our plan going to be?" Shadow interjects, obviously getting annoyed with Rouge's and Knuckles' banter. "I say that we should all split up and search the town for Espio. We should go into the stores we pass and look for him in them as well. If Espio is still in town, we're going to find him."

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_The search for Espio has begun! Do you think someone will find him soon? If so, who do you think it will be? Review please! :)  
_


	134. Facing Fears

**I'm on spring break for the next ten days, so I thought I'd go ahead and write up review replies for the next week or so. :)  
**

**AngelLux13: It's about time they start a search party, huh? Knowing brilliant Vector (note the sarcasm), it will take him a while before he gets to the shabby parts of town. No problem about the chapter, I'm glad you liked it!**

**Spiiiii: Lol, well, Shadow has a few more parts in this story, but I can't write him well, so I limit his parts. Thanks for reading!**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: When is Charmy not the smart one? :P It must be pretty embarrassing for Vector to get outsmarted by a seven-year-old all the time. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Saints-Fan-12: Good prediction! It would be great if they both found him. Thanks for the review!**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Aw, yay, I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! It was fun to write about everyone getting together although I usually have a hard time writing any characters other than Vex and Esp, lol! Hope you like this one too. **

**Guest: I agree, the chances of finding Esp are way better with everyone keeping an eye out for him. Good question about who will find him. You'll find out soon!**

**Toni the Mink: Hehe, yeah, I think we'd all like for Vector to find Bryce. Vector will certainly have a thing or two to say to him. Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXIV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Everyone stops to think for a few moments. Shadow's plan actually makes a lot of sense. If we all split up and search the town from top to bottom, we're bound ta find Espio if he's still around here. 'Course, I'm starting to get one of those bad gut feelings that tells me that Espio isn't in town anymore. There's just sumthin' suspicious about Espio using a disposable cell phone to call me with. He would never normally do that. Someone must have forced him to call me with that phone. God, he must have gotten himself into a real big mess by the sound of things.

"Splitting up sounds like a good idea. Great thinking, Shadow!" Sonic nods, giving Shadow a thumbs up. Shadow merely grunts in response as Sonic continues on, "Tails and I will search along the beach and that area of the town for Espio. Knuckles and Rouge can search the area around the mall. Shadow and Charmy, you two take the area around Chaos Avenue. Cream and Vanilla can search the neighborhoods north of here. How does that sound to everyone?"

I notice that Sonic hasn't assigned me any certain part of the town to search for Espio in. Oh well. Guess he assumes I can figure that out for myself since I am a detective and all. Everyone seems to like Sonic's plan. Well, everyone except for Knuckles, that is. He's got a real grumpy expression on his face.

"Why do I have to be partnered with bat girl?!" he exclaims, folding his arms stubbornly across his chest as he adds, "I'd rather search alone."

"You know they say that two heads are always better than one," Rouge replies, linking her arm through Knuckles' arm and leading him towards the door. I expect Knuckles to try and protest, but he ends up goin' with it. Looking over her shoulder, Rouge asks, "Are we going to meet back up here at the end of the day to see if anyone's had any luck?"

"That would probably be best," Tails nods. He glances at the stopwatch around his wrist and suggests, "Let's all meet here at six pm sharp."

A sound of mutual agreement echoes around the room. Sonic exclaims, "Alright then, it sounds like we've got a plan! Let's get going! We'll all be here at six 'o clock tonight."

With that said, Sonic whizzes out of the door with Tails right behind him. Shadow follows the two with Charmy blabbing over his shoulder. Shadow's definitely gonna be in for a long day. Charmy has always thought that the black hedgehog is really "cool" and "exciting". Guess the kid looks up to him. Shadow seems smart, I guess, but also kind of emo. He better not end up bein' a bad influence on Charmy. Then again, if he could take Charmy's hyper attitude down a notch or two, I won't be complaining.

It only takes about five minutes or so for everyone to clear out of my house. By that point, I'm left all alone on the couch. I still haven't figured out where I'm gonna go to search for Espio yet. Sighing, I run my hands over the blood-stained scarf in my hands and make Espio a solemn oath.

_ Look, Esp, I know I've treated ya real badly lately_, I speak to him in my mind. _ I swear to God that I ain't gonna stop searching for yeh until I find ya though! I'll never stop, and when I find ya, I won't let yeh leave me ever again. Just be alright, okay, Esp? I couldn't bear it if anything really bad happened to ya..._

Tears spark the corners of my eyes and I angrily swat them away before I get to my feet and drop the scarf back down onto the couch. Why is it that Espio is the only one on this entire planet who can make a tough croc like me sentimental? I guess it's because I love him so much. I've said it before, but I'll say it again; I love Espio more than myself or anyone else in this world. I intend to keep my vow to him. I'm gonna search for him until I find him!

Determined to hold up to my vow, I get to my feet resolutely and stride towards the door. I shove it open and then step outside into a rainy April morning. I don't usually mind the rain so much, but I hate it today. It makes it harder for me to search for Esp since raindrops insist on obscuring my normally keen eyesight.

Ignoring the rain, I let my feet take me wherever they wanna go and start searching for Espio. I go to the cafe he works at first and ask the hedgehog working there if she's seen Espio lately. My answer is the expected no. After that, I search the area around the cafe and through the alleys again. I spend the entire day searching the streets for Esp, but six 'o clock comes and I still haven't seen a glimpse of purple scales anywhere. Hopin' that someone else had better luck than me, I turn and trudge back towards the house feeling extremely dejected.

I push open the door to the house and step inside, figuring to be the first person back. To my surprise, I'm actually the last one back inside the living room. Sonic and Tails are standing in the corner with blank expressions on their faces. Shadow is quiet as usual and even Charmy isn't flitting around and blabbing about some unknown topic. Vanilla has a hand on Cream's shoulders, trying to comfort her daughter about sumthin' or another. Even Rouge and Knuckles are quiet for once as they stand side by side with the same glum expression on their faces.

Even though I already know the answer to my question, I cling to the little bit of hope still inside me and ask, "Did anyone have any luck?"

All the heads in the room shake sadly from side to side. Rouge is the first to speak, murmuring, "Knuckles and I searched everywhere and asked everyone we knew if they have seen any chameleons around. The answer was no everywhere. I think you're just going to have to face the fact that your chameleon dumped you. Break ups happen, people get rejected. It's just a part of life. As for me, I need to get my rest. It's been a long day."

My teeth grit together as Rouge steps out of the door. I get where she's comin' from, but she doesn't know Espio the way I do! Espio wouldn't have walked out on me. That's just not Espio! He's in trouble and that's all there is to it. Why else would he have used a disposable cell phone to call me with and why else would his scarf have blood all over it?

"That was a bit harsh, but I think Rouge may be right," Vanilla admits cautiously. "Espio may not want to be found. I need to escort Cream home since it's getting late. Do feel free to give me a call later though, dear. I wish you luck in everything."

Vanilla squeezes my hand sympathetically before ushering Cream out of the house. As soon as she's gone, I look up at the remaining people in the room and state, "Espio wouldn't have just left! He's been kidnapped or sumthin'! I just know it!"

"I'm sorry that we couldn't find him, Vector. I really am," Sonic apologizes. "Tails, Knuckles and I will keep our eyes open for him. We'll see you around!"

"I will also keep my eyes open for him. He may still show up," Shadow replies in his expressionless voice before he follows Sonic out of the room, clearly not wanting to be left alone with Charmy and me. The door falls shut after him a moment later, leaving me in despair and Charmy with a lost look in his eyes.

"We _will_ find Espio, won't we?" Charmy asks as soon as the door has shut. "He hasn't disappeared forever, right?"

"I can't promise ya that we're gonna find him, but I can promise yeh sumthin' else," I tell Charmy as I look up and meet his anxious brown eyes. "I won't stop searchin' for him until I find him. Yeh know our saying. Once we start a job, we finish a job."

"Yeah," Charmy nods along, but his voice lacks enthusiasm and I think that even Charmy has begun to give up hope.

Over the next two weeks, I stick to my promise. I sleep fitfully at night and take to searchin' the town all day for Espio in case he might have returned to town in the middle of the night. Deep inside, I'm starting to realize that I'm probably never gonna see the little chameleon again. I've searched everywhere in town for him! I just dunno where else he might be at this point. All I can do is continue my searching and cross my fingers that I'm wrong about all this and that Espio isn't really in trouble.

A month has passed since Espio's disappearance and I'm sittin' on the couch drinking some coffee. I just woke up and I need caffeine so I can be semi-awake by the time the sun rises so I can start my search for Espio. I always sleep on the couch these days. I don't feel right sleepin' in Espio's bed after I made love to Miss Vanilla on it. Thinking about what I did on that mattress causes guilt to well up inside of me. That whole situation makes me cringe. Yeh should never make love to someone ya don't love. It's just plain wrong.

Charmy interrupts my thought process by flying into the room and yawning widely. He waves a hand at me in greeting and mumbles sleepily, "Hey, Vector."

"Mornin', Charmy," I reply in a flat voice. Just in case I'm missing something when it comes to the case of Espio's disappearance, I ask, "Is there anywhere we haven't searched for Espio yet? I feel like I've searched this entire damn town a thousand times, but I've got this weird feelin' that I'm missing something when it comes to this case."

"Espio could have left town maybe?" Charmy shrugs his shoulders.

"Yeah, I guess, but then where would he go? Everyone lives around here. It's just uncivilized wasteland outside of the town. Espio's not the type to go wanderin' around in the middle of nowhere. That's just not him. He wants to fight evil and all that. He can't do that in a place where nobody is around," I point out in frustration.

"Hm," Charmy says, eyebrows knotting together as he suddenly comes up with something. "Hey Vector, are you_ sure _you've searched everywhere around here for Espio?"

"'Course I'm sure! What kinda question is that?!" I ask a little more sharply than I meant to. It's just that the question sounds kinda stupid to my ears. What does Charmy think I've been doing these last four weeks? Sitting around and twiddling my thumbs or what?

"I don't think you have searched everywhere for Espio," Charmy points out, causing me to give him a clueless look. "What about the bad part of town? You know, that part way past the mall that you always tell me to stay away from? You told me that all the drunks and criminals live down there."

It takes me a minute before I realize that Charmy is right. God, why is Charmy always right? It's kinda embarrassing how the little bee always ends up bein' smarter than me! Anyway, he does have a point. I haven't searched the slums 'cuz nobody in their right mind would choose ta go into those parts of the town unless they're either a drunk, a druggie, or a criminal. Espio ain't any of those, so I don't see why he'd be in those parts of town.

"I haven't searched that part of town, but why would Espio be there?" I ask Charmy blankly. "I mean, it's pretty darn obvious that Espio wouldn't take to drinking or drugs."

"That's not what I meant," Charmy replies, shaking his head furiously. "Remember what you said about Espio getting kidnapped? What if he got taken to those parts of the town? If you're not going to go look for him there, then I am!"

"Hold up a sec, Charm, yer not goin' into the slums and that's that," I reply firmly, shuddering to think about what the innocent little bee might encounter if he ended up in those parts of the town. I really don't wanna go into the shabby side of town myself, but at least I can let my mind rest at ease knowin' that I've searched everywhere possible for Esp after searching there. Sighing, I give in and tell Charmy, "Alright, I'll go search the rest of the town for Esp, but yer not coming with me. The slums are no place for a kid. You go play with Cream and I'll meet ya back here tonight, alright?"

"But I really want to come with you! Can I _please_ come along? Please, please, please?" Charmy begs, giving me puppy eyes.

"I've already told ya no and that's all there is to it. I'm not like Espio. Yeh can't make cute faces at me and expect ta get yer way," I point out to Charmy ruefully. "Now go along and play with Cream. Tell her mom I'll give her a call soon."

"I'll go play with Cream, but do I really have to tell her mom that you're going to call her? You're really busy searching for Espio right now. Can't you just worry about calling her later?" Charmy protests.

I've gotta admit that I'm tempted to take Charmy's advice about this. Unfortunately, it's been five days since I last talked to Miss Vanilla and I'm figuring that if I don't give her a call soon, it will look like I'm neglecting her. I have got a lot on my mind right now though, so I guess I can put off the phone call for another two days.

"Fine, you win," I say, throwing up my hands in resignation. "Now git! I've got work to do."

"Okay. Good luck, Vector!" Charmy tells me before he yanks open the door to the house and starts out of it.

After Charmy leaves, I take a deep breath and get to my feet. I really don't wanna go into the bad parts at the edge of town, but I've promised Charmy that I will and a proud croc like myself always keeps his word. I step out into a damp April morning and put one foot resolutely in front of the other as I start towards the seedier side of town.  
_  
I sure as hell hope yer out there somewhere, Esp_, I think to myself as I trudge along. _ If I don't find ya today, I've got no clue where else ta look for yeh._

* * *

_Do you think Vector will find Espio on his search? Review please! :)  
_


	135. Painful Recognitions

**PreyasRules: Nooooo, don't die from the suspense! xD It's going to go on through one more chapter. I hope you can make it through it. :P About Espio's memory, well, I don't want to give too much away, but I'd say there's hope for him if Vector ever gets around to saving him. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Andypandy123: Yup, hope has been restored! *parties* Let's hope Vector finds Esp soon before it's too late. Thanks for the review!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Yeah, the bad parts of the town are pretty seedy. Everyone tries to avoid them when they can. At least Vector's finally facing his fears and is going to search for Esp there though. Thanks about the vacation wishes! That's so nice of you to say. Hope you like this chapter. :)**

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you there, it's about time he find Espio! Thanks for the review!**

**Guest: Those are a lot of good predictions! Most of them are more creative and interesting than what I managed to come up with, lol! The picture thing may come back to haunt Espio later in the story though. Hope you like this chapter!**

**AngelLux13: You're right about Vector; he probably shouldn't go into the ghettos alone, but you know Vector, he never thinks before acting. *rolls eyes at Vector* I'm so glad that you think this story keeps getting better and better! It makes my day to hear that. Thank you so much!  
**

**Spiiiii: Aw, well, I'll try to do some more review replies then! This has been my first break in busyness since forever! And lol, ikr? I mean, Shadow and Charmy were just begging to be partnered together in the last chap and I couldn't resist. I'm so glad you're still liking my story so much! Thanks for the super nice review! :D **

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yeah, I'm doing review replies again! *parties* I finally have some free time again, woohoo! :D Let's hope that Veccy finds Esp on his search! And yup, a whole month has passed...=/ Let's just say that Esp isn't in such good shape at the moment. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Mr. Shock76able: What happened to Esp in the last month? Well, I didn't really want to go into detail on that since I figured I'd written enough torture scenes, but basically Bryce just kept selling Espio to anyone who would pay for him in the last month. Let's hope Vector doesn't get mugged or else Esp's final hope is lost! Thanks for the review.**

**Chibi-Guest: It's okay, I understand! I have a lot of days where I don't want to get out of bed (like today)! xD Are you feeling any better? I hope so! And yes, let's hope Vector finally finds Esp! It's about time, huh? xD  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Aw, thanks, I never think I'm so good at writing the other characters. And ikr? Rouge and Vanilla gave up far too easily. Now is the time for Vector to find Esp, so let's keep our fingers crossed for him! I'm pretty busy, so I'm not so good with PMing, but I did add you on skype. Maybe we can chat there?  
**

**NMason1997: Yay, you're reviewing again! Awesome! I'm sorry you've been so busy lately and everything. I hope you can enjoy your four day weekend. :) Let's hope that Vector finds Espio soon. He's definitely trying his hardest for his little buddy and deserves to find him after all his effort. Two more suspenseful chapters then things will calm down in the story...a little. :P Btw, have I ever told you that you're one of my favorite reviewers? Because you definitely are! Thanks for reading. ^^  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I walk real slow in the direction of the bad parts of the town. I don't wanna be goin' here, but it's the last place I know of where Espio might be. Truth be told, I don't expect to find the chameleon here. I purposefully make an attempt to avoid even walking in the direction of the slums. If I'm so paranoid about them, then of course Espio will be ten times worse. However, I did promise Charmy that I'd look for Espio here in the rundown, criminal infested parts of town, so that's exactly what I'm doing right now.

It's pretty obvious once you've put a foot into the bad parts of town. The wind feels chillier here and everything is a damn mess. The buildings and homes here are crowded much too closely together. The windows of the homes are cracked and dilapidated, the houses themselves are practically falling over, and even the streets are rundown and need to be repaved. Gruff looking inhabitants of this dirty place crowd along the streets. There are drug dealers around every corner, prostitutes flaunting themselves with sickly sweet smiles on their faces, and homeless people sittin' on the pavement.

Even though I walk with my eyes focused straight ahead of me, I'm all too aware of the eyes that follow me as I quickly step through this part of town. Everyone can tell I'm not from around here 'cuz I'm not covered in dirt or grime, I'm not a drunk or a druggie, and I'm obviously not trying to get laid. I'm here ta save Esp, but it's real obvious that Espio ain't here.

I turn the corner and practically run straight into a female hedgehog wearing a cropped tank top, an extremely short skirt, and high heels. Her face has been caked with makeup to a point where it looks kinda ugly. Leaning up to my face and making me cough with the smell of cheap perfume, she asks me in a breathy voice, "Want me to suck it?"

"Er, no," I reply, taking a closer look at the girl. She can't be older than sixteen, but already her body looks used up and she's seen far too much of this world. I wonder what turned her into a hooker. She could be just like Amy Rose or little Cream, but no, she's already a woman grown up way too fast. I hesitate, feelin' bad for the girl. Unable to help my curiosity since I'm a nosy croc, I ask, "Can't yeh get a real job somewhere? How old are ya? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

The hedgehog girl looks at me in shock and the barks a laugh, replying, "That's none of your business. This is_ my_ life and I've lived this way for years."

I frown, not sure how to reply to that. Already, a gruff looking hedgehog is pushing past me and eying the girl with lusty eyes. She immediately turns to him and I'm forgotten. Sighing, I decide to leave the unfortunate girl behind me and continue on with my search. I take a few steps forwards and almost trip over sumthin' in my path. What is it?

A lump forms in my throat as I find a sleeping hedgehog dressed in rags lying at my feet. Damn, there are way too many homeless people just lying out in the middle of the road! My heart goes out to them to some extent. I wonder how many of 'em are too lazy to try and find jobs and how many of them were born into poverty and can't find a place to work. Crap, this is exactly why I don't go into this part of the town. It makes me feel horrible seeing all these poor people like this. I wanna do something to help them, but what?

I tell myself to stay focused. I'm here to try and find Espio, not to save the world. I'll leave that job to Sonic. Luckily, I've almost covered the entire area of these rundown streets. There's just one more neighborhood to cover and then I can get the hell outta here and tell Charmy that I've searched everywhere for Espio.

Feeling a little relieved since I know I'll be gettin' home soon, I turn the corner and notice several more trashy homes around the area. Not as many people are swarming the streets here. In fact, it's deadly quiet at the moment. Kinda strange, huh? Not even sure why I'm bothering to walk around these homes since there's no one here, I tromp around puddles and glance up at the sky. It's getting grayer by the moment. I bet that it's gonna be raining by the time I get home and...wait. What's that?

Coming to a halt, I squint into the distance and notice three figures making their way down the steps of a house that can't really be called a house. It's more of a rundown shack. All three are chameleons, but they're the wrong colors. One is jet black, another is light blue, and the third is an ugly shade of yellow.

My heart sinks, but I keep my eyes on the chameleons anyway. There's something strange about the way they move. Their eyes glance furtively this way and that as if they're upta something real bad. 'Course bad things happen in these parts of the town, but if I can prevent them from happening, I will. That's why I'm hanging around right now. If I can catch 'em doing something red-handed, I can turn them in! See, it's the detective in me that makes me wanna do good and help people out all the time. Putting criminals away is definitely a way to help out.

Suddenly, I notice that one of the chameleons is leading a smaller figure down the slippery road. I can't see the figure because there's a black cloak draped around him or her. It covers their entire body and the black hood conceals the face from my view. Huh. Something fishy is definitely goin' on here!

I retreat into an alley to my left as the chameleons start in my direction. I wince as the cloaked figure abruptly stumbles and crashes to the ground. The dark yellow chameleon, the one closest to me, rolls his eyes and kicks the huddled figure into a puddle by the side of the road.

"Get up, you little fucker!" the chameleon yells in a loud voice. "We don't have all day you know."

I dunno who or what is under that cloak, but I do know that it ain't right to kick anyone around. When the dark yellow chameleon kicks the figure again, I wince. Normally, I'd barge right on over to the chameleon and give him a talk about respect, but the fact remains that there are three chameleons and only one of me. I might not be the brightest bulb ever, but I'm not stupid. Even a strong croc can't take on three tall, well-built chameleons. Guess I'm just gonna have to hold my ground and see what happens.

"Liam, stop!" one of the other chameleons orders in a clipped voice.

To my surprise, the dark yellow chameleon shrugs his shoulders. All three chameleons stare at the cloaked figure and wait. Nothing happens. The figure just lies there in the puddle where he or she was kicked earlier. I really wanna go over to the group and see what's under the cloak and if he or she is hurt, but I gotta keep the logical part of my mind in charge. I can't take on three chameleons and these three definitely look like they're the types who will wanna start a fight with me.

"Nobody is going to pay for him like this," the chameleon leader, the one Liam listened to earlier, sighs. He grabs the cloaked figure's arm and sighs dramatically, "Let's just take him back to the house. He's no good to anyone now. It's all _your_ fault, you know. You were the one who started fucking him and drugging him while I was out with Maya!"

"Hey, don't blame it on me! You're the one who's been selling him to everyone who will pay for him," Liam snaps back.

My nose wrinkles at the crass conversation. Something sure ain't right here, but I don't know enough about the situation yet. As the cloaked figure is hauled back to its feet, the hood covering the figure's head slips slightly. My breath catches my throat and I can't do anything but stare.

I can't see so well since I'm standing so far away from the four figures, but what I do see are big amber eyes staring directly at me from under the hood. There's sumthin' wrong with the eyes. They're blank and empty and just stare straight forward at nothing whatsoever. Black eyeliner has been painted around both eyes and there's an angry purplish-red bruise just below one eye. My god, what the hell happened to this poor thing? There's something oddly familiar about the creature, but I can't tell what it is since I'm standing so far away.

The group of chameleons start back towards the house, dragging the cloaked figure behind them. When they get to the stairs, the figure stumbles and topples over again. This time, I catch a glimpse of a curly tail. It looks like it should be purple, but it's covered in dirt and grime so that it looks more gray than anything else.

Wait, did I just say a purple tail? Could it be...? Nah, 'course not. The half-dead creature under the cloak can't be Espio. Then again, could it be? I did think earlier that there was sumthin' familiar about the blank eyes. Now that I think of it, I remember that the color of the eyes was amber! My stomach forms a tight knot as the four figures slip inside the house.

I dunno whether or not that awful looking creature under the cloak can possibly be Espio or not, but I'm determined to find out. I set my mouth in a resolute line and start towards the house. It takes me only a few minutes to reach it. Once I approach the shack, I start circling it and lookin' for any windows I might be able to peer inside. I don't care if I'm on private property at this point. Whether or not the cloaked figure is Espio, this chameleon obviously needs my help. I dunno what the other chameleons have been doing to him, but it must be something awful.

Unfortunately, even after circling the house, I don't find any windows to look into. Well, okay, so that's a lie. I did find one window, but it's a good four feet above my head. I can't fly like Charmy or climb walls like Espio, so there's no way I can look inside it. 'Sides, the window looks awful grimy anyway, so I probably couldn't see inside it even if it was right in front of my face. This leaves me with a problem. What am I gonna do now?

My head spins, but I come up with nothing. 'Course, if Espio was here with me right now, he probably would be able to come up with some sort of plan. I wonder if I can call the cops. I mean, something wrong is clearly goin' on here. I dunno if cops will investigate the house if I don't have any proof of anyone being abused though. Argh, why does my mind always fail me when I need it the most? Calling the cops obviously isn't the solution to my problem, so what is?

As I stand around and try to force myself to come up with a plan, I hear a loud crash from just within the house. It must be from the room I'm standin' next to because the noise is so loud that it makes me flinch. There's a banging sound and then the creaking of something that sounds an awful lot like the springs under my bed complaining when I flop down on it too hard. A laugh that makes my chest tighten sounds from the room. It ain't nice laughter to listen to - it's cruel, sadistic laughter.

I'm still tryin' to think of something to do when I hear a noise that makes my heart stop. A low, deep cry of pain sounds from just inside the house. My head swims and I feel overcome by dizziness. Only one person on the whole damn planet has a voice like that. That scream was Espio's scream. That..._thing_ I just saw is my best buddy.

For a few minutes, I can't think straight. My feet are already moving towards the entrance of the house. I'm gonna break in and get Espio the hell outta there! I've reached the door and am reaching out for it when I come to a halt and make myself listen to my logical side again. I'm unarmed and just one crocodile. Inside the house are three strong chameleons who probably have easy access to weapons. If I barge inside the house now, they could easily knock me out and what good will I have done Espio? No good at all.

Finally, a plan comes to me. I'll run home, grab the gun that Espio always kept under his pillow, and then I'll return here and break down the goddamn door. I'll find Espio and I'll shoot down everyone in my way of gettin' to him.

Knowing that I may not have much time, I turn and start running towards my house as fast as I possibly can. I'm usually kinda lazy and don't run very often, so I'm breathing hard and panting after just three minutes. Now is not the time to stop and rest though! Espio needs me! I force my legs to move faster as I pound across the rundown streets. I'm gettin' a lot of weird stares from all of the people crowding the slums, but I don't give a damn about them. All I can think of is the blank look in the chameleon's eyes when the hood slipped off of his face.

It takes way too long to reach the house. Finally, it comes into sight. I slam my shoulder into the door and burst inside it. Charmy isn't home from Cream's house yet since the lights are turned off. Good. I don't have time to try and explain the situation to him right now.

My feet take me straight to Espio's bedroom. I wildly throw the pillows this way and that until I see the unmistakable glint of metal. There's Espio's gun glinting wickedly in front of me on the sheets. I never ever thought I'd have ta use a gun. I'm usually against violence for the most part, but in a situation like this, I'll shoot down everyone who stands in the way of me reaching my lover.

I barge back into the living room, my head spinning as I try to think of a faster route to get to dilapidated shack Espio is trapped inside. I realize that if I take a route through the alleys, I can reach the house a hell of a lot faster than I reached it the first time. The shortcut should chop the distance to it in half. That's great and all, but is it still gonna take too much time? What if I'm too late?  
_  
Don't yeh even let yer mind go there_, I chastise myself as I spill out onto the streets and run like the devil himself is after me towards the shack I just came from minutes earlier._ Espio's gonna be alright! Yer gonna save him! Ya can't be too late, ya just can't be! _

* * *

_More suspense for you guys! xD Do you think that Vector will find Esp in time? Review please! :)  
_


	136. Dark Revelations

**PreyasRules: *helps revive you from dying* Better now? :P Vector gets some major points for finding Esp, but he'll get even more in my book once he actually saves him. xD Cliffies are my worst enemy too. I hate, hate, hate them. *helps you pick up the spilled popcorn* Here's the chapter you've been waiting for!  
**

**Andypandy123: Dying from suspense is not allowed, lol! This chapter should help hold you over to the next one though...I hope. :P Thanks for the review!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Yup, I'd definitely say that we've finally reached the climax! If Espio's gun isn't loaded, Vector is going to be in a lot of trouble. =/ Don't die before you read the next chapter! :P Here it is! Hope you enjoy it. :)  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I know what you mean about suspense. I like it, but also hate it at times. Things should get a little less suspenseful after this chap. Thanks for the review!**

**Toni the Mink: I definitely see what you're saying there, but I dunno, I think that three strong chameleons with weapons could easily take Vector out. The croc is strong, but he isn't exactly bright if you know what I'm saying. :P Let's just hope that he hurries and gets back to Esp! *crosses fingers* Thanks for reading!  
**

**AngelLux13: Hehe, I'm with you there! Go blow the bastards' brains out, Veccy! *cheers* This chapter is sort of the climax of the story, so after this it shouldn't be quite so suspenseful. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, I wonder? Let me know what you think of this chappie!  
**

**Spiiiii: Yeah, the guys are being such bastards to poor Esp right now. x_x Although, geez I sound like a perv or something saying this, but I still kinda like Liam and Darryl. I sorta made them a sadistic pair, but I like them as a couple. Anyway, ikr? Charmy just loves time with Shadow and Shadow, well, he hates it or pretends to hate it anyway. :P He better not kill you though because I have Mephie powers on my side that I'll send after him if he does. xD And d'awww, that's so sweet of you to say! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: *gives Vector wings and shoves him into the air* Wow, a flying croc...that would be quite a sight. xD Aw, that sucks about your spring break being over already. Honestly, I'm not much of a fan of spring break since it means more time around my argumentative parents, but oh well, I'll survive the break...I hope. :P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Mr. Shock76able: I'm with you there, if Vector doesn't find Espio now, who knows if he ever will? =/ He better run as fast as he can! Thanks about the daily updates thing. I actually finished this story over Christmas break and that's how I'm able to update so fast. I haven't been writing much lately, but I'm thinking about starting another Sonic fic when I feel less lazy. Thank you for such a nice review!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yeah, I agree with you there, it definitely wasn't easy for Vector to find Espio all messed up like that. And aw, you recommended this story to a friend of yours? That's so nice of you! Have they read the whole thing? I'm so glad you're both liking it! Hearing that makes my day. :D  
**

**Guest: Hehe, yup, it's finally time for Vector to come to the rescue! I agree about Bryce, he won't let Espio go without a fight, so basically someone is going to end up getting hurt or worse. Thanks so much for reading!**

**NMason1997: No problem at all! It's completely true. I'm so glad to hear that the update made your day! I don't think it's possible to be too happy about Vector finding Esp. He's spent soooooo much time looking for him. I know what you mean about villains. In general, I'm a villains fan and prefer to write about villains than heroes, but I made Bryce a real bastard in this. Don't worry, you're not alone - I've hated fictional characters before too. There was this one evil guy in a book I read who killed my favorite character and I couldn't quit complaining about it for days. No problem about posting! I really hope you like this next chapter.  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXVI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

My feet pound against the rundown cobblestone road as I tear town the alleyways to the shack I know Espio is trapped inside. It's a damn good thing that nobody notices me because I've still got Espio's gun gripped tightly in my right hand and haven't exactly made any attempts to hide it. Every noise makes me whip my head back and forth. I keep hearing Espio's long, drawn out scream of pain in the back of my mind over and over again as if it's bein' replayed inside my head. My fingertips clench around the gun as a boiling rage ignites in the pit of my stomach. I dunno what the hell those chameleons have been doing to my Espio, but I'm gonna be the one to judge them. If they're guilty, well, let's just say that my finger is gonna slip and pull the trigger.

The sky is growin' darker by the moment. It hasn't started raining yet, but the darkness causes an eerie feeling in the alleyways. What am I gonna do if I'm too late? What if those bastard chameleons have killed Espio? I shudder at the thought as knives of fear prick my heart. Maybe I should have just run the risk of barging in the house weaponless earlier. ...Nah, that would've been stupid. A solitary croc has no chance against three chameleons that are willing to put up a nasty fight.

Suddenly, a crystal clear realization comes to me. It's one I should have come up with a very long time ago, but I guess I was too worried about Miss Vanilla and my own matters to think of it. The black chameleon who was the one dragging Espio around? Well, he looks familiar for a reason. Why? I've seen him before. It's Espio cousin, Bryce.

Icy fingertips squeeze and clench my heart as I realize how idiotic I've been. This whole situation makes a lotta sense now. Bryce kidnapped Espio at his mother's funeral. Then he force Esp to quit Team Chaotix and break up with me. No wonder his voice sounded so frightened on the phone! After that, well, I really dunno what Espio has been through in the last month. All I know is that it's definitely been a lot worse for him than for me. While I've been screwing around and blaming him for ruining my life, the little chameleon has actually sacrificed himself for me. He could have told me he was in trouble and asked me to come and rescue him on the phone, but he didn't. He didn't want me to come lookin' for him because he knew it wouldn't be safe for me.

I've felt guilty a lot of times in my life. It seems like I'm always messing something or the other up no matter how hard I try not not to. This, without a doubt, has obviously been my biggest screw up yet. I jumped to conclusions about Espio and left him to spend exactly one month with his bastard of a cousin. Thirty days and thirty nights is a long time. I don't even wanna know what he's been doing to Espio. Aren't I to the goddamn shack yet? I've been running for ages and I feel like my heart is about to rip right out of my chest!

Looking up through the fog and ignoring the wet puddles I'm sloshing in, I finally catch sight of the shack straight ahead of me. Two distinct, different emotions flood through me. The first is fear. Do I even wanna know how I'm gonna find Espio or if he's even gonna be alive when I find him? The second emotion I feel is built up anger. I'm gonna smash down this door and save my buddy!

Thud, thud, thud! My sneakers make loud banging sounds as I fly up the steps to the door. The paint has chipped off of it and the doorknob is tarnished. Without a single moment of hesitation, I slam my shoulder into the door. It easily gives way and falls open without a sound. I take a lunging step forwards and have to catch myself since I've almost slipped on sumthin'. What is it?

Blinking rapidly, I force my eyes to adjust to the lighting inside of the house. It's pitch black in here and garbage is everywhere. Broken beer bottles, trash, and other crap litters the floor. I don't have time to sit around and figure out what I'm steppin' on though! I've gotta find Espio!

My feet take me into the living room. Nobody's there. I start into the kitchen next. Still nobody. Scratching my head, I start to wonder where the hell everyone is when I hear the sound of creaking bed springs from somewhere directly in front of me. My forehead creases before I realize that there's a closed door right in front of me.

_ Geez, Vector, get a grip on yerself!_ I snap at myself irritably. _Yeh need ta stop panicking and concentrate! There's a problem when ya can't even see what's straight ahead of yeh!  
_  
Raising the gun and preparing to shoot if need be, I grab the doorknob with one hand and open it as quietly as I can. I really wanna just burst through the doorway, but every good detective knows that it's better to catch a criminal unaware than to alert him of yer presence even before you've opened the damn door!

An ominous creak sounds as the door falls open, but nobody turns to look at me. What I see before my eyes makes my heart stop beating and causes my stomach to turn queasy. The room is dark, but there's one yellowish light above the bed at one corner of the unfinished room. The walls are unpainted, the floors are a mess, and it smells foul in here. That's not the problem though. What's the problem is what's going on in the bed.

A small, limp purple figure is lying face-down on the mattress, wrists tied together above his head. A shiny black chameleon is over top of the smaller figure, hands biting into the smaller chameleon's hips as he brutally thrusts into him over and over again, a sadistic smirk on his twisted lips. I never ever thought I would see my best friend bein' raped before my very eyes, but now that I'm seeing it, I can't move. My feet are frozen, my heart still hasn't started beating again, and my mind is blank.

Panting from the black chameleon mingles with the creaking of the bed springs as he increases his tempo and slams harder into Espio. The purple figure tries to lift his head, tries to take a much needed breath. I need to move - _have_ to move - but my feet are still frozen. I feel like I've just walked into my worst nightmare.

"Oh no, you don't, you little fucker!" the black chameleon hisses at the broken body he continues to violate. A fist slams into Espio's cheek and then a hand slams his face back against the mattress. Espio's fingertips curl and uncurl before flopping open. He doesn't make another move after that.

Finally, I get feeling back into my legs. Rabid, all-consuming anger racks through me as I run to the bed. The black chameleon is big in terms of chameleons, but I'm a lot stronger than him. I catch Espio's cousin off guard, rip him away from the smaller reptile and throw his body as hard as I can against the wall.

Slam! Bryce hits the cement in the corner of the room and lays there, staring up at me with roaming red eyes. He smells like alcohol and I've got a real good feeling that he's more drunk than I've ever been in my life. Enough about Bryce though. What about Espio? Do I even wanna see what's been done to him? Part of me holds back 'cuz I know that what I see now will forever be imprinted in my mind. I've already seen way too much of the dark side of the world today.

I'm already at Espio's side despite the conflicting voices in my head. I lean down and rip the coarse rope binding Espio's wrists together in two. The chameleon lays deadly still on the bed before me. Chewing my tongue without realizing it, I gently roll him over on the bed. Oh god...just...oh god...

This time, I really do puke. I turn and get sick over my shoulder because what I see in front of me is not Espio. It's the ghost of Espio. His ribs and bones jut out at every angle. What were once shiny, smooth scales are now dull and covered in black and blue marks. Smeared makeup runs down the chameleon's face and a collar has been fastened around his neck. Espio's entire body reeks of rotted blood and sex. His legs are slightly opened and looking between them makes me wanna puke again. Blood dribbles down his thighs and stains the sheets beneath him crimson. The worst part is that Espio's eyes are shut tight. Is he dead?

I gather the mutilated little body up into my arms and clutch him against my chest, whispering, "Espio? Espio, wake up! Look at me, Esp! It's me, Vector!"

A high-pitched, cruel laugh sounds from across the room. I whirl around and see that Bryce has gotten his eyes to focus in on me. He's grinning a drunken smile and waves a hand vaguely in Espio's direction as he slurs, "Your little lover won't wake. Even if he does, he won't recognize you. He's as good as dead."

I'm tempted to kick Bryce as hard as I can in the chest and shatter all the bones in his body, but I've gotta figure out what he's talking about first. I turn my gun on him and demand, "Whaddya mean? Whaddya mean he won't recognize me when he wakes? What have ya done to him?!"

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know?" Bryce slurs, bright red eyes locked on mine. "I've made him forget you for one thing. But really, why not let you see for yourself what we've done to him? Here."

The black chameleon grabs a videotape lying next to him on the floor and throws it at me. I catch it spontaneously and look from Bryce to the videotape, nonplussed. I want answers and I want 'em now! I need ta know what Bryce has done to Espio and how ta make him right again.

Bryce's twisted grin suddenly grows wider and he slurs, "He's a real good fuck, you know that? It's a shame you didn't get a piece of him before he became my slave. He's got a tight little ass and-"

Bang, bang, bang! I pull the trigger of the gun without really aiming it. The bullets collide with Bryce's forehead and blood flies through the air. I'm breathing hard from the anger burning up inside me. Just for good measure, I pull the trigger twice more and shoot Bryce in the chest and then in the stomach. The last shot was kind of a mistake because blood goes flying in the air and some even splatters onto my face. Disgusted, I toss the gun away and slam my foot into the motionless chameleon's chest just to make sure he's dead. Yup, definitely dead alright.

"Have sweet dreams in hell," I hiss at the bloody corpse before turning and tearing out of the nightmarish house Espio was forced to live in for thirty days and thirty nights.

The chilly April wind hits me smack in the face as I pound across the barren streets and make my way directly to the hospital. Even now, it might be too late. I dunno what Bryce was goin' on about when he said that Espio wouldn't recognize me even if he did wake, but I'm hopin' that was just drunken nonsense. Either way, Esp needs help and he needs it _now_. He still hasn't moved an inch since I threw Bryce off of him. What if he's already dead? I'll never forgive myself if he is!

I stop running for just a second and lean down to press my fingers against the chameleon's wrist to feel for a pulse. At first, I feel nothin', which sends me into a panic. After a moment, I just barely make out a slight, irregular beating. Espio is alive, but barely. I've gotta hurry! Where's Sonic when ya need him? He could get Esp to the hospital a lot faster than me.

Although it only takes me ten minutes ta get to the hospital, it feels like it takes an eternity. I hold Espio's body tight to my chest, fury, hate, regret, alarm, and mostly sorrow simmering through my veins. I swore I would never let anything happen to Espio and look at him now. Something has obviously happened to him and it's all my goddamn fault! I could have listened to Charmy when he told me that he didn't believe that Espio would just walk out on us, but did I? Nope. I was a selfish croc who only cared about himself.

Tears sting the corners of my eyes as I glance down at Espio once more. His legs and tail hang limply over my arm. He seems so naked without his sneakers and gloves on. The only bit of clothing on his body is that stupid collar his cousin must have forced on him. I guess he's really not that much more naked than normal considering the fact that he's only lacking his sneakers and gloves, but without them, he just looks so vulnerable.

Suddenly, Espio's tail twitches and his eyelids flutter. I hold my breath and then whisper, "Esp...?"

Vacant amber eyes stare up at me. I don't need a doctor to tell me that Espio doesn't recognize me. I curse as Espio's eyelids fall shut and his body stills. I curse Bryce, curse the situation, but mostly, I curse myself for not keepin' the promise I made to my lover.

I reach the hospital in record timing and hurtle through the door and go straight to the woman behind the desk of the emergency room. All eyes turn to stare at me and I guess I must look pretty messed up considering the fact that I've got Bryce's blood spattered all over my face and I'm holding a tattered, bleeding body in my arms.

Skidding to a halt in front of the hedgehog behind the desk, I gasp for air and exclaim, "You've gotta help me! Espio...I...I think he might be dyin'! You've gotta help us! I'm beggin' ya!"

* * *

_...Okay, I lied, there's more suspense to come. xD Anyway, are you satisfied with Bryce's demise? I debated about whether or not to have Veccy kill him, but I figured that he deserved it. xD Review please! :)  
_


	137. From Hell

**Fully Eroded: Wow, thanks so much for such a great review! Can I just say that I love your reviews? I really do! :D Espio is hurt, unfortunately, but hopefully he'll recover very soon. *crosses fingers* Hehe, you like hugs? So do I! In fact, I love them, so...*hugs you* Thanks for taking the time to read this story.  
**

**Andypandy123: Phew, now I don't have to worry about you dying from suspense anymore at least. *sighs with relief* Now I guess we just have to worry about Espio dying, huh? =/ Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**PreyasRules: Sorry about more suspense! xD I don't think it's as bad as the suspense from the previous chapters though, what do you think? And haha, yes, there is still going to be a lemon in this at some point even if that seems unlikely atm. I counted the chapters earlier and I think there are just slightly under two hundred (my addition is horrible). Hope this chapter helps with the suspense. :P**

**Guest: That's a good prediction about Vector going to hunt the others down once he sees the videotape. It seems like a very Vector-like thing to do, doesn't it? I agree with you though, Espio's been through a LOT and it will take a ton of effort to get him even close to normal again. Charmy does have a better chance of helping Espio than Vector. xD Hope you like this chapter!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: I agree with you about Liam and Darryl. Those two seem like they wouldn't really give a damn about Bryce's death. :P Do you think you'll see them any more in this story or have they disappeared for good? The tape is basically full of Espio torture sessions. Let's hope Vector doesn't actually watch it or else he'll be scared for life. D: Thanks for reading!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Yup, the suspense is finally over! *cheers* Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Toni the Mink: That's a good point, but Vector can't spend too much time beating Bryce up since Espio needs to get to the hospital ASAP. Liam and Darryl were busy at the bar. They'll come home to a bloody mess, that's for sure. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that Espio regains his memory sooner than later! Thanks for reading!  
**

**AngelLux13: Ooo, good question! Liam and Darryl have gotten the hell away from the crime scene at this point. They know that they could be next if they don't watch out. Nobody wants to end up like Bryce. I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much. It was personally one of my favorites to write. Unfortunately, you're right about Espio; he might have to fight suicidal thoughts unless he can remember Vex and Charmy. Here's another chapter!  
**

**Spiiiii: Yes, Vector certainly took long enough to figure out what happened to Espio. *rolls eyes* The croc is not very smart. :P Anyway, yay, glad you like them too. I was actually considering throwing some chapters in their POVs into the story, but decided against it because nobody else is probably interested in Liam or Darryl except for me, lol. I'm glad you like the chapter, but noooo, don't cry! *hands you a tissue* Better now?  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: So has Vector finally redeemed himself in your eyes then? I have to say that it's about time that Bryce met his match. You're lucky that you get to stay in your room so much. I literally get dragged out of mine for mealtimes and all that. *makes a face* Do you think you're depressed? I know for a fact that I am. I have tons of anti-depressants and pills, but nothing really helps. Anyway, I hope you have lots of fun at the restaurant! Thanks for reading!  
**

**Mr. Shock76able: I think the previous chapter was definitely the climax of this story. :) Those are a lot of good questions. I'd say that regardless of what happens, Espio is going to have to start over to some extent considering the way the poor guy's been drugged for so long, you know? And aw, thanks so much for the compliment! Your reviews really make my day.  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Well, if Vector had spent more time beating Bryce up, Espio's chances of living would have decreased, I think. I'm so glad that you liked this chapter and that your friend is still reading it. I'm so happy to hear that! I'd be happy to listen to whatever you want to talk about. I guess we just need to both get on skype at the same time, you know?  
**

**Savvy0147: Suspense is good though, right? xD Keep reading and you'll find out Espio's fate! I promise this story won't end as a tragedy if that helps. :)  
**

**NMason1997: Woohoo, I'm glad to hear that you liked the last chapter so much! Bryce basically got what was coming to him. What comes around goes around (well, in a perfect world anyway xD). Oh really? I'm curious how you expected Bryce to die. I always wanted Vector to shoot him, even from the beginning for some reason. I dunno why, lol. Espio will probably make a slow recovery, but at least he's out of hell now. Thanks so much for the great review!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXVII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

The hedgehog standing behind the desk in the emergency room immediately gets on a phone and starts talking into it in a rapid, clipped voice. I can feel the eyes of everyone in the waiting room on me, but I don't give a damn about them right now. Someone needs to take care of Espio and I've got no idea just how much time he has. Luckily, we don't have to wait long. The doors to the waiting room fly open and a group of nurses come pouring into the room. One of the nurses tries to take Espio from me. I know she's gonna help him, but I don't wanna let go of my little buddy.

"Please give him to me. All we're going to do is help," the nurse in front of me murmurs. She's a hedgehog with kind brown eyes, curly brown hair, and an understanding look on her face.

Feeling that I can trust her with Espio, I reluctantly hand over the limp figure in my arms and watch as Espio is laid out on the stretcher the nurses have brought into the room. My emotions are on a roller coaster. A moment ago, I was filled with panic. Now, I'm angry at all the people in the waiting room who insist on staring at Espio. How dare they look at him with wide-eyed curiosity when he's like this?! My fists clench and I figure that it's best if I get outta here before I punch one of them in the face. Too much anger is trapped inside me.

Instinct causes me to follow Espio's stretcher as he's wheeled out of the waiting room and into one of the busy hospital hallways. Everything is squeaky clean here. The walls are white, the ceilings are white, and the floors are - you guessed it - white. Several rooms branch off from the long, winding hallways. Each room is different. Some rooms are filled with strange machinery, some look like they're used fer surgery, and other doors are tightly shut.

"Sir! Please wait a moment. I need to have a word with you," a female voice from behind me calls from what seems like a long distance away.

I really don't wanna leave Espio's side, so I hesitate where I am and don't retrace my steps. If someone wants to talk to me, they can come to me. I ain't lettin' Espio out of my view! Unfortunately, loud footsteps catch up to me a moment later and the hedgehog I first spoke to behind the desk in the waiting room comes to a halt by my side.

"I need to ask you a few questions about your friend. This is rather important. He's in critical condition," the hedgehog tells me, her lips in a tight line. "Please come this way."

I frown as the hedgehog tries to get me to follow her down the hallway and away from Espio. The very last thing I'm gonna do is leave Espio again! I made a huge mistake by lettin' him go to the funeral all by himself. I'm never gonna repeat that same mistake again. Shaking my head, I tell the hedgehog woman, "I can answer yer questions just as well when I'm by Espio's side."

With that said, I turn and tromp down the hallway again so I can catch up to the stretcher. The nurses come to a halt and wheel the stretcher into a room at the far end of the hallway. I barge on inside the room, not caring that I've not been invited. I'm not gonna be in the way. I'm just gonna stay in the corner here and watch. Already, the nurses are hooking Espio up to a lot of strange-looking metal machines. An oxygen mask is placed over his face and he's given some IV fluids.

Panting slightly, the hedgehog who is trying to talk to me rounds the corner of the hallway and enters the room. She catches her breath and gives me a bit of an annoyed look as she protests, "Sir, the typical procedures here do not allow guest observation when a patient is in critical condition."

"I ain't a guest! I'm Esp's best buddy! Can't yeh see that I'm not in the way? I just wanna be here for him in case...in case..." I trail off and bite my lip hard.

Guess the hedgehog lady is feelin' a bit more sympathetic towards me because she gives up on trying to get me out of the room. We stand in the corner while more nurses and doctors flood in and out of the room, all tending to Espio. I try and figure out what all the equipment they're hooking him up to does, but it's way too confusing for me to comprehend.

"I suppose I can ask you the questions in here," the hedgehog sighs in resignation. She takes out a clipboard and pulls out a pen. Looking me in the eye, she asks, "Please tell me how your friend got into this situation. Actually, tell me that second. I need to know his name and age first."

The hedgehog's words swim around in my head a few times before I'm actually about to absorb the questions she's asking me. Too many bright, vivid pictures of Espio being bound, Espio being raped, and Espio bleeding are spinning around and around inside my mind. I wish this whole thing was just a stupid nightmare that I could wake up from at any moment. 'Course, the thing is that this _isn't _a nightmare. I can't wake up because I'm already awake. The real question is whether or not Espio will ever open his beautiful amber eyes again.

"Sir? I know you must be distracted right now, but this is all very important," the hedgehog reminds me, her voice tight and her eyes worried as she glances from Espio to me.

The whole "Sir" business is really startin' ta get on my nerves. It wouldn't normally bother me, but everything is bothering me right now. The whole world has turned upsi-down and I can't seem to calm down my racing heartbeat. There's Espio covered in a cloak and being kicked into a mud puddle, Espio's blank eyes staring vacantly into mine, Espio's body being torn apart by his cousin...

"I'm afraid that we'll have to go into a different room for the questions if you can't answer them in here," the hedgehog woman tells me, finally managing to get my attention with that remark.

"I can answer 'em just fine in here. My name's Vector, by the way. No need ta be callin' me 'Sir' all the time," I snap a little more harshly than I meant to. I force my mind to get off of the subject of Espio and onto the questions I need to answer. What were they again? Oh yeah. I continue staring at the strange machines getting hooked up to the motionless chameleon as I reply, "His name is Espio. Espio the chameleon. He's sixteen-years-old, but close to seventeen."

The hedgehog woman starts scribbling things down on her clipboard. Without lifting her eyes from the paper she's writing on, she presses, "How and when did you find Espio like this?"

"I found him being...uh...raped," I admit with a shudder, figuring that it's best to just be truthful in these sorts of situations. I've gotta be careful though. If I say I broke in and entered a house to get to Espio, everyone will think I'm crazy. There's also that minor detail that I actually killed Bryce. The bastard deserved to go to hell, but can I go to prison for killin' him? I dunno, but I don't need to get myself into trouble right now. Espio needs me and my help. When the hedgehog raises an eyebrow at me, I quickly add, "The rapist has been taken care of."

"I see," the hedgehog woman replies, taking a step backwards from me and lookin' like she's thinking about calling security. Guess I must look kinda crazy right now with my wild eyes, raging temper, and blood spattered all over my face. The woman decides to take her chances with me and goes on, "Was this the first time he was raped?"

"No," I reply immediately. "I dunno how long this has been goin' on for. See, he was living with an abusive cousin. The cousin beat him up and used him in whatever ways he wanted to."

"So you would assume he's been raped many times?" the hedgehog asks, still writing a mile a minute on her clipboard. I hate thinking about this, but it's probably true, so I nod. After a moment, the woman finally stops scribbling on her paper and looks up to meet my eyes as she informs me, "We're going to do our best to stabilize Espio and then we'll give him a thorough examination and see what we can do for him from there. You may wait in the lobby for more information once we get it or you may go home for the night. We won't know much until tomorrow."

I only half-hear the hedgehog woman's words since I'm still busy looking at Espio. Someone is gently cleaning him off now. I watch as the dried blood is wiped from his thighs and his tail. My earlier angry turns into hopelessness. Espio looks so dead just lyin' there.

"Can't I just stay here in the room with him? I wanna be here for him when he wakes," I tell the hedgehog stubbornly, refusing to move.

"He won't be waking anytime soon," the hedgehog replies immediately, not making me feel any better. "You'll do him just as much good in the waiting room or at home as you'll do him in here."

"Alright, fine," I give in grouchily since I kinda get the hedgehog's point. There's really not a lot I can do for Espio, which is killing me inside. I wanna somehow take his pain away and return him to the Espio I used to know and love. The Espio lying crumpled on the stretcher with tubes sticking inside his veins is not my Espio. Hell, I can't even recognize him right now! Even though I know it's a stupid question, I find myself asking, "Is he gonna be alright? He'll make it through the night, right?"

The hedgehog standing by my side hesitates. Well, that's obviously not a good sign. At first she looks like she's just gonna kick me out of the room, but she decides to be nice and says, "I can't say, but I'll ask Patricia what his odds are for making it through the night. Please wait here so you don't get in the way."

I nod and wait in the corner of the room while I watch the hedgehog cross the room and start chatting with Patricia, the hedgehog with the curly brown hair who took Espio from me earlier to put him on the stretcher. They talk for a lot longer than I think is necessary. I'm dying to know how likely it is that Espio is gonna live and here they are just havin' a casual afternoon chat!

Finally, the hedgehog comes back to me and says, "The odds are about fifty-fifty. His heart is beating, but it's irregular and his body is in terrible condition. It's as if the poor thing hasn't been taken care of for months. How long did you say he was with his abusive cousin for?"

"A month," I reply guilty. "A whole damn month in which I did absolutely nuthin' about it!"

The hedgehog puts a hand on my wrist, either trying to act sympathetic towards me or trying to lead me out of the room. This time, I follow her after taking one last look at Espio. As she leads me down the hallway, the hedgehog says, "You can't blame yourself for any of this, Mr. Vector. Unfortunately, we see people here who have been mistreated in abusive relationships more often than not. Espio is quite a bit worse than our other patients though. It's a shame. He seems very young to have gone through so much."

"Yeah, Espio's the kindest, goodest person you'll ever meet," I reply, not even caring that "goodest" isn't a word. "None of this should ever have happened ta Esp. He's got a heart of gold."

The hedgehog and I come to a halt just outside of the door that leads from the hallway to the waiting room. Looking up at me, the hedgehog promises, "We'll do everything possible to take care of him. Espio is being treated right now. We won't be able to tell you anything tonight, so why don't you go home, clean up, and get some rest? If you give me your phone number, I will write it down and give you a call as soon as we know something more about the condition of your friend. I will also call you when you may come and visit him if you like."

"Can't I just stay here in the waitin' room?" I protest, feeling like I'm being more helpful in the hospital than at home just because staying at the hospital means that I'll be closer to Espio.

The hedgehog hesitates and flicks her eyes back up to my forehead. Guess the blood on my face is really unnerving her. She probably wants ta know how it got there, but is too shy to ask. She says cautiously, "I suppose so, but don't you have to tell Espio's family about his condition?"

"Nope. He's got no family. His mother died about a month ago and his father was never around. I dunno if he died or walked out on his mother. Charmy and I are the only real family he's got and..._Charmy_! Geez, I almost forgot about him!" I exclaim, smacking my forehead.

Only now does it occur to me that I told Charmy I'd be home by evening. Well, it's way past evening at this point and Charmy's probably scared to death wondering where I am. Even though I wanna stay here in the hospital, I know I need to go home and tell Charmy what's goin' on.

"Go home and tell Charmy about the situation," the hedgehog tells me, not trying to be inconspicuous about the way she clearly wants me outta here. "I'll give you a call as soon as we know more about Espio's condition. Will you please give me your phone number?"

I nod and start reciting the familiar phone digits. After that, I hesitate and add, "You'll give me a call right away if he, er, doesn't make it, right?"

"Of course," the hedgehog nods compassionately.

I bite my lip and realize that there's nothing more to be done here. With a heavy heart, I turn and start towards the door of the hospital. Espio has _got_ to make it! If he doesn't, my whole world is gonna fall apart because his death is gonna fall directly onto my shoulders.

* * *

_Poor Charmy is probably freaking out right now, poor Vector is feeling extremely guilty, and poor Esp is still unconscious! How do you think Charmy will handle the news? Review please! :) Oh, and happy Easter to all of you! Thanks for being so awesome, you guys.  
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	138. In Cuffs

**Fully Eroded: Yay, another review! *parties* Double yay for more hugs! *hugs back* I hope you had a really nice Easter. Hehe, those are both cute nicknames, kinda long though. I mostly call Espio "Esp" in my story because it's short and easy to type. So you like Liam and Darryl, huh? Me too. Actually, I like them better than Espio if you want the truth. Maybe I should do a spinoff story on them after finishing this? What do you think?  
**

**Andypandy123: Nooooooooo, you're dying again! D: I can't even say that this chapter should help because it ends in a cliffie! Do I need to bring you to the hospital along with Espio? xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: Lol, well, I get what you're saying about the suspense. I guess you could say that things mellow out to some extent now. Basically, we just need Espio to recover and whatnot. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Guest: Ooo, that's a very good point there! I was kind of wondering if anyone was going to realize that Vector murdering Bryce = trouble in the future. xD Thanks for the compliment on writing guilty Vector. xD Thanks for reading!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: You're right about Charmy, he'll definitely be concerned about the blood on Vector's face. Hm, do you think either Charmy or Veccy will watch the videotape? And god, I forgot to reply to your PM, but you can use Bryce in your fic if you want, I don't mind. :) If you can give me credit for him before or after the chapter, that would be great though. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: It's okay! Did you have a nice time at your friend's house, I hope? I hate it when the internet decides not to work. That's the most annoying thing ever. Let's hope that Charmy is okay! *crosses fingers* And d'awww, thanks for the Easter basket! That is so sweet of you! I hope you had a nice Easter. :3**

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you about Charmy. The poor guy is going to be really upset. Thanks for reading!  
**

**AngelLux13: Happy Easter to you too! I hope you had a really nice one. :) You know, that's very good thinking about Vector possibly getting into trouble. Let's just say that he's going to get into an awful lot of trouble by the end of this chapter. Vector already has the video tape actually, but he just sort of tossed his gun and left the shack. Maybe not such a smart thing to do. :P Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Spiiiii: Yeah, Veccy is finally seeing how much of an idiot he's been lately. It's about time. :P So you like the spinoff story idea? I have to admit I sort of like it myself, which is weird because I usually don't like original characters. Oh well, at least I come up with druggie gay chameleons instead of mary sue girlfriends for Espio like Hina. *coughs* Ah, I'm so mean. xD  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Unfortunately, it's going to be quite a while until Esp wakes back up. You're going to get sick of Vector chapters in the meantime, believe me. Soccer, huh? Have you ever played soccer before? My dad is really good at soccer. He traveled with his team to Europe and played there while he was in his high school yeahs. Of course, I did not inherit his talent for it though. *rolls eyes* I'm glad you had fun at the restaurant! Hm...I don't think you're depressed if you don't think you are. Usually, you know if you're depressed, I think. I've never had much of a life and I've always been anti-social, but I didn't start getting depressed until I started some bad habits, got insomnia, and started crying several times a day. Yay, thanks for the hug! *hugs back* I do feel better now! Hope you had a great Easter. =3  
**

**Mr. Shock76able: I agree with you one hundred percent about hospitals. I've had to go to them before and get hooked up to all of that scary machinery. *shudders* I think I've seen one too many horror films because hospitals just give me the creeps. Maybe it's good that Esp's unconscious so he doesn't flip out from all the machinery? :P And aw, thanks again! You're super nice. Here's another chapter!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: Haha, I agree with you completely about Charmy! He'll probably freak out the most when he finds Vector covered in blood. Wow, you really think that this story keeps getting better and better? That's really great to hear. :D I mostly get on skype late at night too, like from 3-6 am lately (I'm a night owl, lol). How about you?  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXVIII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I step out of the busy hospital and onto the wet streets. It must have been rainin' while I was in the emergency room with Esp because large puddles have formed on the ground since I entered the hospital. I ignore them and slosh right on through the puddles. Who gives a damn about rain? Not me. All I can think about is Espio and that cousin of his. My fists clench and tremble as I remember the words he said to me just before I killed him. The bastard said that Espio will never recognize me even if he does wake up. What's that supposed ta mean?

The more I think of the situation, the more upset I get. Bristling, red hot anger sizzles through my veins as I stomp towards home. That main image of Espio bein' raped is stuck at the forefront of my mind. No matter what I do or what I think about, that image is still glued there. Espio was supposed ta be _mine_. I was supposed ta be his first and his only. Guess fate decided to turn the tables and give the kindest little chameleon on the planet the worst fate imaginable.

I would pray for Esp, but I'm not religious, and at this point, there is no way I dare to mess around with fate. The last thing I need to do is accidentally send more bad luck in Espio's direction. If he's doused with any more bad luck, then he's gonna be dead. That's really all there is to it. What's gonna happen to me if Espio dies? I keep trying to shove the impending question outta my head, but it keeps returning.

I try a few more times to ignore the question, but it refuses to be ignored. Sighing dramatically, I let myself come up with answers for it. Things will obviously change if Espio dies. They'll change for me, for Charmy, and for anyone who knew the good-hearted chameleon. Espio will be missed by everyone, but by me most of all. Team Chaotix will be a thing of the past. My relationship with Espio will be nothing more than a distant memory. Actually, my relationship with Espio already is a distant memory. Guess it's okay I hooked back up with Miss Vanilla because Espio is never gonna want to be in a relationship now.

Cringing, I kick myself mentally as I remember how many times I tried to get Espio to sleep with me before all of this crap went down. I was such an idiot. No wonder the little guy was so scared of lovemaking after he had been so brutally abused. He'll always link pain and sex together, that's for sure. I wonder if there's any part left of him to save. His body is a mess, he's probably real screwed up mentally, and what else is there? Even if Espio lives, he's not gonna be the same guy I used to know.

"Dammit!" I shout at nobody in particular as I kick a large stone by my foot.

For the first time, I realize that I've already lost Espio. Bryce stole the Espio I knew from me and replaced him with a ghost of the chameleon I know and love. See, Espio won't totally recover from this. There's no way that he can. There's something wrong with his mind. The way he looks at yeh is almost unnerving. His gaze is so blank and unfocused. It's as if he can't even think. What about his body? Argh, I don't even want to think about how beat up and battered he is. The bruises might heal in time, but he's got some nasty scars that will stick with him for life. I really wish I hadn't gotten a look between his legs because I feel like throwin' up whenever I think about how mutilated that area of Espio's body looked. I don't really like phrasing it this way, but Espio looked kinda...well...disgusting. I'd never wanna have sex with him now regardless of the situation and I sure as hell won't pressure him into getting back into a relationship with me again even if he does recover. He'll probably cower at my every touch. There's no way I could stand being in a relationship like that.

I've never felt this angry before in all of my life. I throw my fist back and slam it into a nearby building. It doesn't help me feel any better and instead sends pain rippling through my hand. I resort to kicking the pebble along the road once more and realize that my life's already changed and there's nothin' I can do about it.

I hate change. It didn't used ta be such a bad thing, but it is now. Espio won't ever be the same and I'll never be able to think of him the way I used to. All I can think of now is the way he looked after I turned him over on the blood and sex-stained bed. My stomach lurches again and I repress the need to get sick.

Finally, I reach the house. I haven't decided what to tell Charmy about Espio yet. Guess I'll just tell him the truth minus the rape part. He's too young to be exposed to shit like that. Hell, I'm too young to be exposed to it! I never realized just how awful rape really is until today. It's worse than murder to some extent, especially when ya spent the last month constantly being used in the ways Espio was used in. Maybe it will be for the best if Espio doesn't make it. I mean, how's the cleanliness-obsessed chameleon gonna live with himself when he remembers everything that happened to him? He's as good as dead to me already. Our relationship is over, and if Espio lives, he's gonna change dramatically for the worse.

I know, I know, I'm starting to sound selfish now and I guess I really am focusing on just myself. Give me a break though, won't ya? I just had the worst day of my life and now my head is full of a lot of disgusting images that I should never have witnessed. When I took on the job of leader of a detective agency, I never even thought about crimes of this type.

I reach forwards and quietly open the door to the house. I dunno what Charmy is up to, but he better not have gone and done something rash when I didn't get home right away. The absolute last thing I wanna do right now is have to search the streets for a missing seven-year-old bee.

When I step into the living room, I'm surprised to see that the lights are off. Huh. Maybe Charmy went to bed already? That must be it because I see his video game controller lying haphazardly on the floor. He must have gotten tired of waiting for me and decided to go to bed. I'm not complainin'.

Flicking on the lights, I collapse onto the couch and let my head fall into my hands. That's when I see the photograph of Espio and myself on Christmas morning lying on the coffee table. The picture stirs up mixed emotions within me. Esp and I won't cuddle on the couch like that ever again. He'll never send me one of his little affectionate smiles now.

Without really thinking what I'm doing, I let my tumultuous emotions get the better of me. I grab the photograph and start ripping it up. Tearing it in half ain't good enough. I continue ripping it over and over again until the picture is in unrepairable pieces...just like Espio.

Creak! A door opens and a black and yellow blur flies into the room. Charmy sends me a smile and says, "Hi Vector! Did you have any luck searching for Espio? ...Wait, why are you tearing up the picture I took? I thought you liked it. And what's that on your face? Is that_ blood_?"

I'm awfully tired and Charmy is already throwing way too many questions at me. I should try and explain the situation to Charmy, but my temper gets the better of me and I don't explain the situation. Instead, I just throw the pieces of the torn up photograph onto the floor and mutter, "I found Espio alright."

"You found Espio?! Oh boy!" Charmy exclaims, looking as if Christmas has come early this year. "Where is he? I want to see him!"

"Ya really wanna know where he is?" I ask Charmy in a moody voice. Charmy starts to realize that something is very wrong here and nods slowly, a frown replacing his excited smile. Glaring at the photograph remains, I explain, "He's at the goddamn hospital, that's where he is! He's as good as dead, so we might as well just forget about him!"

Charmy's lip trembles. Oh geez, he's gonna cry and I'm gonna get a headache. I'm not explaining things too nicely, but I'm in so much emotional pain right now that it's hard for me to worry about Charmy. Unfortunately, the little bee has already started crying, and yup, I've already gotten a headache.

"I don't get it! What's wrong with you, Vector? Why is Espio at the hospital?" Charmy cries, big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Because he was raped," I snap, forgetting that I was not gonna tell Charmy this, "over and over again by that bastard of his cousin. He's a bloody mess and he doesn't even recognize me!"

"What does 'rape' mean? I don't understand! Why doesn't Espio recognize you? I want to go to the hospital and see him," Charmy whines, the tears falling more rapidly down his cheeks.

I suddenly realize my error and smack my forehead. I better not let Charmy have internet access anytime soon or else I know he'll be on lookin' up rape. Trying to cover up my error, I take a deep breath and explain the situation the best I can, saying, "Look, you were right about Espio being kidnapped. His cousin kidnapped him and forced Espio to live with him. That bastard beat Espio up real bad. His mind doesn't work the way it used to. It's like his cousin beat his soul right on outta him."

Charmy is quiet for a moment, but the tears continue to stream down his face. He tilts his head in confusion and asks me between sobs, "But why would anyone want to hurt Espio? He's so nice!"

I think about Charmy's question and get a vile taste in my mouth as I realize the answer to it. Espio's been abused because of his body. I clearly am not the only one who thought he'd make a good lay. Although instead of goin' after his heart like I did, Bryce just decided to violently take what he wanted from the smaller chameleon. 'Course, this isn't the answer I'm gonna give Charmy though.

"Bad things happen ta good people in this world," I reply a little harshly. "You've gotta get used to it."

Charmy's tears begin to dry up a little bit, but he still looks upset. A determined look appears in his eyes as he suddenly states, "I want to go to the hospital and see Espio right now! I want to give him a hug and tell him that everything is going to be okay."

"No, yer not goin' to the hospital right now," I reply, wishing that Charmy would just accept the situation and go to bed already. I really don't feel like talkin' to him right now. My thoughts are overwhelming me and are making it hard to think straight. I go on, "I was just at the hospital and one of the hedgehogs there told me that she'd give me a call when there's news on Espio or when we can visit him again. 'Sides, I don' think Espio would want one of yer hugs right now."

Charmy sticks his lip out in a pout and immediately protests, "Espio always wants my hugs! I wanna see him right now!"

"He's bein' treated right now. You won't be allowed ta see him even if we do go to the hospital right now," I sigh, hoping that Charmy will finally drop the subject at this point. "We'll go see him tomorrow, but try ta remember that this ain't the Espio you and I know and love. He's a lot different now. He's not the same guy. Why don't yeh go get some rest? The sooner ya sleep, the sooner morning will come and then we can go visit Espio."

I actually dunno if we'll be able to visit Espio tomorrow, but if it saying that gets Charmy to shaddap and go to bed, then it's worth it. Charmy hesitates and gives me a weird look before he says, "I don't know what's wrong with you, Vector, but Espio will always be Espio to me. I don't care if he's been beaten up or even if he doesn't recognize me. I'll always love him and you should too!"

With those words still lingering in the air, Charmy turns and retreats to his bedroom, slamming his door shut a little harder than necessary behind him.

Sighing loudly, I shake my head at no one in particularly. Charmy really just doesn't get it. Oh well, when he sees Espio in the hospital for the first time, he'll see exactly what I mean. The chameleon hooked up to all the IVs with a dead look in his eyes ain't my lover.

I really should clean up since I'm covered in sweat from running all over the place, blood from Bryce's body, and sticky fluids from clutching Espio's frail body to my chest earlier, but find that I'm too tired for all that. It's just gonna have ta wait until morning.

You'd think that because I'm tired, I'd fall asleep right away, huh? Well, that doesn't happen. Even though I'm physically and mentally exhausted, I lie around on the couch without bothering to close my eyes. They're focused in the direction of the kitchen, waiting for a phone call that had better hurry up and come sooner than later. I didn't tell Charmy that Espio was in critical condition for obvious reasons, but I find myself wondering if the little reptile's heart is still beating or not. To be honest, there's still that part of me that wonders if it would be more humane if Espio did die. That way, he could be a free spirit up in heaven with the angels where he belongs, not down here on this sinful planet with torturous memories imprinted in his mind.

I stay up all night, but the phone doesn't ring once. Morning comes and I'm about ready to tromp on over to the hospital and demand an update on Espio. Charmy is still sleeping. That's a good thing. I'm having a hard time controlling my conflicting emotions right now, so they usually come out in the form of anger towards everyone, including Charmy.

Knock, knock, knock! I glance up at the door with bloodshot eyes. That's weird, I wasn't expectin' any visitors. Frowning to myself, I trudge across the room and open the door. Two gray hedgehogs with bright yellow eyes are standing before me with handcuffs in their hands. One of them grabs my wrists and starts cuffing me while the other one states, "Vector the crocodile, you are under arrest for the murder of Bryce the chameleon."

* * *

_Uh oh, someone is in trouble! What do you think will happen to poor Veccy now? Review please! :)  
_


	139. One Call

**Fully Eroded: I'll do my best to try and keep answering reviews then! I'm facepalming over Vector getting arrested too. I mean, how fair is that? =/ Anyway, I'll definitely consider the spinoff idea since you like it so much. I haven't decided for sure to do it yet, but I'm definitely considering it! :) Yay, more hugs! *hugs back* I love them! And of course I love your reviews, why wouldn't I? :)  
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**Guest: Lol, yeah, fastest cops ever! xD That's a good prediction about Sonic and friends possibly being able to help Vector out. But yeah, poor Charmy. D: His life is falling apart too. Poor guy. Thanks for reading!**

**Andypandy123: *calls the emergency room* Okay, so I got you a room next to Espio. :P At least the two of you can hang out and talk once you both start feeling better. How's that sound? Hope you like this chapter!  
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**PreyasRules: Yup, the suspense has returned! Vex is in trouble once again! You've got a good point about the tape! There's one small problem with it though; do you think that Vector would ever show something like Espio being raped to a cop even if it could save him? Thanks for reading!  
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**Toni the Mink: Turns out your feeling was right! The world just is not a fair place, is it? I guess all we can do now is cross our fingers for Vex. Thanks for reading!  
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**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Those are all good predictions. I'd say you're right though, Espio definitely wasn't the one who alerted the cops about Vector. It was most likely someone who lived close to Bryce's little shack and heard the gunshots. LOL, Vector does use a VCR. In one of the Sonic X episodes, I noticed he has lots of out of date equipment. xD I'll just go ahead and tell you which one of your guesses is correct; yup, there's going to be a trial. I suck at writing them, but oh well, it adds to the drama! Are you a crime show fan then? I love Criminal Minds. It's my favorite TV show. Good prediction about Vector calling Vanilla. He doesn't seen to have much contact with his parents anymore. Thanks for the review!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Hehe, well, you're not alone! Someone else is insane. *points to self* That's super nice of you to be willing to help Veccy out though! Good thought about Vanilla! If someone's willing to help Vector out, it's going to be her. I wish we were friends in real life! That would be awesome. Did you pull off any good pranks today? :P Hope you like the chapter!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: It looks like there's trouble for everybody now, huh? Thanks for reading!  
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**AngelLux13: I know, right? I mean, when do things ever go right for Vector? I suppose you can't really expect to get away with murder though. Stealing something, maybe, but killing someone? Not likely. Do you think that Vector will manage to find a way off the hook? Hope you like this chapter. :)  
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**TheMidnightShow: That's a good prediction! Of course, anyone around could have heard the gunshots or seen Vector running out of the house with blood on his face could've called the cops. If you want the truth, I never really thought about who got Vector into trouble. :P Thanks for the review!**

**Spiiiii: Noooooooo, bad holiday! *frowns* Holiday is usually a good thing, but not when I don't get to talk to you on here. x_x Come back after the week though, okay? And yeah, definitely a plot twist. I can't let the store get boring now, can I? Ah, yeah, I guess I never quite forgave Hina. I'm such a bitch. I swear I can hold grudges for life. :P Haha, yeah, Liam and Darryl are just messed up shitheads who are fun to write about. Liam's the dark yellow one. He's my favorite too. xP Have a nice time on holiday!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Haha, it seems like your prediction was right on regarding Vector going to prison! How'd you know that? :P That is so true, all of the guys are in awful situations now. I guess Espio has it the worst, but Vector's got it pretty bad now too. I mean, killing someone is a serious thing. At least Charmy can go stay with Vanilla and Cream. Yay, I'm glad you don't think you're depressed! I'm so sorry you're sick though. Are you feeling any better now? I'm really sick too. In fact, I was so sick I couldn't sleep at all last night and now I'm a walking zombie. Ah well. Yay, more hugs for me! *huggles back* Thanks a ton!  
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**NMason1997: That is so true, you definitely can't just kill someone and then hope to get away with it. I mean, it would be nice in Vector's case if you could, but life just doesn't work that way. I agree with you, pretty much everyone is in a horrible situation now. Vector could end up locked away for life (I mean, he did murder someone), Espio could still die, and Charmy would be left without his two parental figures. Although I never really came up with who called the cops about Vector killing Bryce, I'm thinking it was someone living nearby and not Liam and Darryl. After all, they played a pretty major role in Espio's torture and Liam has some not too pretty scenes on that videotape if Vector decides to use it as evidence. Thanks so much for such a great review! Loved it as always!  
**

**Regular Sonic Fan: I'm with you and Charmy; even if Espio never fully recovers, he's still the same guy underneath it though. And ikr? How fair is it for Veccy to get sent to jail?! Karma is a bitch, I tell you! D: Anyway, I'll see what I can do about getting on a little earlier. I've been really sick today, so I'll try for tomorrow.  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXIX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I stare at the handcuffs on my wrists and then at the two gray hedgehogs in front of me, completely shocked. How the hell were they able to link me with Bryce's death already? It's not even been twenty-four hours and the cops have already shown up on my front porch! Alright, so maybe I could have been a little more inconspicuous about killing the bastard. I sorta blabbed about it to the hedgehog in the emergency room, tellin' her that the rapist had been "taken care of". Now that I think about it, I also just sorta tossed the gun aside when I was done with it. Probably not the smartest thing to do, huh?

Way too many thoughts and questions whirl around my mind in a chaotic tumult. I need to stay right here in this living room and wait for the phone call about Espio! He needs me right now even if he's nothin' more than a broken body. 'Course, the cops won't give a damn about that. They'll just haul me off to prison and then what? I've got no clue what happens after that.

Creak! A door behind me pops open and the cops and myself turn to see Charmy. He enters the living room, rubbing his eyes before noticing the three of us. The little bee comes to a halt and his eyes go wide as he looks from me, to the handcuffs, to the cops. Charmy ain't stupid. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he realizes what's going on.

"Where are you g-going, Vector?" Charmy asks in a trembling voice. He's tryin' to keep his emotions under control, but it's gotta be hard for him. First, the only mother-like figure he's ever had has wound up in the emergency room and whether or not Espio is gonna live is still unknown to either of us. Secondly, the only other paternal-like figure in his life has just gotten arrested.

"I...I'm gonna have ta go away for a little while, Charmy," I say, unsure why my own voice is suddenly breaking. Guess this stress is hard on all of us. Can't say I'm lookin' forwards to going to prison. Swallowing hard, I add, "Go stay with Cream for a little while, alright? Everything will work out in the end."

My last sentence sounds so fake even to my own ears that I regret sayin' it as soon as the words leave my mouth. Charmy's bright brown eyes meet my vermilion ones and I can see that his are watery with fear. I wanna give Charmy a hug and tell him that Miss Vanilla will take care of him, but that's kinda impossible when yer wrists are cuffed. I've cooled down a little since last night and I also feel like I owe him an apology since I blew up at him over Espio's situation. It's not Charmy's fault that Espio's in the hospital. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine.

"Alright, let's move," one of the gray hedgehogs says, placing a surprisingly strong hand on my forearm as he steps towards the door.

I give Charmy one last half-smile and then trail after the cops. I'm escorted into a fancy lookin' car with all kinds of weird security gadgets inside of it. I try to figure out why I'm in such a fancy car. Maybe it's because I'm now considered a threat to all the civilians livin' in the town? The thought makes me laugh since I would never lay a hand on any of my friends. Even if murdering Bryce gets me locked up for life, I don't regret what I did. That bloodcurdling image of him brutally raping Espio is still strong in my mind. I get queasy just thinkin' about it.

Now is really_ not_ a good time to think of Espio though. Right now, I've gotta figure out how all this getting arrested business works. For being a detective, you'd think I'd know a little more about this. Unfortunately, that's just not the case. One of the cops is sittin' next to me in the back of the fancy car. I might as well ask him about what's gonna happen to me.

"Er, am I goin' straight to prison fer life now or...?" I ask awkwardly, breaking the icy silence that has formed in the car as one of the cops drives us to an secret destination.

"You go to jail until your trial, which will be held exactly two days from now," the gray hedgehog sitting next to me informs me in a clipped voice. "Your sentence will be decided in court. As you're certainly aware of, you get one phone call. I would recommend that you use it to call a lawyer or else you may have one assigned to you."

"Uh, right," I reply since I wasn't aware that I get one phone call. Honestly, I don't want a lawyer to talk for me in court though. I mean, how much good is a lawyer gonna do me when they've got no clue what the situation with Bryce was really like? I'd rather just talk myself. That still leaves me with one phone call though. Looking hopeful, I turn to the cop and ask, "Can I get bailed outta jail?"

"Until the time of your trial?" the cop asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I nod, secretly crossing my fingers. If I can get bailed outta jail until the time of the trial, then maybe I can go and see Espio or at least get the phone call from the hospital I'm expecting regarding him. The cop answers right away, "If you find someone willing to pay the amount necessary for you to get bailed out of jail, then yes."

"Alright," I reply, trying to think if there's anyone who might possibly have the money necessary ta bail me outta jail. My thoughts immediately go to Miss Vanilla. I hate to ask her to spend a lot of money on me, but I've got to get out of jail and figure out how the whole court thing works since I haven't got a clue about it. Trying to give the cop one of my usual charming crocodile smiles, I ask, "Can I use my phone call right now then? There's someone I need to talk to."

"You may. Tell me their phone number and I will dial the number for you," the cop says in that same curt voice as before.

Wondering how this is gonna work since my hands are still cuffed, I recite Miss Vanilla's phone number to the gray hedgehog. He dials the number into the phone and then holds the phone up to my ear. The following rings of the phone seem ominous in my ear. What if Miss Vanilla doesn't answer my call. What then? Does this still count as my only phone call? If it does, nobody is gonna know that I've been arrested or even that I have to go on trial in two days!

Thankfully, the phone picks up on the fourth ring and a whimsical voice says pleasantly, "Hello? This is Vanilla speaking."

"Hey, ma'am. It's me, Vector," I start out awkwardly. I'm not too sure how to break this news to Miss Vanilla. What's she gonna think of me now? What if she decides she doesn't like me anymore now that I've been charged with a crime? Figuring that there's no point in lying when I'm surrounded by cops in a fancy car with all the fancy security gadgets and gizmos, I take a deep breath and say all in a rush, "I've been charged with murder."

My words fall from my mouth and cause a long, thick silence at the other end of the phone. Luckily, it doesn't take Miss Vanilla too long to regain her composure. When she speaks to me, her voice is full of concern and nothing else as she replies, "Oh my! I take it that you've been arrested then?"

"Yeah," I reply sheepishly, looking at my feet. Now how exactly do I go about asking Miss Vanilla to bail me out of jail?

"Don't worry, dear. I'm coming for you right away. You won't have to wait too long," Miss Vanilla promises me before hanging up.

I blink and turn my head to stare at the phone by my ear in surprise. Miss Vanilla didn't press for details, ask how much the bail money will cost her, or even ask if I really have committed a crime or not. All I know is that she's comin' for me and that everything is gonna be alright. I may not feel love for the gorgeous rabbit who's just agreed to save me - well, until my trial anyway - but I definitely feel grateful to her right now. I can't think of anyone else who might have bailed me out of jail.

Screech! The sound of the car I'm riding in suddenly comes to a halt. I start chewing my tongue and taste the sharp tang of blood in my mouth as the door next to me is opened and the gray hedgehog waves me out of the car. Deciding not to fight him, I trudge after the cop as he leads me into the jail. The floor is hard and cold, the walls are gray and unpainted, and jail cells line either side of the long hallway I've just stepped into. My stomach flip-flops. I shouldn't be here. I ain't a criminal! Except, well, maybe I am? Guess murder isn't a thing to overlook.

I'm led all the way down to the end of the hallway. One of the hedgehogs points to a cell to my right, his unspoken meaning immediately understood. Takin' a deep breath, I step into the cramped jail cell and feel my chest tighten as the bars of the cell are fastened shut behind me. Guess all there is for me to do now is wait.

Not seeing any point in wasting energy standing, I start to sit down on the floor until I realize just how disgusting it looks. I'm not a neat freak like Espio, but just lookin' at the yellowish stains by my feet is enough for me to quickly stand up again. Unable to hold still, I start pacing around the perimeter of my cell.

As I walk around and around, I notice a female fox in the jail cell opposite mine. Her fur would normally be a bright red color although right now it's dull and matted. She stares at me with a challenging look in her eyes. Yeah, she's definitely the criminal type alright. She's not like me. None of these people are like me!

Unwanted thoughts come spilling into my head as I start thinking of more awful things that might end up happening now that I'm stuck here in jail. What if Miss Vanilla changes her mind about me or doesn't have the money to bail me outta jail? That could definitely be a problem. Also, what about Espio? If someone from the emergency room called my house to let me in on an update about him, I won't be home to get it. Esp could be dead for all I know! The tightness in my chest worsens and I wonder how the hell I went from the proud leader of a detective agency to a murderer.

I'm so bored and need a distraction so badly that I end up watchin' the female fox eying me in the jail cell across from mine. She's sittin' on the floor and has her back pressed against the left wall of her cell. Sounds like someone is tryin' to talk to her because I hear the words, "Babe? You alright over there?", from where I'm pacing.

The fox grits her teeth together and sticks her nose in the air, pointedly refusing to answer any of the questions directed to her. The male voice from the cell adjacent to hers persists, "Oh, come on, don't do this, Fiona! Just talk to me. I'm not asking for much. I just wanna know that you're okay."

"Okay? OKAY?!" the fox exclaims, temper igniting as she turns to stare at the thick steel wall of her cell to talk to whoever it is who's decided to chat with her. "We've just been arrested for the fifth time this year and you think I'm okay? What pill are you on because I need a good dose of it right now."

"Hey, calm down already, won't you? Everyone's staring at me like I'm some sort of criminal," the lazy voice from the cell next to the fox's replies. I know it ain't any of my business, but I'm kinda curious to see just who it is talkin' to Fiona the fox. Guess boredom does that to yeh.

"Oh, I wonder why they're looking at you like that," Fiona replies through the jail cell wall in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe because you_ are_ a criminal, Scourge?"

"Heh, well, we haven't been convicted yet. I'll get us out of this yet. I always do," the other voice, belonging to Scourge I'm guessin', replies without a trace of fear in his voice.

"Yeah, but even if you do, I'm sick of living like this. I'm sick of breaking the law, sick of winding up in jail, and I'm mostly just sick of you!" Fiona presses, her hands clenching and unclencing in her rage.

There's a long silence from the other side of the jail cell and I'm startin' ta think that maybe the conversation is over until I hear the same lazy voice say in an almost gentle tone, "Aw, you know I love you too, babe."

"Sure you do," Fiona replies sardonically, her lips twisting to the side as she says, "I'm sure you've told that to every girl I've caught you with. You were making out with Rosie that one time you got her drunk, you tried to get your hands down Sally's shirt, and do I even need to go on or do you get the point already?"

"Well, yeah, I did all that, but I don't love any of those other chicks. You're the only one who's actually stuck with me through anything, Fi. Just chill. I love you and that's why you're the one here with me right now and not Rosie or Sally. Get it?" Scourge asks in an almost cocky voice.

"Hmph," Fiona snorts before she finally adds in resignation, "Okay, fine. Just get us out of here and then_ maybe_ I'll forgive you. Don't count on it though."

"You always say that," Scourge chuckles before the pair falls silent.

My chest is tight, my stomach is performing uneasy somersaults, and now I feel as if my heart has just been stabbed with a thousand little needles. Yeah, I'm in jail and things probably can't get much worse for me right now, but do yeh wanna know what I'm thinkin' about? Love.

Scourge and Fiona, however much they fight, obviously love each other. I'm a pretty good love detector if I do say so myself. I may not be much of a matchmaker, but I know that the two in the jail cells opposite mine have found the kind of love that Espio and I had. It's true love where ya love yer partner no matter what and you'll go through hell for 'em or even go to jail for 'em. Espio went through thirty days and nights of torture for me and I've wound up in jail 'cuz of him. It would all be worth it except that there's one main problem here. Our love is gone. Espio ain't Espio anymore. He doesn't even remember me. I was given one shot at true love and I screwed it up.

I'm so deep in thought that it takes a minute before I notice someone unlocking the door to my cell. A female hedgehog gives me a kind smile and takes the cuffs off of my wrists as she says, "Your girlfriend has come to bail you out of jail. The details of your trial have been given to her so she knows what day you are to show up in court."

"Thanks, ma'am," I tell the hedgehog gratefully as I rub my wrists ruefully, trying to get some feeling back into my hands.

Not wanting to stay in this dingy prison cell a moment longer, I hurry down the hallway and to the entrance of the jail. I whip it open and breathe in nice, clean air. I didn't realize it earlier, but now I notice that the air in the jail was heavy and thick. Plus it smelled it there, but doesn't it always smell in jail?

The strong scent of lavender suddenly fills my nose as a slender cream-colored figure comes running towards me and throws tight arms around my neck. Miss Vanilla's voice sounds in my ear as she hugs me tightly and says, "Oh thank god you're alright, dear! I was so worried!"

* * *

_This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write. I adore Scourge and Fiona even though I don't know much about them. Anyway, Vector's going on trial...how do you think that will go? Vector doesn't exactly have a gift with words. =/ Review please! :) Oh, one more thing! My awesome friend, Spiiiii, gave me the idea of writing a spinoff story off of this one on Liam and Darryl and maybe I'd throw Bryce in there too. Do you guys have any thoughts/opinions on that? Is it something you would read? Please let me know! Thanks again for being such great supporters. :D  
_


	140. Important Explanations

**Regular Sonic Fan: Haha, ikr? I didn't hate Vanilla quite as much as I normally do in the last chapter. This chapter, I'm back to hating her though, lol. And yeah, poor Charmy! It sucks to be him right now. His life is really complicated for a seven-year-old. Thanks a ton, I hope I feel better soon too. I swear my life is a cycle of stress and sickness most of the time. =/ Hope you like this chapter!**

**PreyasRules: Aw, I'm sorry you had a bad day. I've been having a rough time too, so I can totally relate. Hopefully, you're feeling better by now!**

**LuluCalliope: I'm sorry for scaring you! I got really sick AGAIN. God, why am I always sick? *sighs* Anyway, it's okay, I totally understand. I love you guys too. *huggles tightly* You know what sucks though? We're running into all sorts of complications regarding the move. Like I need to get a license or a state id and I have noooooooo idea how I'm going to get around that. Why are things always so complicated? Anyway, thanks for the concern and I hope you're having a nice spring break!**

**Guest: Yup, Vanilla definitely is generous! I guess Vector finally got something good out of their relationship, didn't he? xD I'm glad you liked the part with Scourge and Fiona. They're two of my favorite Sonic characters. Do you like them a lot too? And yeah...poor Veccy. Guilt is the worst feeling. Thanks for reading!**

**Konya x3: It would be nice if the videotape would be enough evidence, but it doesn't really make Vector innocent, it just proves that Espio was being raped, you know? There's still a possibility that Vector will be awake when Esp wakes up though. Are you a new reader? I haven't talked to you before. **

**Delition: Why thank you! It's great to hear how much you liked the chapter. So you're a Scourge fan, huh? I love him too, he's one of my favorite Sonic characters. I'm glad to hear that you like Liam and Darryl! Do you have a favorite of the two? Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Fully Eroded: Oh god, I love Scourge and Fiona! They're one of my favorite Sonic couples ever. I kind of want to write a story on them at some point. Oh no, you're depressed? I'm sorry! Don't cry! *gives you a hug and hands you a tissue* Any better now? I get what you mean about being single. I've been single for over a year now, lol. Hope you feel better!  
**

**Emma: Aw, thank you very much! It's really nice to hear compliments like that. Have you been reading this story for a while now? I don't think I've talked to you before.  
**

**Andypandy123: Noooooo, don't die! D: If you die it's going to be all my fault and then what am I going to do? :P Besides, Espio needs someone to talk to in the hospital since Vector's having his own problems. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Yoshizilla-Rhedosaurus: Yup, Veccy's going on trial. =/ Dunno how that's going to go for him. And lol, good point about the computer room! Are you a new reader? I don't think I've seen you before. Love your username, btw!  
**

**Toni the Mink: I agree, I mean, Vector does not deserve to go to prison. He was really just "defending" Espio by killing Bryce. Let's hope the jury can see that. Omg, you don't like Scourge or Fiona?! I frigging love those two. I am thinking about writing a fic on them, yeah. Right now, I'm working on a Mario-related one and then I'm going to do a Scouriana fic probably. That's an interesting idea about taking the spinoff story and making it an original story. It probably wouldn't be short knowing me (lol), but the idea has potential. Thanks for the suggestion!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Yay for Scourge! *cheers* I love Scourge, what about you? He's one of my favorite Sonic characters. :D You're right about Vanilla, she just bailed Vector out of jail without asking questions. She's going to want the full story in this chapter though. *crosses fingers for Vector* Criminal Minds is really good! I definitely recommend it. Speaking of crime shows and stuff, I watched this disturbing movie yesterday and now I'm all jumpy today, lol. Interesting thought about Manic there! I never considered that before. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, I'm so glad you like the spinoff idea! If I use it, I'll include Bryce for you then! Haha, I agree with you about Vanilla. She's definitely better with words than Vector is. Can you even imagine Vector trying to defend himself at a trial? I can't. *facepalms trying to imagine it* You like Scourge? Me too! I'm going to write a Scouriana fic at some point. :D  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you about Vector and his trial. Thanks for giving me your opinion about the spinoff story!  
**

**AngelLux13: That's true, now that Vector is out of jail his situation has gone from awful to just bad. :P I agree with you about the judge/jury. If Vector doesn't get a sympathetic one, things could go very badly for him. Do you think that Vector will use the videotape for evidence? I mean, it does show Espio getting mutilated and raped and all that...=/ He might want to protect his friend instead. Thank you so much for reading!  
**

** Mr. Shock76able: Glad to hear that you like the idea of a spinoff story! I'm thinking about starting it before this story takes place and then having it explain what happens to Liam and Darryl after the events of this fic. It probably cost a LOT to bail Vector out of jail. Vanilla is pretty devoted to him, isn't she? Yay, another Scourge/Fiona fan! Awesome! I'm planning on writing a story on them at some point. I haven't read any of the comics with them sadly, but I know Scourge is a troublemaker, which is probably why I love him. xD  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: You're right about Vector! He got one problem off of his back, but he still has a big one to deal with. So you think that if/when Espio remembers Vector, he'll still love him, but just be a little more cautious towards him regarding physical contact? That makes a lot of sense. Esp is kind of skittish to begin with. And aw, that's good to hear! *hugs* xD Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**NMason1997: That's true about Vector! I mean, it's great that he's out of jail for now, but he could easily get sent back there if things don't go his way during the trial. Our favorite croc definitely does not have a way with words, I agree. He's always screwing up the way he says things and causes problems for everyone. About the videotape, my personal opinion is that Vector wouldn't use it even if he could. I mean, would he really want to show Espio getting raped to anyone? =/ He's pretty protective of Esp. Glad you liked the bit with Scourge and Fiona. I love those two. Do you like them as well? Thanks for your opinion on my spinoff story! I do like Liam and Darryl a lot, lol. Bryce I made a bastard through and through, but the others had some redeemable qualities. Thanks so much for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXX  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I awkwardly wrap my arms around Miss Vanilla as she embraces me tightly. For some reason, I always feel so out of place when she displays any sort of affection towards me. Now is definitely not the time to be worryin' about that though! I've got way more pressing matters on my mind like Espio and my impending trial. A lump forms in my throat when I think about the trial. I dunno much about trials, but they sound real bad. The trial will decide whether I'm sentenced to an unknown about of time in prison or if I'll be allowed to return to my normal life free of all charges.

What exactly is my "normal" life anymore? It's all fallen to pieces before my eyes. First, I lost Espio and I guess that everything else came crashing down after that. Espio was my everything. Now that his soul has been taken from him and all that's left of Espio is a broken, barely alive body, what the hell am I gonna do even if I do avoid a prison sentence?

I jerk myself out of these sorts of thoughts and tell myself to tackle one thing at a time. After all, I really should start out by thanking Miss Vanilla for bailing me out of jail. If it weren't for her, I'd still be back in that trashed up, smelly jail cell right now, watching Scourge and Fiona argue and feelin' strangely jealous of them since the love of my life has been stolen from me.

Clearing my throat, I speak into Miss Vanilla's shoulders since she still has her arms fastened around my neck and say, "Thanks so much for bailin' me out, ma'am. I promise to try and make it up to yeh someday. I don't have a lotta cash right now, but as soon as I make some, it will go straight to yeh."

"Oh, Vector, you needn't worry about the money. You've become so much to me in the last month. I can't even imagine life without you or life with you locked up in some horrible cell," Miss Vanilla replies, her normally sweet voice thick with emotion as she pulls back to get a good look at me. Reaching out, she takes one of my hands firmly and says, "Let's go back to my home and talk all of this over. I'm sure that everything will be alright. You can't be sentenced to prison unless there's proof that you've actually committed a crime."

"Er, right," I reply, allowing Miss Vanilla to lead me down the sidewalk away from the dilapidated jail to her cozy, yellow-painted home.

As I stride along silently by her side, I wonder how I'm gonna break the truth to her. Miss Vanilla obviously thinks that I've been framed for a crime, but that I didn't actually commit one. Murder is a crime regardless of whether it can be justified or not. What will Miss Vanilla think when I tell her the truth? I know I'm gonna have to tell her the truth and I'm gonna have to tell the jury the truth too when I go to court for my trial. I'm not about to lie about killin' Bryce for several reasons. First of all, the bastard deserved it. Secondly, there's a lot of evidence that can be held against me. I bet my fingerprints are all over the doorknobs in Bryce's nightmarish shack. Finally, it's just not in my nature to make up a big, fat lie that's gonna get found out.

I'm so busy worrying that I don't even realize it when we've reached Miss Vanilla's house and have to backtrack a few steps to start up her driveway with her. Miss Vanilla sends me an affectionate smile and says, "Charmy will be so glad to see you. He arrived just a little while before I got your phone call. He's very upset, but I know that seeing you will make him feel much better."

I nod absentmindedly as Miss Vanilla opens the door to her lavender-scented house and ushers me inside. Striding into the house, I practically collide with a black and yellow blur. Tight, suffocating arms wrap around my neck as Charmy yells, "Vector! You're okay! I thought that something really bad was going to happen to you. Why did you have handcuffs on your wrists?"

"It's a long story, kid," I say in a muffled voice, tryin' to get Charmy to loosen his arms around my neck. "I'm alright though. Say, do yeh think ya could go play with Cream outside for a bit?"

Miss Vanilla immediately picks up on the fact that I want to speak to her alone and chimes in, "That's a lovely idea, Vector! It's a sunny day outside and some fresh air could do us all some good. I just bought Cream some new toys for her sandbox. You can play with them if you like."

"Okay," Charmy nods as he starts towards the door of the house. "I would have been playing with her earlier, but I just wanted to make sure that Vector was alright. You_ are_ alright, aren't you, Vector?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I admit since I guess I really am good for the time being even if it's temporary. "Go have fun."

Miss Vanilla and I watch Charmy fly out of the door and slam it behind him. The house falls silent for a moment before Miss Vanilla motions for me to go to the floral patterned couch, saying, "Do sit down, dear. I'll bring us each a cup of tea and then you can tell me everything."

"Alright," I nod, tromping over to the couch and letting myself sink into its soft cushions.

While I wait for Miss Vanilla to come back with the tea, I try and figure out just how much to tell her. The whole situation regarding Bryce and Espio is kind of personal and close to my heart for obvious reasons. If I can trust anyone with the truth though, Miss Vanilla is the person to trust. I'm just gonna tell her the whole story from the very beginning. Miss Vanilla deserves to know the truth after bailing me out of jail, and to be honest, I've been dying to tell someone about this whole ordeal since last night. Losing Espio has damaged me in so many ways.

"Here you go," Miss Vanilla tells me in her light voice as she hands me a cup of tea. Tucking her skirts underneath her, she sits down on the couch across from me and says, "Please tell me what happened unless there's anything else you would like me to get you first?"

"Nope, everything's great. Thanks for offerin' though," I reply, staring down into my tea cup nervously before I ask, "Can I trust yeh, ma'am? What I need to tell ya...well, it ain't pretty."

"Of course you can tell me, dear. You can tell me anything you like," Miss Vanilla tells me in an understanding tone of voice. Reaching forwards, she takes my hand and gives it a light squeeze.

Feeling a little reassured, I take a deep breath and start out, "Alright, well, it all started the day I met Espio. I put a sign on the bulletin board sayin' that I was looking for detectives to start up a detective agency. Espio called me about the detective agency and we met up at the park. I liked Esp from the day I met him. He didn't like me so much though. He was all stiff and rigid and ya could tell that he thought he was the one with the brains in our group."

I pause here to give a choked sort of laugh. Talkin' about Espio is hard for me when I know he's hooked up to a lot of strange machines in the hospital right now, especially when I don't know if he's gonna live or die. 'Course, he's already dead in a sense, but I'm just distracting myself from what I'm trying to say.

"Anyway, Espio, Charmy, and I ended up forming Team Chaotix. Charmy was livin' with Espio at the time, so it only made sense that he should be included in our group. Time went on and I started to get to know Espio better. He was a real special guy, but there was some sort of dark secret he kept from me. I could just feel it, ya know?" I ask Miss Vanilla as I pause to take a slurp of my tea. Miss Vanilla nods so I go on, "It took a while, but I eventually found out the truth. Espio lived with an abusive cousin for a few months before running away. That's why he's always so suspicious of people and is all for fightin' evil."

"Oh my," Miss Vanilla comments, looking horrified. "That's very sad that something like that happened to such a nice person."

"Yeah, it is sad. In fact, it's downright shitty," I reply, forgetting to watch my language since I'm having a hard time holding myself together right now. "Espio's mother died about a month ago. He insisted on goin' to her funeral. Being the stupid croc that I am, I let him go all by himself. I dunno exactly how it went down, but Espio and his cousin met up either before or after the funeral. I think that his damn cousin threatened to hurt Charmy and me if Espio didn't follow him home. When Espio called to break up with me the next day and to tell me that he was leaving Team Chaotix, I just accepted it for what it was. It wasn't until weeks later that I realized how fishy the whole thing was. Remember when we had a search party for Espio?"

"I do remember that," Miss Vanilla nods, looking concerned.

"We didn't find him that day, but I swore to myself that I wouldn't stop lookin' for Esp until I found him. I found him yesterday in the bad parts of town. Turns out that he's been with his abusive cousin this whole time. He looks horrible. When I first saw Espio again, I couldn't even recognize him. He was with his cousin and two other big chameleons then. I wanted ta go and drag Esp away from them right that very moment, but it would be stupid to do that since there were three of them and one of me," I say, wringing my hands together as I get to the worst part of my tale.

"What did you do then?" Miss Vanilla asks, urging me onward.

"I went home and grabbed a gun before goin' back to the shack Esp's cousin lived in," I reply, watching Miss Vanilla's expression carefully for any signs of shock or disgust. When her face remains smooth, I go on, "I barged on into the house and heard sounds in the bedroom. I opened the door and found...found..."

Miss Vanilla leans forwards and whispers gently, "What did you find, dear?"

The image that has been haunting me since yesterday pops into my head once again. Trying not to allow myself to start crying, I gulp and push on in a rush, "Espio was all tied up and collared. His cousin was raping him. I've never seen anything so goddamn horrible in my entire life. It ain't like what ya see in the movies or read in books. I grabbed the chameleon and threw him against the wall before goin' to Espio. He was all beat up and bleeding. I was just gonna leave, but Espio's drunk cousin wouldn't shaddap and started insulting Esp so I shot him. I don't support murder, but I don't regret sending the bastard to hell. He killed Espio. Sure, he's still alive in the hospital right now, but he doesn't recognize me. He's never gonna be the same ever again."

A long silence follows my story. Miss Vanilla blinks rapidly a few times, probably trying to digest all the information I just threw at her in the span of five minutes. Finally, she speaks in a voice full of sympathy, "I'm very sorry for the entire situation. I never knew that Espio had such a tragic past. Is he in the hospital right now?"

"Yeah, I brought him there last night. Speakin' of which, I gave the hedgehog from the emergency room the phone number to my house and told her ta call me as soon as she had any updates on Esp for me," I explain. "'Course, gettin' arrested made it kinda hard to get the phone."

"Of course," Miss Vanilla nods understandingly before her smooth brow creases ever so slightly and she murmurs, "I don't blame you for what you did, Vector. Please know that I support your decisions completely. Unfortunately, this _does_ leave us in a predicament though. What are you going to say during your trial? Will you hire a lawyer to help your cause?"

"Nah, I don't think I want a lawyer. I don't need someone I don't even know tryin' ta argue my own case for me," I say firmly before shrugging my shoulders and going on, "Guess I'm just gonna tell the jury the truth. I'm not gonna try and lie about sumthin' I did and don't regret doing. There's a law that says ya can get away with murder when it's used for self defense, right? Well, maybe I'll get lucky and say that I had ta murder to save a life."

"I suppose that's all we can do," Miss Vanilla frowns, looking upset. I know as well as she does that I don't have a good chance of gettin' out of a jail sentence by admitting that I killed Bryce. "Murder is a very serious crime though. I really do hope that we have some sympathetic juries at your trial."

"Me too," I sigh loudly before turning to Miss Vanilla and asking, "Say, do yeh mind if I use yer phone? I wanna call the hospital and see if they have some news on Espio."

"Certainly. My phone is in the kitchen just around the corner to your left," Miss Vanilla nods before hesitating and saying, "Do you have any proof that shows that Espio's cousin was abusing him? Proof is very important during a trial. Even photographs could be helpful."

"I have some pictures at my house. Guess I could stop and pick 'em up at some point," I shrug before striding towards the kitchen and adding, "I'm gonna go call the hospital now. Maybe we'll get some good news for the first time today, huh?"

* * *

_Well, the good news is that Veccy's out of jail temporarily. The bad news is the upcoming trial. How do you think Espio's doing at the hospital? Review please! :) Oh, and thank you for your opinions on my spinoff story! I got a lot of positive feedback on it, so I'm definitely considering it as a possibility once I finish the current story I'm working on. Keep up the awesomeness, you guys! *hugs everyone* Sorry about the late update. I've been having a really hard time with life lately and sometimes I just wonder what the point of it is. x_x Between constant sickness and stress, what else is there? Anyway...enough of my rant. Hope you like the chapter.  
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	141. Contorted Emotions

**Regular Sonic Fan: Aw, don't cry (unless it's the good kind of crying)! *hands you a tissue* You're right about poor Vector though. He has been through a hell of a lot, poor guy. Let's hope that things turn up for him very soon, huh? He deserves some good news regarding Esp! Thanks so much for wishing me a speedy recovery. I hope I feel better soon too. You're always so nice, I really appreciate having you as a friend! *hugs*  
**

**PreyasRules: I think you need to write a sign that says "the tape!" and stick it to Vector's forehead or something so he finds it. I'm sorry about your kneecap. The whole situation sounds really awful. I don't get why girls feel like they have to bully other girls. I guess they're just that insecure about themselves that they have to put others down to feel better. *rolls eyes at these stupid people* Are you feeling better now? Don't worry, there's an update on Espio in this chapter! Hopefully, it will make you feel a little better.  
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**Konya x3: Wow, that's great to hear! I really love getting new readers. Just out of curiosity, what made you start reading this story? Are you a fan of Vector or Espio or both of them? :)  
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**Guest: It doesn't sound cliche at all, don't worry. Any support is great, so thank you very much! Hehe, that's funny that you wouldn't have guessed that I hate Vanilla so much. xD I try hard not to let it show when I dislike a character, but sometimes it sort of shows through. :P It is good for Vector that he has someone to help him with his trial though. I don't think he could handle it on his own. Thanks for the review!**

**Fully Eroded: It's okay about late reviews. And aw, you're sweet, although I'm not very awesome. I'm kind of a boring person, lol! I'm glad I cheered you up! You still feeling okay? *hugs again* Yes, let's hope that Esp is feeling better soon. It's about time that he gets some news, isn't it? Thank you so much for the great review! :D**

**Andypandy123: Phew, good to know that you're going to be alright now! Are the chapters getting a little less suspenseful? Ooo, I just had an idea! You can help Espio remember Vector while the two of you are at the hospital together! xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Toni the Mink: Lol, yeah, I decided to make you wait until this chapter to hear how Espio's doing. You'll get a little update on him in this chapter. And ikr? Vector isn't going to have the easiest time using the tape as evidence. Hope you like this chapter.  
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**zgirl16: Yay, you caught up! Awesome! *high fives you* You're going to get an update on Espio in this chapter. :) And aw, thank you! *hugs back* I'm so grateful for my friends on here. You all mean so much to me.  
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**Alethe-Hedgefox84: I'm glad that you're looking forwards to the trial although I must warn you that mine is bound to be kinda crappy too. :P So true about Vector and the tape. Our favorite croc does definitely not have a way with words. =/ Well, Esp is still passed out, so I'd say that nope, he's got no clue about what Vector is going through right now. D: The film was called Megan is Missing or something like that. It wasn't that bad, I guess. The end was just kind of sick. Have you seen it? Woo for Scourge and Manic fans! What do you like most about those two? Lol, I'm suddenly inspired to write a Manourge fic after talking to you. xD A massage sounds like an awesome idea! Thanks! I'm definitely going to look into it! :)**

**Saints-Fan-12: Thanks for the encouragement. ^^ I always love your reviews!  
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**AngelLux13: That's true; Vanilla didn't seem too fazed by the whole thing. You'll get an update on Espio in this chapter. There's bad news and good news regarding his condition. Lol, it seems as if Vector hasn't managed to remember the tape yet. I'm sorry that your life has been a roller coaster of ups and downs too. It's a shame we can't have all ups, huh? Anyway, thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate it. :) Hope you like this chapter!  
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** Mr. Shock76able: That's true, Vanilla didn't take the news too badly, did she? I guess she just loves Vector that much. If Veccy went to jail, things would end up being very complicated for everyone to say the least. So Bryce was one of your favorite characters, huh? What did you like about him? I liked him too. :P I sort of had a hard time killing him, but it fit the story plot, so poor Bryce had to die. =/ Thanks about my problems and for the hug! *hugs back* Thanks for reading!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Haha, yeah, Espio is probably sleeping at the hospital right now. xD It would be...not good if he was doing anything else in his current state. :P Those are good thoughts about Vector. Do you think that it's more likely that he'll find a way out of the situation or that the jury will decide he's innocent? I agree completely about Espio having a hard time warming up to Vector. Sexual abuse victims all act differently, but the majority of them want to stay away from physical contact for a good, long while. Hope you like this chapter!  
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* * *

**Chapter CXXXXI  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

As I tromp through the tidy little kitchen towards the telephone, I find that I'm not even sure that I wanna give the hospital a call regarding Espio. What if the news is bad? What if Esp died this morning while I was being arrested? A shiver runs through my body at the thought. I hate everything that's happened in the last few days. If I could, I would reverse time and take us all back to a month ago. If only I hadn't let Espio go to his mother's funeral alone! If I had gone with him, his cousin never would have been able to drag him off to his rundown, secluded shack on the edge of town.

Taking a deep breath and bracing myself for whatever news I get, I punch in the digits to the hospital's phone number on Miss Vanilla's phone and wait. The rings are loud in my ears even with my headphones blaring. That reminds me that I should probably turn my music down a little so I don't have to struggle to hear whoever picks up the phone.

While I'm busy fumblin' with my music player, the familiar voice of the hedgehog I spoke to last night sounds on the phone as she says, "Yes? This is the emergency room. Do you need an ambulance?"

"Er, no, nothin' like that," I quickly reply before an ambulance is sent to Miss Vanilla's house for no good reason. "I'm actually callin' about one of yer patients. A chameleon was brought to the emergency room last night. His name is Espio. How's he doing? Yeh said that you'd have some updates on him by morning."

"Oh, you must be Vector!" the hedgehog exclaims, apparently remembering me from yesterday. "I left you a message on your phone earlier this morning since nobody picked it up. I can give you an update on Espio over the phone if you like or you may come and visit him if you would prefer that."

"I can actually visit him? He's doin' okay then?" I ask, immediately perking up at the first bit of good news I've heard all day long. Truth is that I should probably spend the afternoon preparing for my trial, but if I can visit Espio, I'll definitely be at the hospital instead. I cross my fingers and wait for the hedgehog's response.

"You may visit him, yes. He's a bit more stable, but he hasn't woken up since you brought him in yesterday. Should I expect you at the hospital shortly?" the hedgehog asks me in her polite voice.

"Yeah, I'll be there in just a sec," I reply, immediately setting the phone down and hurrying towards the living room to tell Miss Vanilla that I'm off to the hospital to visit Espio. I hope she doesn't think that goin' to visit him is a bad idea what with my trial only days away. I know I should gather evidence for my case and all that, but I dunno what more I can do other than show a few of the old pictures I have of Bryce and Espio. They're not even a good form of evidence because although Espio is pretty beat up in both pictures, it's hard to prove that Bryce did it. Dammit. I'm screwed.

As I round the corner and turn into the living room, Miss Vanilla stands up and says, "I overheard the whole conversation, dear. I think that it's a good idea for you to go and visit Espio. He needs you most right now. While you're gone, I'm going to see what I can do to help you come up with some more evidence for your case. I think that what will help the most at this point is if we can find some way of visibly proving that Espio was abused by his cousin. Here, take this."

I frown and look down at my hands as Miss Vanilla pushes a camera into them. Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "What's this for?"

"See if you can take some pictures of Espio while you're at the hospital," Miss Vanilla murmurs. She sighs when she sees my surprised expression and goes on, "I know it's not ideal, but we need to do everything possible to keep you from going to prison."

"Alright," I sigh, starting to think that maybe I should have just beat Bryce up real bad and not have actually killed him since this is causing me a hell of a lot of trouble. I shake my head at myself immediately after thinking this. I wouldn't be able ta stop worrying if Bryce was still alive out there somewhere and neither would Esp. Starting towards the door of the house, I tell Miss Vanilla, "I dunno if cameras are allowed in the hospital, but I guess I'll find out shortly. Thanks so much for bein' so understanding about all of this, ma'am."

"Of course I understand, dear. I promise that I will do whatever I can to help you," Miss Vanilla says with a firm nod. "I wish you luck at the hospital."

I exit the house and step out into a sunny April day that is the exact opposite of my mood right now. The impending trial is really starting to bother me at this point. I pretty much know that I'm gonna end up in prison. Problem is that I don't have any proof that Bryce was abusing Espio besides for a few photographs. I need some hardcore evidence in order to save me from prison. I dunno what exactly hardcore evidence is though. I mean, what was I suppose ta do? Videotape Bryce raping Esp?"

I realize how ridiculous this is and stomp down the street, chewing my lip as I go. Today might be my last day to see Espio if I do end up in prison. Are guests allowed to visit yeh in prison? If so, I'm gonna have to ask Miss Vanilla to check up on Espio for me and give me updates about him.

After about ten minutes, I reach the hospital and stride inside without a moment of hesitation. One thing I don't have on my side right now is time. Everything seems ta be going by in a rush. My trial is approaching way too fast. I don't have time to collect evidence for my case and I sure as hell don't have time to get witnesses to support me.

"Hello, Mr. Vector," the hedgehog I spoke to yesterday greets me as soon as I enter the hospital's waiting room. She motions for me to follow her as she opens the door to the long hallway and continues on, "Please come right this way. I'll bring you to your friend."

"Sounds good," I reply, glad that the hedgehog is working with me a little more than yesterday. It seemed like all she wanted was to kick me out of Espio's hospital room yesterday. As I follow her down the sparkly clean hallway, I ask, "So how's he doin'?"

"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" the hedgehog asks me as we come to the end of the hallway. She opens the door to the room Espio was brought into last night and holds it open for me. I hesitate for just a minute before stepping inside it. Bad news ain't something I want to hear about right now.

"Good news first. I think I've had enough bad news fer the rest of my life," I say wryly as I barge into the room and come to stand by Espio's bed.

The hedgehog doesn't speak right away, which is a good thing because I'm too busy looking at Espio to listen to her right now. He's lying very still on a nice, clean bed. There are still a lot of tubes hooked up to him, but the oxygen mask is gone and he's been cleaned up for the most part. Despite the fact that his scales are still dull and pale, the smudged makeup has been removed from his face and he no longer reeks of sex and rotting blood. A blanket has been pulled up to his chin to keep him warm. I'm kinda glad that the blanket is there so I don't have ta look at Espio's bony little body. With his eyes closed like this, I can almost pretend that everything is normal. All I have ta do is use my imagination and pretend that this is a normal bed and not a hospital bed and pretend that there aren't a bunch of tubes sticking into his veins.

"The good news is that Espio is more stable now like I told you on the phone," the hedgehog begins to speak. "His heartbeats are regular and he doesn't need an oxygen mask anymore."

"That's good to hear," I say, eyes glued onto Espio's pale face as I silently urge him to open his eyes for me. "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that he's obviously still very weak and hasn't woken up since last night. The nurses have given him a thorough examination and have cleaned him up the best that they can. He has a broken rib, but that will heal in time. It's clear that he's been sexually abused several times, but he doesn't have any sexually transmitted diseases, thankfully."

I shudder and make a face since the possibility of Espio getting a STD never even occurred to me. Anger at Bryce flares up inside me and I know that I was right to kill him. Nobody who can abuse their cousin for days on end deserves to live in this world. Hoping that this is the last of the bad news, I say a little defiantly, "Well, at least he's stable, right?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, that isn't everything," the hedgehog from next to me says, causing me to get a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. "We've done some blood work on him. Espio has been drugged for quite some time now. It isn't a surprise that he didn't recognize you when you saw him the other day."

The queasiness in my stomach worsens and I send the hedgehog a look out of the corner of my eye as I add, "Uh, what exactly does that mean?"

"It means that we don't really know what Espio will be like when he wakes up. The drug he was given is very strong. He may not be able to remember anything at all. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. After all, if he can't remember what happened to him, he won't be scarred mentally like he otherwise might have been. However, this also means that he will not be able to recognize any of his friends, including you. There's no saying how he's going to react when he wakes. All we can do is wait and see."

"Alright," I sigh, realizing that I was right not to hold high hopes for Espio. Since I know I've gotta take some pictures, I ask a little sheepishly, "Can I have a few minutes alone with him?"

The hedgehog hesitates and then takes a closer look at the desperate expression in my eyes. Guess she must think that I'm desperate to spend some time alone with Espio and not to take pictures of him for my trial. Either way, she nods and says, "I suppose I can give you five minutes alone together."

I thank the hedgehog and watch the door fall shut behind her before taking the small wooden chair next to Espio's bed. He's just lyin' there as still as a statue. I feel so wrong about to take pictures of him like this, but if they keep me from goin' to prison, they're worth it, right? Espio is obviously gonna need a lot of help when he wakes up and I want to be here to help him, not stuck in a dirty prison cell because I shot his abuser. Still though, I'm having a hard time lifting the camera.

For three of my five minutes, I just stare at Espio. At least he looks peaceful while he sleeps like this. It makes me feel a little better. Knowing that I only have two minutes left, I try to force the guilty feeling out of my head and lean forwards to take the edge of the blanket covering Espio's body. I hesitate again before pulling it back quickly. A gasp leaves my mouth as I get a good look at Espio.

He's been cleaned up, but he looks far from normal. A white bandage has been wrapped around his chest, probably due to the broken bone there. Angry red bruises are still visible all over Espio's body. The area by his thighs has been torn up so badly that I can't even let myself look there. Feeling like a criminal for doin' this, I take the camera and take a few random shots of Espio before noticing a long, bloody gash at the right side of his throat. I'm gonna go to hell for this, but I lean down and take a close up picture of the gash as well.

Creak! The sound of the door opening causes me to whip the blanket back over Espio's body. I quickly hide the camera behind my back nervously as one of the nurses I saw tending to Espio yesterday enters the room. She's the one with the curly brown hair and brown eyes.

At first, the hedgehog doesn't even see me and steps straight across the room to Espio's side. She takes one of his hands and holds it tightly as if she actually has some feelings for him or sumthin' before she begins checking the machines Espio is hooked up to. After a moment, she finally notices me.

"Oh, hello there," the hedgehog exclaims in surprise. She offers me a warm smile and says, "I'm Patricia, one of the nurses here. It's nice to see that Espio is getting some visitors. He seems like such a sweet little chameleon. We're doing our very best to help him out. I've been with him almost constantly since yesterday."

For some reason, jealousy sparks up within me at Patricia's words. _ I _should be the one by Esp's side night and day! If it weren't for the goddamn trial, I would be here night and day. 'Course, there's no way to get out of the trial, so I just stand up awkwardly and say, "I dunno if there's much of him left ta save. Someone else told me earlier that he's probably lost his memory due to drugging."

"I suppose so, but that doesn't mean that he's not the same person he was before," Patricia says, looking down at Espio's sleeping figure and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

My eyes narrow. For some reason, I really hate the way she's lookin' at Esp. It bugs me to say the least.

Looking up at me, Patricia meets my eyes and says, "There's only so much we can do for him here at the hospital. When he's feeling better, he'll be able to go home and it will be up to his friends to care for him from that point onwards."

"What can I do for him?" I ask with a frown. "I ain't a doctor or a miracle worker."

"You can give him love and a second chance at life," Patricia tells me without missing a beat. "It may not sound like much, but love and care end up being the two most important things in sexual abuse cases. If Espio does wake and remembers any of what he's been through, he'll feel worthless and unwanted. He may even have thoughts of suicide. You and his other friends need to show him that you still love and care for him."

"Hm," I reply, looking back down at Espio's broken body. I dunno if I can learn to love this ghost of Espio when the real Espio has been stolen from me and this..._creature_ has been left in his place. Needing to get out of here for a while and work on my upcoming trial, I start back towards the door of the hospital room and say, "I've got somewhere I need ta be. Take care of him for me, won't ya?"

"Of course," Patricia murmurs, sitting down in the chair by Espio's side. "I won't leave him."

I nod and exit the room, jealousy, anger, and a few other confused emotions rippling through my veins. I wish I could love the remnants of Espio, but I just can't. He's not who he used ta be. Guess I'll just have to leave that job up to Patricia. I've got a trial to worry about.

* * *

_It doesn't sound like Espio is doing great or really horrible. He's just kind of "hanging in there". Do you think that Vector will learn to love Esp even if the chameleon doesn't remember him or chooses someone else to be his lover when the time comes? Review please! :)  
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	142. Long Hours

**Regular Sonic Fan: Lol, Vector is such an idiot, isn't he? We need to get some sense into his head! So you think that Vector will realize that he still loves Esp when Esp finally wakes up (which hopefully will be soon)? I'm feeling less sick, but more stressed out. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm pretty exhausted today, but hopefully we can talk on skype over the weekend! And aw, that's sweet of you to say. *hugs*  
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**Chibi-Guest: Haha, I would fall asleep trying to make a time machine too. I'm no good at creating stuff. xD Anyway, we should have Espio come and stay with you for a while since Vector is kind of being a bastard since he's not sure if he can still love Esp anymore. *rolls eyes at Vector* I bet you would do a great job taking care of him! A day at the spa would be amazing! I could definitely use one of those. *sighs dreamily* Thanks for reading!  
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**Konya x3: Aw, I couldn't get the link to work, which is really a shame because I would love to see your picture! So is Espio your favorite Sonic character then? Mine sort of jumps around a lot. There are so many Sonic characters I like. xD Thanks again for catching up on this story! It means a lot to me.  
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**SpycyAlmond: Woo, you caught up! Awesome! *throws you a party* Have you been reading this story for long? I've got to admit that reading it is probably really time consuming. I can't say that Vecpio is a very common pairing, but I really love it and hope that reading this story will make others love it too. I hate it when people refuse to take a look at a story just because of the pairing, you know? I hope Vector learns to love Esp despite the other possibilities as well. Thanks for catching up!  
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**Fully Eroded: Aw, thanks for not thinking I'm boring! xD Say, do you have a deviant art or a skype? We should talk more. :) Thanks about the situation with my home life. I'm planning on doing whatever it takes to get out of here as soon as I'm 18. The days seem to drag by really slowly sometimes though. I agree with you there, news is news and at least Espio isn't worse. Ooo, yay, nobody has given me flowers for ages! Thanks so much! *hugs*  
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**Andypandy123: Hehe, glad you like my idea! :) Espio is finally getting better. Do you think he'll have any memories of Vector when he wakes up? Oh god, I'm so sorry about your friend! That is really horrible. I wish him/her the best of luck. Thanks for reading!  
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**NMason1997: I agree with you there, it would be nice to get some good news on Espio, but it seems like he's just sort of managing right now. Vector taking pictures of Esp does seem wrong, doesn't it? I felt weird writing that part like if I was in Vector's shoes, I would not be taking the pictures. But anyway, if it keeps Vector from going to prison, I guess it's worth it. Hehe, do you think that Espio will wake up soon? Sorry about all the suspense. :P I like dragging things out as you know. And aw, no need to apologize! Youtube is super addicting, I know how that is. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Hehe, yeah, I was kind of hinting about that with Patricia. She seems to like Espio, but the question is will he like her? I get what you're saying about Espio and his memories. Do you think it would be best if he forgot everything (including the abuse and Vector) or remembered everything? It's kind of a mix up in my mind. He gains and loses something in both circumstance. I have a thing for villains and misunderstood characters as well! *high fives you* I think Manic is kind of queer too, but that's what makes him likeable in my opinion, you know? And yeah, Scourge seems like a metalhead! I guess I like Scourge because he fits the bad boy definition and I'm always attracted to bad boys. Yup, I like Manic and I support Manourge even though I also like Scouriana. The movie isn't very good, but let me know if you watch it. :P Omg, yes, yes, yes! I would love it if you did some Manourge comics. Speaking of which, are you on deviant art? If you are, feel free to add me as a friend on there. I'm Mimentio-Girl. I'm going to go look up the song right now. Love Metallica! :D Thanks so much for the great review!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: Wow, really? Thanks for the compliment! I like taking romances and twisting them as you can probably guess. xD  
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**Guest: That is true, poor Vector would have to start from square one in an attempt to get Espio to love him again if he does forget everything. That would probably be pretty frustrating for him, don't you think? Hehe, that is true about the camera. There's lots of evidence in regards to that if Vector can find and use it for proof. Thanks for reading!**

**PreyasRules: Yay, now the note is stuck to Vector's forehead! xD Whenever I need to remember something, I just write it on my arm, lol. Is it just me or do doctors always make things worse even when they're trying to help? They always seem to make things worse for me. x_x Hey, well, at least you're getting the bitchy girl to back off. Serves her right. Haha, so true about Espio. He looks sexy even when he has a broken rib, but he's still Vector's. Say, I have an idea, let's tape a note to Espio's forehead that says, "Vector's Property"! Lol, I'm so crazy in the morning. Anyway, hope you like this chapter!**

**AngelLux13: I agree with you about Vector. He'll still love Espio, he's just...really upset right now and is going through a lot. I know I've experienced some misplaced anger when I've been upset with life. Haha, I can totally imagine you entering the story and holding Vector's hand. :P I dunno how much he'd like that either. He doesn't strike me as a touchy-feely guy unless he's being horny with Esp. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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** Mr. Shock76able: Yeah, unfortunately there is a possibility that Esp could fall for someone else if he totally lost his memory. That would just kill Vector, wouldn't it? Same here, I wouldn't have taken pictures at the hospital either. It seems kind of wrong to put it simply. :P Woo, I like Bryce for those reasons too! *high fives you* I was thinking about writing an AU ScourgexFiona story since I don't know a lot about them and haven't read the comics. What do you think about that idea?  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Nooooooo, I can't have you crying and dying! *sends you a box of tissues* How much do you think the drug has affected Esp? Think he'll remember Vector at all? I haven't heard of The Vow, but now I'm curious about it. Maybe I'll see if I can watch it sometime. Haha, ikr? I considered having Esp get a STD, but I figured that he's going through enough as it is, lol. Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter CXXXXII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

The walk from the hospital to Miss Vanilla's house seems to fly by. Why is it that time always seems ta speed up when yeh want it to slow down? Life's a funny thing, ain't it? Well, maybe "funny" isn't the best word to use. My life is anything _but _funny right now. I'm probably gonna go to prison and my lover has been raped and drugged to the point where he doesn't remember a damn thing. I stop on my way to Miss Vanilla's house and suddenly remember that I was gonna grab the pictures of Espio and Bryce from my house.

Turning around, I backtrack to my home, fling the door open, and then go straight to the drawer of my cabinet. After flippin' through all of the junk in there, I find the photographs of Espio and Bryce. I flinch as I get a better look at 'em. They're worse than I remember. The one picture of Espio and Bryce sitting together on the couch isn't so bad, but the other one with Espio decked out in makeup and with Bryce's hand directly over his crotch will make anyone who sees it uncomfortable to say the least.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to feel bad for using these pictures to help my case, I store 'em under my glove and start back towards Miss Vanilla's house for the second time. I'm still not sure what kind of evidence is gonna help me in court other than photos and a possible witness. Where the hell am I gonna get a witness from though? I can't just conjure one up outta nowhere.

Shaking my head at the hopelessness of the whole situation, I approach Miss Vanilla's door and open it without knocking. Oops. I probably should have knocked, but Miss Vanilla will understand why I didn't knock. We're all a little distracted right now. Well, everyone besides for Cream and Charmy. Miss Vanilla and I have an unspoken agreement ta leave them in the dark. There's no need to upset Charmy by tellin' him that I might have to go to prison. He can hear about it only after I've received my sentence.

"Hello, Vector. How is Espio? I see you have the photographs. May I see them?" Miss Vanilla asks when I enter the house. She's leaning up against the counter with the telephone in one hand. I dunno what exactly she's been up to, but her eyes show worry and I can tell she's been busy doing something or the other.

I silently hand the photographs and the camera over to Miss Vanilla as I shrug and say, "He's alive, which is good, I guess. The hedgehog I spoke to about him told me he's been drugged though. He probably won't remember anything when he finally wakes up."

"Oh my, that does sound rather awful," Miss Vanilla says as she flicks through the pictures. "At least he will have good friends to help him out once he finally wakes."

"Hm," I reply, suddenly wondering why everyone seems ta think that I need to be the one to be there to guide Espio along if he ever wakes up from his peaceful slumber. I don't wanna be the one to reteach him everything he should already know. Why can't everyone see that I'm the one who's gonna take seein' this new Espio the hardest? If he doesn't recognize me as his lover, he's not my Espio and I don't want anything to do with him. I'll leave him to Patricia or someone else who can take care of him. Needin' to change the subject, I ask, "Whaddya think about the photos? Think they'll help at all?"

"They might. It certainly can't hurt to bring them along to the trial. I'm not certain that they will count as evidence, but we might as well do everything we can to try and help your case. I've called Sonic and explained the situation to him. He's starting a phone chain and is calling all of his friends to explain the situation to them as well. If any of them happen to be called to jury duty on the day of your trial, they'll vote in your favor, of course," Miss Vanilla says before stepping towards the door, adding, "I really ought to go get these pictures developed. Poor Espio looks like he needs lots of time to heal. Let's hope that they're able to take good care of him at the hospital."

"Mm," I reply, still not sure exactly how I feel about Espio at the moment. It just kills me to see him all drugged and beat up. Watching him wake up and not even know his name is just more than I can bear. Maybe I'm bein' selfish, but I'm already trying to juggle far too many stresses at one time.

Miss Vanilla pauses with her hand on the door and asks, "Is there anything else I can help you with before I go? I won't be gone long."

"Nope, I'm good. Thanks for everything, ma'am," I reply, remember my manners as I watch Miss Vanilla turn and slip out of the doorway, leaving me alone in the cozy little house.

I've been rushing around all day, but now that I finally have some time to myself, I dunno what to do. I can't think of anything else to do to help my case for the trial and there isn't anything else I can do for Espio. For the first time all day, I'm able to go into the living room, plop down on the couch, and just relax.

Beep, beep, beep! The phone starts ringing just as soon as I sit down. Alright, so maybe I'm not gonna get a chance to relax after all. Sighing loudly, I get back to my feet and tromp through the living room to the kitchen. I hesitate for a minute, feeling a little weird picking up Miss Vanilla's phone. I figure I ought to get it though just in case it's about Espio or my trial though.

"Hello? This is Vector speaking," I reply formally, keeping it in the back of my mind that formality is always a must when it comes to court and all that.

"Hi Vector, this is Sonic," the sympathetic voice of the familiar blue hedgehog sounds from the other end of the phone. "Vanilla phoned me earlier about what happened. I'm so sorry to hear about Espio. I had no idea about the situation he was in with his cousin."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. Esp is as good as dead now," I mutter, unable to keep my bad mood to myself.

Luckily, Sonic doesn't hear my last statement and goes on in his normal voice, "I've called everyone I know and have explained what happened to them. Everyone is on your side. Let's just hope that the jury is made up of Knuckles, Tails, myself, and the rest of our friends. We'll all be stopping by the hospital to check up on Espio as well. I feel terrible knowing what he's been through!"

"Thanks for phoning everyone, Sonic. I appreciate it," I reply truthfully. Sonic knows a lotta people, so there's a good chance that a few people he knows will be on jury duty the day of my trial.

"It's not a problem. I'd do anything for a friend," Sonic says before hesitating and adding, "I hope that everything turns out alright for you, Vector. I don't support murder, of course, but I think that what you did in order to save Espio was very brave and a necessity in this situation. I'd say that you're a hero!"

Me? A hero? The thought kinda makes me laugh since I feel like crap right now, but I guess there's no need for Sonic to know that. I reply, "Well, I didn't know what else ta do. I just reacted on instinct really. I had to save Espio."

"You're a very good friend. I'll catch you later, alright? I'm wishing you the best of luck!" Sonic says in his usual cheerful voice before he hangs up.

Feeling a little more hopeful than earlier, I set the phone down and retreat into the living room. This time, I think that I actually will get some rest and relaxation. I think that I deserve it after my very long day. Just as I plop down onto the couch, the door creaks open and Cream comes bounding inside with Charmy by her side. Argh. So much for some R & R!

"Hi Vector!" Charmy pipes up as soon as he sees me. "Have you heard anything about Espio yet? I want to see him really bad."

It doesn't surprise me that Charmy is asking about Espio. I figured he would. Hoping that he's not gonna whine when I refuse to take him over to the hospital to see Espio right this second, I reply, "Yeah, I talked to someone from the hospital on the phone about him. He's doin' a little better now although he's still sleeping. The nurse said chances are that he's not gonna remember anything when he wakes up. It's like he won't even be our Espio anymore..."

I trail off into gloomy silence and let my chin fall into my hands. Charmy thinks about what I've said for a moment before he shakes his head and replies, "That's not true. He's still the same person. We just have to help him get his memory back, that's all! Can we go over to the hospital now? I want to see him and give him a hug!"

"I would like to go along too," Cream pipes up in her high-pitched voice.

I resist rolling my eyes. No way am I goin' back to that depressing hospital room again, not with Charmy, not with Cream, and definitely not with both of 'em! Shaking my head, I say, "It ain't gonna do him any good to visit him right now. He's still sleeping, remember? Say, I'll tell ya what yeh can do to help Espio out. Why don't the two of yeh make him some get well cards? I'm sure he'd really like that."

"That's a great idea, Vector!" Charmy exclaims, bright brown eyes immediately lighting up at my suggestion. He turns to Cream and asks, "Do you have any paper or markers to make a card with?"

"I have some in my room," Cream replies, looking just as excited at the idea as Charmy does. She waves him after her and starts down the hall, adding, "Follow me!"

I watch the two kids leave the room gratefully and sigh with relief. 'Course, by this point, I'm not planning on getting more than two minutes to myself. Turns out I'm right because the door to the house creaks open a few minutes later and Miss Vanilla returns with the photographs in hand. She gives me a sad sort of smile as she enters the room and asks, "How are you holding up?"

"Eh, decently, I guess," I shrug my shoulders. "Thanks fer gettin' the photos for me."

"There's no need to thank me, dear. I'm just glad that I can help out. Now you go ahead and relax yourself. I have some more phone calls to make. Feel free to turn on the television if you'd like. I think the remote is on the coffee table," Miss Vanilla explains as she starts into the kitchen.

Figuring that I might as well watch some TV, I grab the remote and surf the channels. Nothin' looks particularly interesting, so I leave the sports channel playing just for background noise. Miss Vanilla stays on the phone for a long time. I dunno who she's calling exactly, but her voice sounds urgent.

A few hours later, Charmy and Cream enter the living room proudly to show me the get well cards they made for Espio. I'm gettin' real nervous about the trial at this point, so all I can do is glance over the cards absentmindedly and say that they look real nice. After showing the cards to Miss Vanilla as well, the two yawning children head back to Charmy's room to get some sleep. Miss Vanilla finally hangs up the phone for the night and comes to sit on the couch with me. Guess her work for the night isn't done yet since she picks up her laptop from next to the couch and starts frantically typing away on it. Although I dunno what Miss Vanilla is doin' on the computer, I have a feeling that she's looking up things that will help me with the case. I feel kinda bad knowin' that Miss Vanilla is doing more to help me with the trial than I'm doing myself. Now that I think about it, I haven't done anything to prepare myself for the trial other than take a few pictures.

About an hour later, Miss Vanilla finally snaps the laptop shut and turns to me with tired eyes as she murmurs, "Well, I think we've done enough for one night. Are you certain that there's nothing I can do to help you? You look very upset. I wish I could help you more with the trial or cure Espio. It's a shame we don't all have a little magic within us."

"Yeah, I think I need a lotta magic right now," I admit wryly as I take my glazed eyes off of the television and turn them to Miss Vanilla. "You've already done a lot for me. Yeh don't have to do anything else. Stop worryin' if ya wanna help me out. I don't wanna cause yeh any trouble."

"Oh Vector, you've never been a trouble to me," Miss Vanilla replies affectionately before leaning closer to me and gently kissing my cheek. She peers up at me with big brown eyes and asks, "Does this help?"

I don't protest since the smooch on the cheek is a good distraction from the trial and from Espio. Miss Vanilla kisses my cheek again before going to my lips, then to my throat, and then to my chest. Flames ignite between the miniscule amount of space between our warm bodies, but the flames in my lower belly aren't ones of desire exactly. The two of us end up making love on the couch, but for me, it's just another distraction from all of the stresses weighing me down in life.

I'm startin' not to feel as bad about sleeping with Miss Vanilla as I used to feel. Right now, we're both lying side by side on the couch with a blanket tucked over us. Miss Vanilla has curled up into my side and is sleeping peacefully against me. Now that our romp is over, I'm worryin' all over again. Guess I shouldn't though, especially not about this anyway. Espio won't even want to be in a relationship with anyone ever again now that Bryce has already killed him. I don't wanna start over with the strange Espio lyin' on the hospital bed, still trapped in a drugged slumber. Miss Vanilla is my present and my future. Guess I'll just have to make the best of this and try and get some sleep. It can't hurt anything, right?

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_Poor Vector seems pretty tormented right now. =/ Do you think Sonic or any of his friends will happen to be on jury duty the day of Vector's trial? Review please! :)  
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	143. The Trial

**Regular Sonic Fan: Haha, I'm back to hating Vanilla too. :P We should form a Vectilla haters group or something, lol! I agree with you about Vector. The poor guy has a lot on his shoulders right now, but giving up on Espio is not the way to handle his stress! *rolls eyes at Vector* Yeah, I guess you're right, but now I'm super stressed again and my dad had a big fight with me earlier. *sighs* Thanks for the review!  
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**Savvy0417: I can grab you a tissue box! *hands over a box of tissues* But aw, don't cry! Espio isn't dead yet! There's still a chance that he'll be okay. He probably won't remember much of anything, but that's better than him being dead, right? It sucks how life is so unfair. I swear that the worst things always happen to the best people. Thanks for reading!  
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**SpycyAlmond: Vector definitely is in a tight spot, I agree. It would help him if some of his friends happen to be part of the jury. Let's keep our fingers crossed for him. *crosses fingers* Oh god, wow, you've been following this for a LONG time, haven't you? xD I'm surprised that you didn't get bored and give up on it, lol. So you're glad you read it? I'm kind of surprised because I felt like this story got really slow in certain parts. I agree with you so much about people who hate certain pairings. I've gotten reviews from people who haven't even read this story and are just like, "Vector and Espio?! Ewww!" *rolls eyes* Anyway, thanks so much for your review! I hope you like the update!  
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**Fully Eroded: Hehe, thanks so much for saying that! You should get a skype or deviant art sometime if you're not busy. They're super easy to sign up for! I don't have a playstation network unfortunately. =/ Yay, more flowers for me! *hugs you* Awesome, I'm going to put them on my nightstand so they're the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. :D Lol, same thoughts here about Vector and Vanilla. I hate that couple. *shudders* Thank you so much for the flowers and for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: Yay, that's great to hear! Usually, nobody likes my ideas very much, lol. It would be nice if Esp could remember Vector, but I think it's going to take a bit for him to remember his buddy. I'm glad that your friend is doing better. She's really lucky to have someone like you to help her out. I don't know you that well, but you seem super nice. :) Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Saints-Fan-12: That's true, if not, we can definitely figure out the answer from there. Thanks so much for reading! :)**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84: There's not a lot to say about Vector besides for the fact that he's being an idiot regarding his relationship with Vanilla. But anyway, I think that Vector is the kind of guy who can easily fall in and out of love. What do you think? That is true about Espio. If he wakes up before the trial, he could help Vector out, but it's more likely that he won't wake up, and even if he does, there's still his memory problem. =/ Oh yeah, Manic would definitely be uke in Manourge. Personally, I see Scourge as being a few years older than Manic and sort of "manipulating" him, you know? Mm...I'm getting so many Manourge ideas. I think I'm going to have to write a Manourge fic soon. xD Hehe, yeah, Scourge is a bad boy, which is why I love him. Too bad he doesn't really exist or else I'd want him. :P That's why I told you not to watch the film. It's disturbing. D: That's okay if you don't upload much on dA. I don't either. In fact, I just use it to talk with friends and favorite pics. What's your dA name so I can add you? My god, your ex-friend sounds horrible! Don't listen to him! *hugs you* He's just a jerk. Your writing is great and I'm sure your drawings are way better than mine. The song definitely fits Shadow, I agree. I'm kind of having asthma problems at the moment. Thanks for asking how I'm feeling though, it's nice to know someone cares. :) And true, that would be illegal, but this is a fanfic. :P Hope you like this chapter! **

**AngelLux13: That's a good prediction. It isn't likely that the jury is going to be full of Sonic and friends although Vector might get lucky and a few of them might be on jury duty. Haha, ikr? Vector becomes a jerk when he's under a lot of stress. I sort of get where he's coming from though. I know that I turn into a big jerk whenever I'm really stressed out. xD I know, aren't Charmy and Cream cute? I always thought that they'd make a cute couple when they're older. What do you think? Thanks for the review! :)  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I agree with you about Sonic and his friends agreeing to help Vector out. It seems like Sonic always has a lot of luck whereas Vector doesn't have any at all, don't you think? xD And lol, yeah, but at least I didn't torture you by writing an in depth sex scene with Vector and Vanilla. :P True, nobody really knows how strong the drug was unfortunately. But just in case...*gives you more tissues* I'll check out The Vow tomorrow! Hope you like this update.  
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**Chapter CXXXXIII  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

The day before my trial goes by in a blur. Miss Vanilla makes several more phone calls while I sit around on the couch and try to relax since that's exactly what Miss Vanilla keeps tryin' to tell me to do. 'Course, it's about impossible to relax when you've got a life-altering trial looming ahead of you within the next twenty-four hours. What makes it even harder is that I dunno how Espio is doing. I end up callin' the hospital once just to check up on him, but the results are still the same. Espio is sleeping and hasn't woken up from his drugged slumber yet. Charmy and Cream still don't know what's going on, but I think that Charmy gets the hint that sumthin' is up. He tries to give me a little extra space than usual and doesn't act too annoying around me. I'm not saying that Charmy is annoying, but I think that the hyperactive little bee manages to get on everyone's nerves once in a while.

Before I know it, the morning of my trial has arrived. I'm real nervous - probably the most nervous I've been since I decided to take the fateful step of kissin' Espio at the amusement park months ago. That had been the beginning of our short relationship. Why did it have ta be so short? Someone tell me why Bryce had to steal my little chameleon away from me!

"Vector, dear?" Miss Vanilla's soft, gentle voice coaxes me out of my thoughts about Espio. "I've been doing quite a bit of research over the last few days. Let me tell you a few things."

"Sure, ma'am," I reply, immediately shifting myself to one side of the coach so Miss Vanilla can sit next to me.

"I've checked out Bryce the chameleon's criminal record. It turns out that he's been charged for rape three times in the past. He also spent a year in prison for breaking and entering a home on the other side of town. This might help you out during the trial," Miss Vanilla explains before going on, "I've also managed to get us connected with Bryce's sister, Bryn. She was also raped by Bryce and will witness for you in court. Unfortunately, there won't be much time for the three of us to chat before the trial, but Bryn promises to give the jury an accurate account of the way Bryce treated her. Bryn should be here at any moment. As soon as she arrives, we ought to start towards the court. You don't want to be late to your own trial."

I think all of this through and nod slowly, realizing that Miss Vanilla has thought this out a lot more than I have. Still, I flinch at the thought of meetin' anyone related to Bryce and blurt out, "What if there's sumthin' shady about this Bryn character? I don't trust Espio's family."

Miss Vanilla opens her mouth to reply, but at that moment, the doorbell rings. Rising to her feet, Miss Vanilla explains, "That must be Bryn now."

Hoping that this "witness" ain't gonna be anything at all like Bryce, I follow Miss Vanilla towards the door, ready to stomp out any scum in the doorway in case that's what Bryn turns out to be. However, when Miss Vanilla opens the door, I find that I don't wanna punch Bryn. Truth be told, she looks a lot like her brother. Her scales are black and shiny and she has red eyes, but they're lighter than Bryce's crimson stare and lack the malevolent glint in them. Bryn is wearing tight black pants, a tight black shirt, and black boots. Her eyes are heavily lined and her lustrous black hair has been drawn back in a ponytail. What keeps me from pummeling her is the way in which she holds herself. Her shoulders are slumped, her eyes look kinda tired, and she looks worn out.

"Hey," Bryn's voice is quiet and gentle. She lifts her gaze to mine and murmurs, "You must be Vector, the one who killed my brother."

"Er, yeah," I reply, looking from Bryn to Miss Vanilla. Bryn's face is so expressionless that it's hard for me to tell what she's thinkin'.

Bryn surprises me when her voice takes on a harder tone and she says, "I applaud you. I should have done what you did years ago, but I was too scared to lay a hand on my brother. He would kick me around day after day just for being his younger sibling. I was raped by him several times. I will share my story in court to help your case. You said that you killed my brother because he was hurting Espio?"

"Yeah, that son of a bitch drugged him and made a real mess of him," I reply, fists clenching as I think of Espio's tattered body still lying in slumber on a goddamn hospital bed.

"I remember Espio. I would see him at family get togethers. We had quite a few of those. Of course, I never actually got the chance to speak to him since I was not one to open my mouth unless I was asked a question, but Espio did seem like a very sweet, gentle chameleon," Bryn admits sadly.

Before I can respond, Miss Vanilla sends a sideways look at the clock and says, "As much as I wish we could discuss this matter longer, I believe that the three of us ought to leave the house. I don't want Vector to be late for the trial. It's amazing how little things like tardiness can influence a jury."

Bryn and I nod and follow Miss Vanilla since she's the only one so seems ta know where she's going. We arrive at the court not much later. Turns out that I'm not admitted to enter until exactly eleven am when the trial starts. Admitting me sooner is against the rules for some stupid reason. Guess they think I might try to flirt with the jury or something.

I can't decide if Miss Vanilla or I am more nervous for the big event. Miss Vanilla keeps wringing her hands together and walking in circles around me as she gives me last minute tips of advice, saying, "Make sure to use evidence to support your reasons, dear. Also, try not to get too off topic. I know that the judge doesn't like that much. Oh, and these should come off for now."

Miss Vanilla takes a step closer to me and stands on her tiptoes as she leans up to slip my headphones off of my head. I give her a half-smile as she holds them carefully and then meets my eyes for the last time before the trial, murmuring in her soft voice, "I wish you the best of luck. God have mercy on all of us this morning!"

I open my mouth to respond, but the door to the court has been opened and my name is being called. I gulp around the large lump that has suddenly formed in the back of my throat before I step forwards into the court room. The door slams shut behind me with an ominous thud that sends a shiver down my spine. It takes an awful lot to scare Vector the croc, so lemme just tell yeh how awful the court room is. There's the judge sitting in the center of the room and there are two chairs set out before him, one on his right and one on his left. The prosecutor (the one who Miss Vanilla told me is gonna try to get me sentenced to prison) is sitting on the left. Guess I'm supposed ta sit on the right. The jury is seated on the chairs surrounding the room. I dare to glance up and find a few familiar faces starin' out at me. There's Knuckles, Amy Rose, and Tails lookin' out at me from the crowd of twelve juries. For once, I'm actually glad to see the pink hedgehog with bright green eyes. Huh. Never thought_ that _day would come!

Silence falls in the court room and I dunno what to do. Am I supposed to speak first or does the prosecutor guy go first? All of this court stuff is so damn confusing! I can already tell that I don't like the prosecutor just from the way he fixes me with a contemptuous stare. He's a hedgehog with intelligent, bright yellow eyes and has gray fur with black spikes. He looks almost evil, but I guess ya could say that my imagination is runnin' away with me under the current circumstance.

The gray hedgehog gets to his feet and fixes me with an impenetrable stare that makes me shift uncomfortably as he asks, "Vector the crocodile, where were you on the night of April eleven and what were you doing?"

"Uh..." I stammer, having a hard time thinkin' when I've got those evil yellow eyes boring into my skull. Figuring that April eleven was the night I killed Bryce, I reply as firmly as I can (Miss Vanilla says that firmness is good), "I was savin' my buddy from an abusive relationship.

"Do you admit to breaking and entering the house of Bryce the chameleon on this particular date?" the hedgehog goes on, his voice loud and clear as he continues staring at me with unblinking eyes.

Geez, this hedgehog really _is_ tryin' to frame me, isn't he? I guess that's his job though. I nod and reply, "Yeah, but I only did it to-"

The hedgehog speaks right on over me and continues on with his questioning without letting me finish my sentence! I wanna get up and teach the guy a lesson or two, but that would definitely result in me gettin' locked up. I'm forced to hold my tongue as the hedgehog goes on in a loud voice, "So you_ do_ admit to breaking and entering. On this particular night, you also came into contact with Bryce the chameleon, the owner of the home you broke into. What did you do to Bryce the chameleon?"

"I...er..." I trail off, not exactly wanting to say that I killed him in front of the entire jury like this! I never planned on sayin' that I didn't murder Bryce, but this damn hedgehog is makin' it sound like I killed Bryce on a random whim without rhyme or reason.

Unable to put up with my awkward stammering, the hedgehog steps across the room so he's standing right in front of my chair, looking down into my eyes. Argh, the hedgehog is probably one-third my size, but he's still managing to get the upper hand in the situation. In that same loud, clear voice, the chameleon asks, "Did you kill him?"

Talk about a straight forwards question! I really dunno how to get out of this one. I search around the jury for help, but I guess I'm bein' stupid since they're not supposed to talk. I do catch a sympathetic look in Tails' eyes though and even Amy rose looks like she's feelin' sorry for me.

"Yeah," I finally admit, knowing that I'm never gonna get out of this situation by denying the truth. "But I-"

Once again, the hedgehog cuts me off and turns to the judge, a black bat with zero emotion on his face. Inclining his head slightly, the hedgehog goes back to his chair and sits down as he says, "No further questions."

As the silence falls throughout the room once again, I feel all eyes turning to me. Oh god. It's my turn to try and turn this situation around. Sad thing is that I'm not much of an arguer. I've pretty much lost every argument I've had with Charmy or Espio. Today's gonna be different though. I can't afford to lose this argument!

Standin' up since that seems like the right thing to do, I avoid looking at the hedgehog since his unblinking eyes creep me out and instead look at the jury as I say, "I don't deny killin' Bryce the chameleon. Yeh wanna know why? It's because another life was at stake that night. Someone was gonna die whether it was Bryce or Espio, the chameleon he had been abusing for a month straight."

A murmur of whispers run through the jury and a cat who appeared to be falling asleep earlier shows a little more interest in what I'm saying. Encouraged, I continue on, "Ya see, Bryce wasn't a nice guy. He ran a trashy bar in the bad parts of town and was also a drunkard and a drug dealer. He was charged for rape three times in the past and was also charged for breaking and entering."

The gray hedgehog is immediately on his feet and is speaking to the judge as he says in a clipped voice, "Your honor, this has nothing to do with the situation whatsoever."

I open my mouth to protest, but manage to bite my tongue as I realize that it's the judge's turn to answer, not mine. The judge looks from the hedgehog to me before stating, "It pertains to the crime at hand. Go on."

Glad that nobody has told me to shaddap yet, I take a deep breathe and add, "What I'm tryin' ta say here is that Bryce had a criminal record and so it shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us that he was abusing his own cousin, Espio. When I broke into the home, I found Espio more dead than alive. He's in the hospital now, but he's so drugged up that he can't even remember his own name. Wanna see him for yerself? Here are some photos I took only yesterday."

I yank the photos of Espio I took from the hospital out of my glove and show 'em to the jury. Another murmur of whispers flows through the crowd gathered there. Once again, the gray hedgehog is on his feet and is talking to the judge as he protests, "These pictures are not a piece of solid evidence."

"Overruled," the judge says, giving me a hard look.

I put the photos away quickly, but I think that they've left a good effect on my audience. Going on, I state, "Someone was gonna die the night of March eleven whether it was Espio or Bryce. Who would ya rather have dead? Would yeh rather have a murderer and rapist walkin' around free or would yeh prefer to give the sweetest little chameleon on the whole damn planet a second chance at life?"

I stop and bite my tongue here. Miss Vanilla told me not ta get all emotional and guess what I'm doin'? Getting all emotional! I blink back the tears of passion in my eyes and try ta pull myself together before I state in as firm of a voice as I can, "I have one witness, Bryn the chameleon. She was also abused at the hands of her brother."

At my words, the doors to the court open slightly and Bryn steps inside. I see determination in her typically mellow eyes. As I sit back down on my chair to let the attention go to her, I cross my fingers inconspicuously behind my back. I hope that Bryn can turn this situation around because I sure as hell didn't do a good job with it so far. I've got the gray hedgehog and the judge both glaring at me. Great. Why even let Bryn speak? I'm goin' ta prison whether I like it or not.

* * *

_God, Vector's trial is not starting out well. =/ What do you think his sentence will be? Review please! :) Oh, btw, this is my last day of spring break, so it's goodbye free time and hello crazy busy school life for me once again. x_x Oh, and on a random note, I watched Sonic Underground for the first time. Do any of you guys like the show if you've seen it?  
_


	144. The Sentence

**Regular Sonic Fan: You are so right, the judge is not giving poor Veccy a break! D: Bryce had mental issues, that's for sure. I think he fucked anything fuckable (excuse my language :P). *crosses fingers with you* Let's hope Knuckles, Tails, and Amy can help the guy out! I'm a little bit better from the fight now, thanks for asking. *hugs* It's just kind of rough living here right now, you know? The sooner I can leave, the better. Omg, ikr? Sonic Underground is amazing! I love that part where Sonia kisses Sonic and then Sonic turns to Manic and says, "I hope you're not going to kiss me too. x_x" and Manic is all like, "Nah, but for a dude, you are pretty cute." LOL, that just made me laugh so much. Do you have a favorite part from the show? Thanks for the review!  
**

**Guest: It's okay, sometimes I get on the computer later than usual too. I think you're right about Vector's trial. The prosecutor is being a nitpick, but Veccy has made some good points. Hopefully, Bryn and the evidence will be enough to save his hide. xD Thanks for reading!**

**FullyEroded: No need to apologize! I'm pretty tired too. I have a tendency to stay up past five am and get about two hours of sleep each night, lol. Wow, 102 in your room, huh? Do you live someplace really warm then? It's not very warm here. In fact, it's supposed to snow later this week. Oh god, that would be horrible if Vector got the death penalty. Guess we'd better keep crossing our fingers for him, huh? *crosses fingers***

**PreyasRules: That's okay about not reviewing before! But seriously, what is up with the time thing getting all screwy? Stuff like that always annoys me. I'm really OCD about the time. What about you? Well, you know how trials are, they are super picky when it comes to evidence. *rolls eyes* Let's hope that Bryn helps Vector out because he seriously needs help at this point! Good luck today with that bitchy girl! I hope that everything turns out okay.  
**

**Andypandy123: I wish there were more people like you where I live! There aren't too many friendly people around here. Anyway, yes, Vector, why did you have to mess it up? That croc does not have a way with words, does he? Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Toni the Mink: It's okay, I totally understand busyness. I agree with you completely about Espio. Regardless of what happens from here on out or how damaged his memory is, he's still the same guy. You'd think that Vector would be able to see that, but nooooo. *rolls eyes at Vector* Do you think that he'd break up with Vanilla eventually in an attempt to get back with Espio? It seems like Veccy and Vanilla are getting tighter if you know what I mean. I get what you're saying about Sonic Underground. Sonia is annoying, I agree. Her voice makes me flinch. I think Manic is super cute though. I kinda wish Scourge was in the series. I think he could've made things really interesting. ...Gah, here I am going on about Scourge again. I better end this here before I keep blabbering. xD  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Me too, after all Vector's done for Espio, he deserves to go free. Let me know what you think of this update!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Yeah, I kind of agree with you about the videotape...they probably wouldn't have let Vector show it anyway. Maybe he will get let off the hook if he proves that the murder was for self defense though. I guess spring break is over for both of us! How do you feel about going back to school? I'd usually be sort of meh about it, but I'm glad to get away from my parents this year. I love Sonic Underground now, it's super addicting, I think! Oh god, I love Manic and the cross-dressing! I hate to say it, but he looks kinda good in a dress. :P What do you think? Ah, I'm so weird. Omg, I noticed the Soniac moment too! I thought I was the only one who caught that. Do you ship Soniac at all? I know that it's sorta incestual, I guess, but it kinda works. Oh yeah, it always seems like Scourge is making Fiona do all the work. I'd like to see her stand up to him sometime so he learns he has to actually put a little effort into their relationship, you know? I'm either going to write Manourge or Scouriana next...something with Scourge anyway. xD Ew, I saw Human Centipede and while it wasn't the worst thing I've watched, it was pretty gross. I haven't seen Cannibal Holocaust, but I'm afraid to, lol. I added you on dA! I love your Manourge favorited pics on there. :D And aw, no problem! *hugs again* Seriously though, your writing is super good, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Yeah, I have asthma and vocal chord dysfunction. I'm pretty messed up. x_x Thanks for hoping I have a good day! I hope yours is really good too! Talk to you soon. :)**

**AntauriSigma: Yay, another Sonic Underground fan! *high fives you* I watched the show for the first time yesterday and now I'm addicted. Do you have a favorite character from the show? :)  
**

**AngelLux13: Yeah, Bryce either has an incest problem or an uncontrollable fucking problem. :P He can't keep his hands off of anyone who gets within a few feet of him. Anyway, do you think that Amy will vote against Vector? I guess that maybe Vector is wishing he had been nicer to her now. That's nice that you're training for a job! What kind of job are you training for? I really, REALLY want to get a job, but here I am cooped up in the house because I'm sick. *sighs*  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yeah, let's hope that whatever Bryn says works because Vector is not doing so well on his own. =/ And ikr? I swear that Sonic has the best luck ever. He always ends up saving the world and whatnot. Then, when you watch Sonic X, you always see the Chaotix screwing things up or getting themselves into trouble, you know ? *rolls eyes* Omg, that's so funny, but so true. I take kid shows like Sonic X and then make them not so kid friendly. :P Have you seen Sonic Underground? And wow, that's great about your new phone! What kind of phone is it? :) Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXXIV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Although I usually like havin' all of the attention focused on me, I'm real glad when all the eyes go from me to Bryn. I'm not too good at all this court business, so let's just hope that Bryn is good at it or else I'm screwed. The gray hedgehog immediately fixes Bryn with a suspicious gaze. If we weren't in court, I would've punched him already. I'm not normally a violent croc, but all this stress is startin' to get to me. At least this trial should be over soon. Then again, do I even want it to be over soon? What if I'm sentenced to spend a lifetime in prison?

Before I can get any more worried, the gray hedgehog turns to Bryn and asks in a cold, sharp voice, "What is your purpose for being here today?"

"I'm here on behalf of my brother," Bryn speaks in a loud, clear voice that matches the hedgehog's abrupt tone. I'm actually surprised at how well she holds herself in front of the jury. The black chameleon has the sort of presence that demands attention from everyone. Continuing on without a moment of hesitation, Bryn says, "My brother was a violent drunkard. He used to come home and beat me after nights out at his bar. He raped me on several occasions, the first taking place when I was eleven."

"Do you have any evidence of what your brother did to you?" the gray hedgehog questions in his emotionless voice.

Bryn hesitates for just a moment before she pulls down the collar of her black shirt ever so slightly, revealing a long gash mark. Without missing a beat, she goes on, "That's just one of the many scars he gave me. If you go to my brother's home right now, I can guarantee that you will find it full of illegal drugs. He worked as a drug dealer for quite some time. Last May, my brother was charged for the rape of another female chameleon he met at his bar. The charges were dropped, but this is only one of many crimes my brother was charged with."

There's a murmur of whispered talk amongst the jury before they fall silent. The judge turns towards the gray hedgehog and asks, "Do you have any more questions for Bryn the chameleon?"

The gray hedgehog shakes his head, still looking smug. I really wanna wipe that smug look off of his face. My fists clench spontaneously before I remember that I'm in court and quickly uncurl 'em. I'm not doin' myself any good by cracking my knuckles like I wanna have a go at the hedgehog.

The judge turns to Bryn and dismisses her with a nod before turning to the gray hedgehog and asking, "Do you have any final words for the jury?"

Nodding, the gray chameleon gets to his feet and becomes the new spotlight in the courtroom as Bryn exits with her head held high. As she passes me, she squeezes my hand and gives me a sympathetic look. My expression probably mirrors hers. I've got a real bad feeling that I'm gonna be sentenced to prison no matter what. Guess the main question is gonna be how long I have to spend in prison. I hope it ain't a life sentence I get charged with. Then again, who gives a damn? I don't have all that much ta live for now that Team Chaotix no longer exists and Espio...well, I don't wanna think about him right now. I'll just listen to the hedgehog's articulate speech that's gonna convince everyone in this courtroom to sentence me to prison, make my own speech, and then get the hell outta here, although where I'll be goin' after this remains to be seen.

Walking around the room as if he owns the place, the hedgehog starts out, "As you can clearly see, Vector the crocodile is guilty of murder. He even admitted his crime. There is never an excuse for the crime of murder. Therefore, I believe that his fate is clear to every person here."

With those words left floating around the room, the hedgehog sits and gives his head an ostentatious toss before turning to stare at me. The look in his eyes is challenge. It's like he's askin' me to dare and try to make a better closing speech than him. I've already messed up this whole thing, but I guess I might as well try and finish it off strong.

Getting to my feet, I keep my eyes locked on the yellow eyes of the hedgehog and reply, "Yer wrong. Murder ain't a pleasantry, but when used in self defense, the guilty person is cleared of all charges. If I had been in Espio's situation and had killed Bryce, I wouldn't even be here. So tell me, is it fair ta sentence me to a lifetime in prison for savin' my best friend? It's obvious that Bryce was a no-good bastard who should have been locked up years ago. He would have killed Espio if I hadn't intervened. Even if I could go back and redo my actions that night, I wouldn't do 'em any differently. Espio doesn't deserve to die at sixteen. I'd think that yeh all can agree with that."

I plop back down on my chair and realize that my hands are shaking from the emotion in my voice. Every time I think of what Bryce did to Espio, I wanna punch something. That gray hedgehog's face is lookin' like a real good target right now. If I do end up getting charged and sentenced to prison, maybe I'll accidentally slug him on my way outta here.

The judge turns to the gray hedgehog and me before explaining, "The juries need to think before reaching their decision. You will both wait out in the hallway to your right."

I turn to see an open doorway to my right. Before leaving the room, I look up and give Knuckles, Tails, and Amy a sort of pleading expression. It can't hurt to try and get them to help my cause, right? Who knows? Maybe they can influence the rest of the juries to vote in my favor. Knuckles can be real convincing at times, Tails is nothing less than a genius when it comes to mathematical and non-mathematical matters, and Amy Rose can be real vivacious about things - like Sonic - when she wants to be. Then again, are the juries even allowed to talk amongst each other? I've got no clue. Guess I should have researched all this court stuff a little more. Ah, what the hell? Does it really matter now?

After the gray hedgehog and I have stepped out into the hall, we wait in silence to be called back into the courtroom. I'm still fighting the urge to slug the hedgehog, so I end up pacing around the perimeter of the room. Why is it taking such a long time for the juries to reach their decision? Every minute that passes seems like an eternity in itself. I remember Miss Vanilla tellin' me that in some cases, the juries don't come to their decisions on the first day. Argh, imagine that happening! I don't think I can put up with this stress for another second...

Just as I'm thinkin' all this, the doors to the courtroom open and the judge calls us back in, saying, "The juries have reached their decision. You may step back into the courtroom."

The gray hedgehog is the first to enter the courtroom once again. He turns on his heel and steps into the room with his head held high. Yeah, I'm definitely gonna give him a well-deserved punch before bein' hauled off to prison. It ain't gonna make things worse for me at that point.

My footsteps against the floor seem way too loud as I enter the courtroom once more and cross over to my chair. I flop down on it and decide to try and enjoy my last few minutes of freedom. Are yeh handcuffed in prison cells or are yeh allowed to move around in those crap-filled cells? Are ya ever allowed out of there to get a glimpse of the sunshine? God, if I get out of this by some miracle or another, I'll never take sumthin' as simple as sunshine for granted ever again!

The bat judge's face reveals no emotion as he turns to the jury and asks, "All in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?"

My heart starts beating real fast and my palms get all sweaty inside my gloves. It seems to take way too long for the juries to react to the question. One hand shoots up after that long, momentary pause. Ah, it's Knuckles. No surprise there. Amy and Tails follow Knuckles' lead as well as two other juries I dunno at all. Hope starts to flood through me. Is there a possibility I'll get out of a sentence after all?! I just need two more votes.

A silver hedgehog who looks like he's been hesitating finally raises his hand. Great, that's six votes. I just need one more vote! Please someone - anyone! - raise yer damn hand! I start prayin' real loud in my head to any god or spirit who might be listening to me right now. Guess some sort of supernatural power is listening to me because the silver hedgehog kicks the sleepy cat sitting next to him and gives her a hard look. She opens her eyes with a start and raises her hand!

I stare in front of me in amazement before blinking rapidly just to make sure that I'm seein' things right. From across the room, my prosecutor gives me a very dirty look. A big, toothy grin crosses my face. Heh, I guess it turns out that I'm not gonna have to punch that hedgehog after all!

"The accused is hereby cleared of all charges," the judge announces before turning to me and sending me just a hint of a smile as he states, "You're free to go."

I stand up and nod before sending my pals in the jury a little nod of recognition before I get the hell outta the courtroom. Miss Vanilla did say that once a decision is made that there's no goin' back on it, but still. I've really pressed my luck here and I'm more than grateful to be gettin' out of here without a prison sentence hanging over my head.

As soon as I burst out of the door to the courtroom, the bright glare of the sun practically blinds me. For once, it doesn't cause me to cuss and try to cover my eyes. Instead, I look up into the sun for a minute and thank whatever supernatural power helped me out today. Maybe it was Espio. Yeah, yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but crazier things have happened. Espio's soul has been ripped out of him and maybe his soul is now in heaven and decided to help me out today.

A slender body suddenly throws itself into my arms and a cream-colored rabbit with big brown eyes clings to me tightly as she whispers with tears spilling down her cheeks, "Oh thank god you're alright, dear! I was so very worried. You did it! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, ma'am. I never could have done it without yeh though," I reply, wrapping my arms around Miss Vanilla and hauling her closer to me. Truth is that I owe her a lot after what she's done for me with this trial. Without her help, I would've been blabbering away like a clueless idiot the entire time.

"There's no need to thank me," Miss Vanilla's voice is muffled since she's buried her face against my neck. "It came down to you and you pulled everything off perfectly."

Tears of relief prick my own eyes as Miss Vanilla and I celebrate together in our tight embrace. I see Knuckles, Tails and Amy exit the courtroom out of the corner of my eye. They decide not to interrupt the moment between Miss Vanilla and myself and wave instead. I wave back at them, tryin' to portray my gratefulness to them with my eyes. They've done a lot for me. All of my friends have. My life would be just about perfect right now if it weren't for one thing. I'm sure yeh already know what that one thing is.

Bryn stops by Miss Vanilla and me, smiling and saying, "I don't know if I was any help to you, but I'm so glad that things turned out alright. Please tell Espio I wish him a speedy recovery."

"I'll be sure ta do that. Thanks for yer help!" I tell Bryn gratefully as she nods her head at me and disappears down the street.

Miss Vanilla and I hug for a few more minutes before the woman in my arms realizes that she's probably making a scene and lets me go hesitantly. She dabs at her wet eyes with a handkerchief and then leans up to dab at my own eyes before she gives me a sentimental smile and stands on her tiptoes while she places my headphones back on top of my head for me.

"Let's go home, Vector," she whispers as she takes my hand firmly in her smaller one and starts towards her house with me by her side.

It's not until we've reached Miss Vanilla's cozy little house that I finally understand that there was another meaning to her last sentence. She referred to her home as _my_ home. This means that we'll be living together from now on then, right? I suppose that it only makes sense. Cream and Charmy are the best of friends and I've spent the last few nights with Miss Vanilla. Why should Charmy and I bother goin' back to Espio's house when we've got a nice place to stay right here with Miss Vanilla and Cream?

I stay in a good mood as long as I don't think about Espio, so I do my best to keep him out of my mind as I push the door to Miss Vanilla's house open wide and call, "We're home!"

Cream and Charmy immediately perk up from where they've been watching some adventure movie on TV. Charmy whizzes across the room and gives me one of his typical suffocating hugs before he flies back a pace or two from me and scans my face worriedly before asking, "Is everything going to be okay now, Vector?"

I was right about Charmy knowin' that something was going on. The kid's definitely not stupid. For once in my life, I hug Charmy back and reply, "Yeah. Everything's gonna be okay now, Charm."

_ Is_ it really gonna be okay? Well, I guess that I'm just gonna have to wait and see. I've escaped bein' sent to prison though, so I guess things are starting to look up. If I could just forget about Espio, I might actually learn to be happy again.

* * *

_Wow, Vector survived his trial unscathed! Are you surprised? :P In a normal circumstance, he would've gone to prison, but hey, this is a fanfic and I don't think that any of us want Veccy locked up, do we? Review please! :)  
_


	145. New Eyes

**Regular Sonic Fan: Oh good, happy tears are alright, just no sad tears. xD It's great that Vector got out of having to go to prison, right? :) I agree with you about Vector's thoughts about Espio though! He needs to get a better attitude towards his ex-lover ASAP. Hehe, okay, glad you don't mind cursing. Bryce deserves to be cursed, I mean, who rapes their own sister? x_x Thanks so much for wishing me luck. I have 84 more days here, and believe me, they can't pass soon enough. I'm feeling really sick and shitty tonight. It's nights like this that make me depressed. Anyway, omg, I love Someday! Isn't it a great song? I can listen to it over and over again and never get sick of it. :D Okay, I gotta admit that I just love Manic in a dress. Did you see the episode where Manic and Sonic danced for Sleet? Oh god, that was hysterical! Nope, I don't find Soniac weird at all! There are definitely some Soniac moments in the series, don't you think? Oh, what do you think of Manourge though? That's my favorite Manic pairing. Thanks for reading! And no need to apologize! I think I'm the one who's probably boring you to death with my blabbing. :P  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I still have hope for Espio too! It's sad that Vector's already given up on him, don't you think? Esp deserves a second chance at life! Ooo, awesome, another Sonic Underground fan! Isn't Manic just adorable? I love him. xD Do you have a favorite part from the episodes?**

**Savvy0417: Aw, no, don't cry! *hands you another tissue box* Vectilla is honestly one of the Sonic pairings that I really can't stand, but I respect your opinion on it. :P Don't worry though; you'll hear about Espio more in this chapter! It would be nice if he could only remember his good memories, but the bad always seem to come with the good. =/ Hope you like this chapter!**

**Spiiiii: Yay, chapter by chapter reviews! Awesome. xD I'm glad that your break was nice, but I totally understand how you missed fanfiction! Once I had to go on a trip without wi-fi! Omg, that was hell! Hehe, glad you liked the bit with Scourge and Fiona. I seriously couldn't resist writing them into the story. :P Vector is being mean, yeah. I think that the photos were disrespectful as well. They got Veccy out of jail, but still. I like Bryn too! I sorta made her into a gothic chick, haha. And yup, no charges! Party time for Vector! Now we just need Esp to get better soon. Thanks for reading and it's nice to have you back!  
**

**SpycyAlmond: That's true, Vector definitely had a lot of help that kept him from going to prison. But hey, what are friends for, right? :) And I agree with you, Vector probably should have gone to jail, but fanfiction lets me take certain "allowances" with this story. ;) No problem about posting the chapter! Thank you so much for reading it!  
**

**Guest: Lol, I agree, the story would've gotten a little duller if Vector had actually gone to prison. Mhm, I'm with you there on Vector ditching Vanilla for Espio even if that would be awful for Vanilla (god, I'm so mean to her). I'd say your prediction is right though; Vector is intentionally trying to kill his feelings for Esp to save himself the pain. Thanks for the review!**

**FullyEroded: Aw, I'm so sorry about your fever! I hope it goes away soon. How are you feeling now? I agree with you about Vector! Moving on from Espio would be a big mistake for him. And god, yes, I think we're all sick and tired of Miss Vanilla. *shudders* So you like the Manourge idea? :P I love both Scourge and Manic. They could make an awesome green duo, lol. Hope you like this chapter!**

**NMason1997: Wow, it sounds like you have had an exciting three days! Congrats on becoming an uncle! That must have been really fun. :D Lol, I agree with you about Vector not punching the hedgehog. Doing that would've gotten him into more trouble. :P You picked up on the key sentence of the last chapter! Vector is being selfish and wants to forget about Espio to save himself the pain. =/ One of your questions will get answered in this chapter since a certain someone might wake up! Thanks a ton for catching up. :)**

**Andypandy123: Aw, well thanks a ton for saying that! :) You live in a rough area of town too? That sucks. =/ My parents are planning on moving out of here one of these days, but we don't have enough money for it, so we're a sitting duck at the moment, lol. That's a good question! If Vector went to jail, this story would have gone in a way different direction. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**Toni the Mink: That's true, Vector gets one problem off of his back, but he's still got another one to deal with. How do you think he's going to end up dealing with Espio? It doesn't sound like he wants to deal with him at all, that's for sure. Hehe, yeah...I think a person would normally go to jail if they were in Vector's situation, but hey, fanfics ftw, right? xD  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: I agree with you there; it would be horrible if Vector went to jail. =/ Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Vector should've gone to jail since he did kill someone, but hey, this is a fanfiction, right? xD And yeah! Blaze was falling asleep at the trial, so Silver had to kick her. :P Same thoughts here about school. I mean, who wants to go there and work? I think I'm allergic to work. Yay for Soniac fans! *high fives you* Who do you think would be uke in that pairing? Yeah, I agree about Scourge. :P I think that he really does love Fiona, but he's just really selfish. I lol'd when he tried to come on to Mina, Amy, Bunnie, and Rouge in the comics. Womanizer much? xD Same here, I'll stick to normal horror. I've actually been avoiding it lately since I've been having a lot of nightmares. Awesome, I'll check out your new stuff tomorrow probably since I'm feeling pretty sick right now. Stupid illness. *sighs* My favorite Manourge picture? Oh, that's easy! It's the one where Scourge has this devilish smile on his face and Manic is blushing like crazy. It's so damn cute. What one is your favorite? *hugs back again* D'aw, well thanks! I don't think that I'm all that nice of a person, but I try to be a loyal friend. :) Ooo, a Manourge one-shot! Yayyyyy! Can't wait for that, especially with the 'Tallica references. Did you end up having a good day? I sure hope so. Thanks for wishing me a good day and night. Like I said, I'm sorta sick at the moment, but hopefully that will pass soon. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**AntauriSigma: I agree with you about Vector still acting pretty stupid. In Vector's mind, Espio is considered "dead" if he doesn't remember him and take him back as his lover. *rolls eyes* Pretty selfish of Vector, hm? Yay, another Manic fan! *high fives you* I love Manic, he's great. Do you like any ships with Manic in them?  
**

**LuluCalliope: Omg, yes, we need to talk. *hugs tight* I am really struggling over here right now. I don't want to whine and bitch, but I am getting so sick both mentally and physically from staying here. =/ I can't wait until Friday!**

**AngelLux13: Yup, Vector was pardoned! *parties* He deserved it, don't you think? :) I agree with you about Vector though, he's acting all wrong about Espio. The little guy needs his support right now, not his neglect! Wow, a job as a portrait artist sounds really nice! I wish you luck with that. I'm guessing that you really love art then? And aw, thanks. You're right, it is extremely depressing being confined to the house because of getting sick all the time. =/  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yayyyyyyyyyy, I'm glad you're so happy right now! *dances around the room with you* Hehe, yeah, definitely water shots because I'm sick right now and I probably wouldn't react to alcohol well, lol. Oh my god, I remember that episode! Didn't all the Chaotix members end up with bandages and bruises all over them? That made me laugh. I mean, does Sonic ever get injured? :P Plot twists are what makes the world go round. :) What would we do without them? I wish that Sonic X was rated higher or something so there could be mature content in it. Oh my god, I love Someday! I need to get that song on my mp3, which is actually my dad's mp3, but anyway. Your iPhone sounds awesome! Do you like it so far? Your dad sounds a lot like my dad. I lost my last phone and my dad got so ticked off at me that ever since then I'm only allowed to have "cheapy" phones. *rolls eyes* Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXXV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

In the days that follow my trial, you'd think that my life would start to take a turn for the better, right? Wrong. Yeh see, things just aren't right around here. Charmy and I are now livin' at Miss Vanilla's house with her and Cream, but sumthin' just doesn't feel right about it. I guess there's a piece of me that misses Espio's house just because it belonged to the little purple chameleon. The bed and couch still have his scent on them and everything within the doorway seem to remind me of my buddy. I wish I could let him go, but I just can't. I've slept with Miss Vanilla a lot. Wonder if she wants me to propose to her? I mean, we have been together for quite some time now. It's not all that far-fetched of an idea.

...Crap. Now I've given myself something else to worry about. As nice of a woman as Miss Vanilla is, I just can't see myself marrying her or anyone else for that matter. Marriage just isn't something I ever want to commit to. The word sounds scary to my ears. Marriage is_ forever_. Why would someone ever want to commit themselves to another person for the rest of their lives? Sounds stupid to me.

Well, alright, maybe not_ that _stupid now that I'm thinking about it. I honestly think that I could have committed my heart and my body to Espio if Bryce had never existed and stolen my lover from me. I hadn't really thought much about marriage back in the days before Espio got kidnapped, but the more I think of it now, the more I realize that I might have proposed to Espio sooner or later.

Argh, I don't even know why I'm still thinkin' about this! I try and try not ta think about the little chameleon, but trying hasn't done me much good. What else hasn't done me much good is the cheerful mask I'm forced to put on when I'm around Miss Vanilla and the kids. I've already told Charmy how I feel about Espio and how his broken body lacks a memory and an able mind, but Charmy doesn't care and is still convinced that Espio is gonna turn around and recognize him someday. Whatever. Let Charmy think what he wants. 'Course, wearing my happy face around Miss Vanilla is even harder than tryin' to stay cheerful in front of Charmy and Cream. Miss Vanilla knows me pretty well by now and I guess that I'm one to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I can't let her know that I'm miserable here with her, of course. After all, it was mainly Miss Vanilla who got me through my goddamn trial. I owe her a lot and the least I can do is try and act happy around her, right?

I've been to see Espio several times in the last few days, but am slowly starting to visit him less and less. The little guy still hasn't opened his eyes. It's kinda weird actually. His heartbeats are regular and his body seems to be functioning properly for the most part. He just can't seem to open his eyes.

I'm sitting on the couch pretending to watch TV instead of thinking about how I might have proposed to Espio if things hadn't gone all screwy when Charmy enters the room with a big grin on his face. He flies behind the couch before throwing his hands over my eyes and exclaiming, "Guess who!"

"Geez, I wonder who that could be," I reply, rolling my eyes at Charmy's little games. "Probably the little bee who just flew inta the room, huh?"

"Aw, you're no fun!" Charmy replies playfully as he removes his hands from over my eyes and lets me go back to watching sports. I wasn't ever really watching sports, so I barely even blink. I assume that Charmy will go outside and leave me alone, but he instead decides to hover by my side as he asks in a curious voice, "What are you doing, Vector?"

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" I ask, giving Charmy a look that says don't-be-stupid. "I'm tryin' ta watch some sports."

"Oh," Charmy replies, looking at the sports channel before using his hand to suffocate a yawn, adding, "It looks boring. Will you bring me over to the hospital to visit Espio?"

I sigh loudly and point out, "We were just there, Charms! Whaddya think is going to have happened since our last visit, huh?"

"I dunno, but I want to see Espio," Charmy replies, eyes lit up and optimistic as usual.

I haven't quite figured out how to rid my mind of Espio just yet, but I've got a good feeling that visiting him extra ain't the way to try and forget about him. Pretending to intently watch the football game, I reply in a firm voice, "I'm not goin' over to the hospital today. This is a real important game I'm watching here. We'll go some other time."

"Oh really?" Charmy asks, raising an eyebrow and deciding to play smart with me. "What teams are playing then?"

Damn, that little bee is smarter than I'd like to admit. I search the TV screen for any signs of what teams are playing, but can't find a single clue anywhere on the screen. Giving Charmy a tired look, I admit, "Alright, you've got me. I dunno what teams are playin'. I'm just really_ not _in the mood to go over to the hospital today, alright?"

"You say that all the time. You said that the last three times I wanted to go and see Espio. You're so selfish, Vector! It's like you don't even care about Espio anymore. I don't get it because he used to be your best friend. I thought you loved him! Now you just come up with all these random excuses to avoid going to the hospital," Charmy frowns at me before turning and flying out of the room, calling, "I'll go find someone else to bring me to the hospital!"

"You do that, kid," I reply, trying to let Charmy's words bounce off of me.

One minute passes and then two. All I can hear in my head is Charmy callin' me selfish over and over again. Now I feel like I have to go and visit Espio! I grit my teeth together and try to focus on the football game. Despite lookin' at the TV screen, all I see is Espio's still form in my head. Ah, dammit! Guess I'm goin' to visit Espio after all.

Blaming Charmy for making me feel guilty, I tromp around the house calling his name. Funny thing is that I can't find the little bee anywhere. I guess he must really have meant it when he said that he would find someone else to bring him to visit Espio. As I walk through the kitchen just in case Charmy is getting into the fridge, I practically run straight into Miss Vanilla.

"Oops, sorry 'bout that, ma'am," I apologize, coming to an abrupt halt before I can run into her. "Say, yeh haven't happened to have seen Charmy around here lately by any chance, have ya?"

"There's no need to apologize to me, dear. I'm just about to bake a cake. I'll use chocolate filling in it since I know it's your favorite," Miss Vanilla tells me in her sweet voice as she reaches up and gently touches my cheek. She thinks for a moment before nodding and saying, "As a matter of fact, I have seen Charmy lately. He was looking a bit glum, so I send him and Cream over to Amy Rose's house for a bit. Cream always has fun there and Charmy seemed more than willing to go along."

"Alright. I think I'm gonna go pay Espio a visit. I'll see ya in a little bit," I tell Miss Vanilla before leaning down and smooching the top of her head.

Miss Vanilla blushes and gives me a little wave before she starts digging through her cupboards for the bowls she's goin' to need for her cake. I tromp outside into the mid-April evening and immediately start coughing. My allergies are always bad at this time of year. Guess the pollen is the main problem, but I'm no doctor, so I don't really know.

On my way to the hospital, I pass by a flower shop and find my feet refusing to take another step in the direction of the hospital. For some reason, I feel the need to buy flowers. I retrace my steps and end up lookin' over all the flowers. Wait, who exactly am I buying flowers for anyway? It should be Miss Vanilla, but for some stupid reason, I want to buy flowers for Espio. Frowning, I stare at the flowers in front of me and decide to give in and buy a few for Esp. Some of his other visitors have been bringing him gifts and I'm starting to feel a bit left out.

"How much for those white lilies?" I ask the albino rabbit wearing a gauzy pink dress.

"The lilies? Not much. They will only cost you twenty dollars for a dozen," the rabbit points out in a quiet voice.

Eh, only twenty dollars for a dozen lilies? It's a done deal! I pay the rabbit the correct amount for the lilies and then start on my trek towards the hospital once again. The sky gets dark quickly despite the fact that it's spring. Maybe my imagination is just playing tricks on me. It seems to be doin' that an awful lot lately, probably because I'm living more inside my head than anywhere else.

After what seems like a long time, but is probably only around ten minutes, I reach the hospital and step inside. By now, I've been here so many times that I know the hedgehog I always talk to in the waiting room by name. She goes by Iris. Today, Iris is busy talking to a worried-looking cat when I enter the waiting room. Since she obviously recognizes me by now and knows exactly why I'm here, Iris waves me through the door to the hallway that leads to Espio's room.

Not even sure why I let Charmy guilt trip me into comin' here, I trudge down the long hallway and heave the door to Espio's room open. To my surprise, there are actually quite a few people here. Knuckles and Rouge are standing against the wall observing Espio's sleeping form, and Patricia, that annoying hedgehog nurse with the curly hair that I've decided I don't like, is sitting next to his bed.

"Yo! Whassup, guys?" I ask, putting on my happy face as I greet Knuckles and Rouge.

"Not much," Knuckles replies with a shrug of his shoulders. "I just happened to be visiting Espio when bat girl here decided to drop by. Ironic, huh?"

"Fate works in mysterious ways," Rouge tells Knuckles with a twinkle in her eye that tells me it definitely wasn't by coincidence that the two of 'em happened to meet up at the hospital. Rouge turns her sharp eyes on me and immediately raises an eyebrow, asking, "Lilies? Really? You've already given up on Espio, I take it."

I blush bright red and have to admit that I've been caught guilty. I bought Espio white lilies on purpose since he is pretty much dead to me and white seems ta be his color. Yeah, he was far from a virgin physically, but his heart was made of gold before he lost it due to that bastard of his cousin.

Knuckles looks between Rouge and me with a blank expression on his face before he wrinkles his nose and says, "I'm not seeing the connection here."

"Listen and learn," Rouge murmurs, slipping Knuckles a smile as she continues on, "Lilies, also known as the 'flower of the dead', are the most common funeral flower. I highly doubt that Vector here bought Espio funeral flowers by coincidence."

Knuckles blinks before realization registers in his eyes. Frowning, he says, "You really _don't_ have much hope for Espio, do you? I've noticed you visiting him less and less."

"What's there ta hope for?" I reply a little on the defensive side. "He's been drugged, has probably lost his memory, and still hasn't woken up. Do yeh wanna tell me what I'm hopin' for?"

Guess my words came out a little harsher than I meant 'em to because Rouge and Knuckles exchange a look before starting towards the door at the exact same time. Rouge raises a hand and says, "Bye for now. I have jewels to find and other pressing matters on my hands."

"I'm leaving too," Knuckles adds before blushing furiously and adding, "Not with bat girl though, of course!"

The echidna and bat exit the room, leaving me alone with Espio and Patricia. I've long since learned that Patricia doesn't say much. She just kinda sits there by Espio most of the time and squeezes his hand. I don't think that's doin' him any good, but I'm not gonna ruin her little fantasy if that's what she thinks she's doin' by holding an unconscious guy's hand twenty-four seven.

Since I'm kinda in a bad mood, I send Patricia a look out of the corner of my eye and ask, "How long are yeh usually here with Espio for?"

"I'm here for as long as I can be here for," Patricia replies sweetly, not taking her eyes off of Espio.

"Huh," I reply, folding my arms and trying not to look jealous even though it's clear that I am.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, I'm about to leave when I notice Espio's hand twitch ever so slightly. I forget about leaving and will him to open his eyes. Guess what? He does. Ever so slowly, his eyelids flicker open and I get to see the beautiful amber eyes I used to love so much for the first time in days. There's sumthin' wrong with his eyes though. They're lookin' right up into mine, but there's no recognition in them as Espio stares at me. His gaze goes from me to Patricia. When he sees her, a very tentative smile crosses his face.

Hurt deeper and more painful than any physical agony I've ever felt before rips through me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I turn and exit the hospital, trying to keep myself together on the way out. As soon as I'm outside, I let all the worst cuss words I know fall from my lips. Guess maybe Patricia knows sumthin' about healing after all. Holding Espio's hand all during his unconsciousness turns out to have paid off for her.

A few minutes later, I fling the door to Miss Vanilla's house p[en and practically run into Charmy. He smiles and waves at me, saying, "Hey, Vector. Vanilla told me to tell you that she had to go to the grocery store to pick up some raspberries for the cake she's baking. ...Whoa. You don't look so good. What happened?"

"What happened? _ Espio_ is what happened," I snap, suddenly enraged at the chameleon for not recognizing me. "He woke up and his mind is all fucked up just like I told yeh it was gonna be. Espio doesn't recognize me and he even prefers the hedgehog slut who sits in his room night and day over me!"

With that said, I storm into the bedroom I share with Miss Vanilla and slam the door shut behind me. Alright, so maybe I'm overreacting just a bit because Patricia obviously ain't a slut. Still though, I _did _say this was gonna happen all along, didn't I? I knew I wasn't gonna want to have anything to do with this new Espio. Maybe he should have just died after all.

* * *

_Sorry if there were a lot of grammatical errors in the chapter. I'm feeling really sick today. =/ Anyway, it looks like Vector is pretty steamed, huh? Do you think Espio will start coming on to Patricia? Review please! :)  
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	146. Fighting Fog

**Regular Sonic Fan: Yeah, finally! It's about time, huh? I bet you were starting to wonder if I was ever going to let Espio wake up. xD I agree with you that it's kind of Vector's fault regarding how Espio didn't recognize him. I mean, it's not like Veccy visited him all that much or anything. =/ Thanks for hoping I feel better soon! *hugs you* 83 days now...that still seems like a long time, doesn't it? The problem is that I dunno where I'm going to go after this besides for the streets. Guess what? I got a bunch of Sonic Underground songs on my mp3 last night! :D I like "Have You Got the 411?" a lot. Do you like that one? Oh god, the belly dancer episode was just too hilarious! Oh, and Manic with lipstick...too funny! Yay, I'm glad you like Manourge! I just came up with a Manourge story plot where Scourge plays the evil guy and kinda tricks Manic and Sonia into, um, "unhealthy" relationships with him, and when Sonic finally takes over Robotropolis, he's forced to hand his position as King Sonic over to Scourge to get his siblings back. I don't want to spoil it and tell you the ending, but what do you think? :P I'm glad you don't mind my rambling! *huggles* Talk to you soon!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: True, someone definitely needs to knock some sense into Vector! Do you want to be the one to do it? Someone needs to do it, that's for sure! Omg, yeah, that's my favorite part of Sonic Underground too. Are you a Soniac shipper at all? My spring break was last week actually, so it's over now. I'm guessing yours starts on Monday?  
**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84: That's true, with an erased memory, there's new telling what Espio might do. I kind of think that Espio is pansexual personally. What do you think? Same thoughts about Vector. He needs an attitude adjustment, doesn't he? =/ Haha, I agree, Manic is definitely uke for all couples. There's just something young and innocent about him. I don't see Scourge as uke in any relationships, wbu? xD I didn't read the comic where he tried to come on to Rosy, but yeah, he went after four girls in just one comic. I just kept thinking, "You could have me!" the whole time while I was reading it, lol. Yeah...I tend to dream about things I'm scared of happening to me in the future. *hugs back* Do you ever get nightmares? Yeah! That's the picture I'm talking about! Don't you just love it? Scourge has a nice chest, hehe. Oh, and guess what? I came up with a full Manourge plot! I even know the ending to it. :D Glad to hear that you had a good day! I'm feeling sorta better, so an improvement from yesterday at least. ^^ Hope you like this chapter! Btw, did you get my comments on dA?**

**Savvy0417: Yup, Espio is finally awake! It's about time, isn't it? :P I will definitely continue! Here's a chapter in Espio's POV for you. I hope you like it!  
**

**Spiiiii: Same thoughts about Patricia! I mean, she's just taking care of Espio since a certain someone else isn't. *coughVectorcough* It's good that he's awake again, but a certain croc needs to calm down already. Glad you liked the bit with Knuckles! I have a lot of Knouge references towards the end of this story. :P I think Bryce's whole family is goth kinda. Bryce sorta struck me as the goth type too, but I dunno. *shrugs* You sound like me with no internet. I just take a bunch of pills and sleep, haha. Yeah, Scourge and Fiona ftw! Gotta write something just about them soon. Thanks for reading!  
**

**PreyasRules: God, ikr? Both Vanilla and Patricia need to go to the planet for desperate women or something. :P Vanilla is stealing Vector from Espio and Patricia is stealing Espio from Vector. Can this situation get any worse? =/ Thanks so much for hoping that my sickness goes away! I'm soooooooo tired of it too. Let's hope it's gone by...tomorrow! Thanks for reading.  
**

**Guest: Yay for no grammar problems! I get really nitpicky about my grammar sometimes. :P Anyway, I agree with you about Vector. We do kind of have to cut him some slack considering everything he's been through for Espio. Esp doesn't really know any better at this point, so we can't blame him too much either. Lol, I guess there's nobody to blame but Bryce! Hope you like this chapter. **

**FullyEroded: My god, that's still really bad for a fever. =/ I hope you continue feeling better! How are you doing today? I hope you're much better today! :) As for OCs, I don't really write OCs, sorry. I'm probably writing a Scouriana, Manourge, or Dimimi story next, all of which will be based on canon couples. Glad you thought the chapter was okay though and thanks for the flowers! **

**Saints-Fan-12: Yeah, poor Vector must feel horrible right now considering all he went through for Espio! Hope you like this chapter. ^^**

**NMason1997: Lol, yes, that is so true about Vector! Just when you think that his life is going to get semi-normal again, more crazy chiz happens! xD I also think that Vector has a right to be upset, but he did definitely act a little over-the-top in the last chapter. He needs to take a deep breath and just calm down. But yeah, at least Espio woke up! This chapter is completely devoted to him, yay! :D Glad you liked the plot twist! Thanks for reading. **

**Fangirl-time: I don't think anyone likes Patricia. :P Don't worry though; the story isn't over yet. There's still time for a happy ending for the Chaotix. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Andypandy123: Vector needs a lot of chill pills. :P I agree though, he should definitely at least try talking to Espio. Omg, I completely understand what you're saying about the house parties and graffiti. I swear that there are always loud parties from across the street going on around here. It's so annoying. Where do you want to move to when you move next? My parents want to pack up and go to Florida. And that's true about Espio...Patricia is the only one being nice to him atm. Thanks for the review!  
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**Guest: Aw, thanks so much for such a nice compliment! :) I really appreciate you taking the time to read this whole story. Regarding Espio and his mind, well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out! Some of your questions will get answered in this chapter. ^^**

**Toni the Mink: That's a good point. I mean, I don't particularly like Patricia, but it does sort of serve Vector right that Espio didn't respond to him immediately since it's not like he's been visiting him all that much or anything. Do you think that Espio will eventually turn from Patricia to Vector again? Thanks for reading!  
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**AntauriSigma: Aw, you had a bad day yesterday? Mine wasn't so great either. =/ Was your day today any better, I hope? This chapter is a little more uplifting, so I hope you like it. No need to apologize, you're not rambling at all. Anyway, I never gave Manadow much thought before. It sounds like an interesting pairing, not something I would write, but still interesting. Manourge I love though! I have an idea for a Manourge fic, so I might write one after this story.  
**

**LuluCalliope: Three more days...okay, I can hang on until then. I'm so excited for your new chapters! Thanks so much for writing this awesome story. *hugs* Hehe, sure, more kids is fine with me. Bowser seems to like kids, so why not? :P  
**

**AngelLux13: You were right; Espio is officially awake! Yay! I think that everyone, but Vector figured that Esp wouldn't recognize him at first glance. I mean, he has been drugged after all. Veccy needs to calm down, doesn't he? Wow, working in animation sounds very fun! Are you excited for college then? I always thought that I would end up going to college until about two years ago. Oh well. *sighs* Thanks for hoping I get well soon. Illness is kind of an ongoing thing for me unfortunately.  
**

**Alicia: I'd like to say that I'm doing okay, but things have been a lot worse for me lately. =/ That's super nice of your dad, but I don't think there's any way for me to get out of here now that my mom busted my chances of getting an id or my license, you know? I'll have to take the going to the streets route. =/**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Uh oh, Vector better go back into hiding again, huh? :P I'm glad you didn't throw your new phone though. You don't want to break it yet, lol. I sort of thought about giving you a cliffhanger when Espio finally woke up, but I decided not to be quite that mean. xD Oh my god, I love that episode where Vector tries to play matchmaker and forces Espio to "threaten" Tails with Knuckles with the drawings all over his face. God, torturing our characters is so much fun! I sound like a sicko for saying that, but it's true, hehe. Ooo, angst overloads ftw! I try not to make my characters anorexic or bulimic since I have way too much experience with eating disorders, but you'll notice that all my characters stop eating when they get depressed, lol. Same here! If I owned Sonic X, it would be x-rated. I mean, who wants a boring kiddy show when you can have gore, cussing, and smut? :P Wow, aren't I in the gutter tonight? xD Your Walking Dead app sounds like a ton of fun! I don't have any apps on my phone since it's so cheapy. *rolls eyes* Do you have a lot of apps on your phone? Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXXVI  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Time passes in a muddled blur. I wake up several times over the course of an unknown period of time, but it's too hard to keep my heavy eyelids open for more than a few seconds. My mind is weighted down with thick fog that I have no chance of fighting. I only remember one thing - cruelty. The world in which I wake is not a nice place. I don't remember much of my past, but before I ended up wherever I am now, all I can remember is ongoing pain, constant touching, and the consistency of falling deeper and deeper into sleep every time my eyes would shut.

The more I think, the more I remember. There were hot, sweaty bodies always pressed against me and cruel, greedy hands always taking and demanding more and more from me, but never giving anything in return. Sex became my life. I was used night and day for reasons I don't know. The black chameleon who seemed to be my owner would always tell me that this was my job, that this was the only thing I was good for.

I knew that I would die eventually, preferably sooner than later, but then, by some miracle, things changed. I don't know how I got here or what this place is, but I'm lying on a clean, soft mattress that doesn't stink of sex and sweat. I've been mostly asleep since I arrived here, but when I woke, I found people touching me once again. I flinched at first, but then realized that these people were not cruel like the people who used to turn me this way and that like a tattered rag doll to get to whatever part of me they wanted most. These people are kind. They clean me, feed me, and bandage the wounds I never thought would heal. A small spring of hope has started to well up inside of me. Perhaps I won't die after all.

As time goes on, I feel less and less tired. Now is the first time I've been able to keep my eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. My eyes wander around the room, taking everything in. I appear to be in some sort of hospital room. Peculiar looking machines surround my bed on both sides and my arm is connected to some sort of tube.

Fear clenches at my heart as I realize that I'm not exactly sure what this tube is doing to me. I look around wildly before meeting the dark brown eyes of a woman sitting next to my bed. I remember her. She has been helping me since I arrived here at the hospital. I'm still not exactly sure_ why_ I'm at the hospital. I know I've been hurt, but who would ever bother to bring me here?

"You're awake!" the quiet voice of the female hedgehog next to me exclaims in a light voice. She's very pretty with kind eyes and long curly hair. I wonder why she's here by my bedside, and wait, is she actually holding my hand? It appears that she is. The hedgehog continues smiling at me and says, "I'm Patricia."

I open my mouth to give her my name before my mind reaches a void. My forehead creases as I try to remember my name. I know it's somewhere trapped in the thick fog obscuring most of my memories, but I'm not strong enough to clear the fog yet. Instead of speaking, I fall into a shameful silence.

"You don't remember your name, do you?" Patricia asks, her voice still gentle and sympathetic.

Once again I open my mouth, but then shut it quickly. All too vivid, the image of a dark yellow chameleon threatening to suffocate me if I make a single noise flows to the forefront of my memory. The people here appear to be nice, but I've long since learned to be cautious. I decide to keep my mouth shut for the time being.

"It's alright if you can't remember your name. I'm really forgetful myself. Just this morning, I forgot what day of the week it was!" Patricia laughs a tingly laugh that makes me smile slightly. She seems very kind although her words don't exactly reassure me. I certainly don't know what day of the week it is either, nor do I know the month or the year pf the current date. Patricia suddenly frowns and asks, "Would you like something to eat? You must be very hungry."

I think about this for a moment and realize that I am hungry. My stomach clenches painfully at the emptiness inside it. Still, I'm afraid to ask for food. What if I have to "pay" for my food in the manner I've had to use to pay for my bed before? The black chameleon would tell me that he was letting others use me to get paid for the money it kept to keep me in his home...

"How about I get some food and you can choose whether or not to eat it?" Patricia suggests, eyes still focused on mine. I still don't understand why she's being so nice to me, but my natural instincts kick in and I nod. Patricia squeezes my hand and replies, "I'll be right back. You just lay here and relax. Everything you went through is over. You're safe now."

_ Safe_. That word echoes around inside my mind as Patricia gets up from the chair next to my bed to retrieve some food for me. Am I really safe? Will no one ever use me again? Have I turned from just a body into a person once more? Another quick scan of the room shows me that there is no one nearby to fear. No lust-driven, malevolent eyes are focused on me. I'm completely alone and in peaceful silence. I decide to believe Patricia. My life is changing to something better. I'm not quite certain what will happen to me now, but anything is better than being owned by another being.

Patricia returns a moment later with a bowl of soup. Sitting back down by my side, she says, "I think that this will be the easiest thing for you to eat right now. You haven't eaten for a long time."

The soup has a spicy scent to it. My stomach clenches again, but this time from want. I try to lift a hand to take the bowl of soup, but find that I cannot raise my hand all the way to the bowl. I'm still too weak. Shame flows over me. I'm sure that everyone else in this world is capable of holding a simple soup bowl.

"Don't worry, I can help you," Patricia says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

Surprisingly enough, I don't flinch away from her touch. It's gentle and reassuring, nothing more than that. When Patricia takes a spoonful of soup and brings the spoon to my mouth, I can't help but cringe slightly at first. I'm all too used to having my lips pried open by strong, forceful tongues and being forced to allow..._other things_ to the very back of my throat.

"It's okay, it's okay," Patricia murmurs in a maternal voice. "Nobody is going to hurt you. They'd have to get through me first."

Although I don't think that Patricia is very strong even though she's clearly stronger than I am, this thought makes me feel slightly better and I'm able to relax a bit as Patricia feeds me the entire bowl of soup. After I'm done eating, my stomach churns and I have a hard time keeping all my food down.

"You might feel a little uncomfortable at first," Patricia explains. "Your stomach has to learn to digest again. It just needs some time, that's all. Would you like to rest for a bit?"

I think about this and then realize that I am very tired. My eyelids are heavy once more and even the image of Patricia is blurring slightly before my eyes. I nod and let my head fall back against the fluffy pillow underneath my head. It feels as if I'm lying on a cloud. Who knew pillows came this soft?

Patricia carefully tucks the soft blankets up to my chin and strokes my cheek gently before murmuring, "Sleep well. I'll be here when you wake."

For the first time in a long time, I do sleep well. This seems to be a turning point in my luck. Each time I wake, I'm able to stay up longer and longer. The cloudiness in my mind remains, but I'm able to remember more and more by the day. After a week, I'm able to get out of bed and walk around a bit. Patricia says that I have visitors and that I can see them whenever I would like to. I've declined this offer so far. I don't know who these visitors are. Patricia says that they are my friends, but I don't remember having any friends. All I remember are the vague faces of those who would stagger into my dirty, smelly bedroom, take what they wanted from me, and then leave. My friends must be trapped in the fog in my mind still.

I could speak if I wanted to. In fact, I could have spoken from the first day when Patricia fed me the soup. I choose not to though. Why? I'm not quite sure, but I was taught to hold my tongue for the most part although I'd have an odd visitor here or there who would try and coax me to scream for them. The thoughts are enough to send shudders down my spine and are enough to convince me to keep my lips firmly sealed. Now, I have questions though. I will only get answers to my questions if I ask them aloud.

After a short walk around my bed, Patricia leads me back to the mattress and gives me a smile and sits down on the chair next to my bed. She's not given me any reason not to trust her. I think today is the day to ask my questions. Taking a deep breath, I'm shocked to hear what my own voice sounds like as I ask quietly, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're speaking!" Patricia exclaims, clapping her hands together like a little girl as she turns to face me. She hesitates before she nods and adds, "Your friends told me that your name is Espio."

For some reason, this name sounds quite familiar to me. I don't remember hearing it spoken by the black chameleon or by the others who used me, but the name certainly rings a bell in the walled-off part of my memory. Alright, so my name is Espio. What other secrets are there to uncover?

Choosing my words carefully, I ask probably the hardest question of all and murmur, "What happened to me? I remember some thing, but not many."

Patricia hesitates for a long moment before she replies, "I can tell you what happened to you, but it may trigger some unwanted memories. I don't want them to disturb you."

"It's alright," I reply evenly, feeling better and stronger than I've felt in a long time. I'm even managing to sit up in bed at the moment instead of lying on my back like usual. Eager to uncover more about my past, I add, "I want to know everything."

"I will tell you then, but if something starts to bother you, feel free to tell me to stop at any moment," Patricia tells me, still looking reluctant. I nod and wait. Patricia finally speaks and explains, "You were taken by a cousin of yours. His name was Bryce the chameleon. He kept you at his house for quite a while. Nobody knows what he did to you over that time, but you suffered from quite a bit of abuse. Bryce drugged you for quite some time as well. This is why you can't remember your name."

I register all of this quickly. My mind is still sharp to some extent and I immediately remember Bryce. Ah, of course, I did know that he was my cousin. He raped me at a family get together when I was fourteen. Now everything makes sense. Bryce must have kidnapped me somehow or the other and brought me to his home. He had his fun with me and then sold me to others to help him pay for whatever it was that he needed money for. I flinch at the lowness of my cousin, but am mostly just glad to have been rescued from him. Speaking of rescuing, that brings me to another question.

"All this I remember, but how was I rescued? And why? I don't see why I was worth saving," I speak slowly, unsure why anyone would bother getting through Bryce to save me.

"A friend brought you in. His name is Vector. Perhaps you remember him?" Patricia asks, raising an eyebrow. The name does sound awfully familiar, but I can't put a face to the name. I shake my head and Patricia goes on, "Of course you were worth saving. Every life is worth the same amount. I know how you feel. I was a victim of sexual abuse for a while myself. After recovering here, I was moved to becoming a nurse because I wanted to help others."

"I see," I reply, not seeing myself working at this hospital even though everyone here has been kind to me. Another question pops into my head and slips out of my mouth before I realize that I'm speaking it aloud, "I know I cannot remember anything besides for Bryce and what he did with me. Did I have a life before that? Are there things I'm forgetting?"

Patricia's face suddenly goes very somber and she explains carefully, "You were only with Bryce for a month. You've lived for sixteen years."

I do the math quickly and immediately feel dejected as I realize that I've forgotten just under sixteen years of my life. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to fight through the fog in my head, but it remains stubborn and impenetrable. Turning back to Patricia, I ask, "Will I _ever_ the first fifteen years of my life?"

"I hope so," Patricia admits, not exactly giving me the answer I was looking for. "The drugs should eventually leave your body in time although I don't know whether or not that will help your memory. You can take therapy to try and regain some of your past if you like. Sometimes seeing a certain person or a certain item from your past can help you remember as well. It's different for everyone."

"I think that I am ready for some visitors," I finally say after a few minutes. Even if these visitors are strangers to me at the moment, perhaps seeing their faces will bring back old memories. Hesitating, I add, "I want to see Vector."

I don't remember anything about Vector other than his name, but if was willing to risk Bryce's rage to save me, then he must care for me...right?

* * *

_Yay, finally an Espio chapter! I think we were all getting sick of Vector. :P Anyway, Espio is awake and wants to see Veccy. I guess the real question now is whether or not Vector will want to see Espio. Do you think he'll stop by and visit Esp again soon? Review please! :)  
_


	147. Nightmarish Reruns

**Regular Sonic Fan: Uh oh, don't cry! *hands you more tissues* Espio is finally doing better, let's just hope that Vector doesn't decide to be a jerk and avoid visiting him. *sends Vector an evil look* I'm a little sick again tonight, but thanks for asking. It's kind of been a long week for me, you know? And true...I don't think I could make it through a whole year. I have a few friends, but none of them live in the same state as me, which really sucks. =/ The 411 song is awesome and I love Sonic's reaction after they finish singing the song. xD Omg, your bro got so annoyed that he left the room? :P That's kinda funny! I get really OCD with songs and listen to them constantly until I get sick of them. Oh, okay, that's good to know about Skype. I'm trying not to stay up as late anyway, so that's good. I'm on dA still, but I have a new username. I'm Mimentio-Girl on there. Feel free to add me as a friend! You'll know it's me because my page is covered with Dimentio, lol. Talk to you soon!  
**

**Savvy0417: Well...sort of. Espio is going to see Charmy, but Vector might be stubborn and not want to come for a visit. What do you think Espio's reaction to Charmy will be?  
**

**Toni the Mink: I think that Vector is just sort of trying to suppress his old feelings for Espio since he thinks that they'll only cause him more pain in the end. So deep inside, he probably does still care for him, but he's just kind of hiding it, stupid croc. :P I agree with you about Patricia/Espio. She seems more like the nurturing type than anything else. It's actually a good thing that she's around or else Esp might not have made as much progress. And yay, I like the title queen of twisted romance! :D Hope you like this chapter!**

**FullyEroded: I'm glad you're getting better because I'm extra sick today. *sighs* Oh well, at least you're doing better. Is your fever even better today, hopefully? I honestly haven't been doing any writing lately because of being sick, so I'm not sure about that right now. The only reason I update this daily is because I wrote all of it over Xmas break and all lazy me has to do now is post the chapters. I agree with you about Espio, at least he's made some progress at last! Thanks especially for the hugs, I'm having a really shitty morning. *hugs back***

**Guest: That is so true about Vector. He definitely seems to want to forget all about his feelings for Espio, so there's a good possibility that he won't want to see him. Even Charmy might not be able to talk sense into him, which would be unfortunate. =/ Lol, yeah, that would be creepy if Patricia was watching Esp just because she wanted to be with him. xD Hope you like this chapter!**

**PreyasRules: Hehe, planet sluts...why do I like that name so much? xD Also, we must send my parents off to some planet too because I have just about had it with them today! *resists throwing the computer against the wall and throws the pillow against it instead* Sorry, I'm kind of having a bad morning, and yup, I'm still sick! I hate being sick. *cries* But yeah, at least Esp wants to see Vector! Will Vector want to see him though? And omg, if Bryce came back from the dead, all hell would break loose! Thanks for reading. :)**

**Spiiiii: I think that we were all starting to get a little tired of Vector chapters. xD I agree with you about Patricia. She seems pretty nice actually. Oh my god! I can totally see Shadow visiting the new Espio all by himself and the two of them just sort of staring at each other. *majorly awkward moment* That would be hilarious. Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Haha, I agree with you there! Vector needs to stop being a jerk and help Espio out already. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**AleThe-Hedgefox86: Ooo, nice prediction about Espio going to therapy. A certain someone is going to try to get the chameleon into therapy later in this fic. xD Yeah, I can see Espio as asexual too, but after shipping him with Vector for so long, I see him as pansexual. I hate it when people stick Espio with their female OCs though, that just sucks. *shivers* I'm not much of an OC fan, how about you? I would love it if Manic appeared in a game or in the comics! I would love to see an older teenage Manic. How about you? Seeing Scourge as uke actually sounds sort of hot in a way, haha. I don't really see him with Shadow ever, but that's just me. Manic is totally gay though, no doubt about that one. xD Hell yeah, I would definitely help Scourge with an evil plot! I'd do anything for him being the idiot that I am. Would you? :P That picture did make me drool. It's my favorite by far although there are some other nice Manourge ones on dA. I wish I could link you to them or something. Of course I'm not mad! You can read any of the review responses on here for all I care. xD So you don't like the plot idea then? I think Sonia is annoying, but I like the idea of Scourge being a player and manipulating both of Sonic's siblings, hehe. No problem about the comments! Btw, how are you so good at drawing Scourge?! I have tried to draw him and have failed miserably. He turns out looking like a green blob. xD Thank you so much for reading this! :) **

**Andypandy123: I think that some crocodile pummeling is in order because Vector is not going to go and see Espio in this chapter. Stubborn croc! Maybe you can convince him to go see Esp! Same thoughts here about the partying. It gets really disturbing to hear it going on all the time, don't you think? I just want a break from it. That's awesome that you have your life planned out already. Living on the Spanish coast sounds very nice. Have you been there before? Florida is meh, I suppose. I'll be out of here before my parents move, hopefully. Yeah, let's hope that Vector can be nice to Espio. He's acting not so nice right now. =/ Hope you like this chapter!  
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**LuluCalliope: Yeah, I've been kind of sick lately. =/ An awesome chapter will definitely cheer me up though! *hugs* Hm...maybe just one kid is good. Too many kids would get overwhelming, lol. Maybe it can be a girl? You can give her some of my qualities if you want. Like she can be stubborn and maybe a bit of a drama queen. xD Can't wait to read chapter two!  
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**AngelLux13: Yup, Espio is definitely hanging in there! He's doing a pretty good job recovering considering the situation, don't you think? :) I like how Patricia is being so patient with him too. She's the kind of nurse you'd actually want to have if you had to go to the hospital. So you think that Vector will visit Esp? He's known to be a stubborn croc! I know what you mean about high school. I'm done this year too and I am really ready to be done with it. I've missed so much school this year that it's not even funny. And aw, thanks! For some reason, it always seems like when things can't get worse, they do though, you know? :P I've learned not to be too optimistic with life, lol. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: That would work, but I have no clue where to get a birth certificate from. I'm so screwed. x_x  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yup, Espio is finally getting a little better! Believe me, things are going to get ugly soon! Omg, doesn't it seem that we end up hurting ourselves when we're not allowed to "hurt" other objects? One time I had to resist throwing something so I slammed my foot into the wall really hard. I actually have a scar from that still. xD Angst is awesome! :D The characters we torture the most are definitely our favorites, don't you think? I've never tried watching the Japanese version before, but if there are sexual jokes in it...well, let's just say that you know what I'm going to be doing tonight. :P Yeah, angry birds is very important! Lol, I actually bought my dad an angry birds calender last year. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXXVII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I used to think that I was a happy croc. Sure, there was always the constant struggle of tryin' to pay the rent or finding a mission to go on, buy hey, we all have minor struggles in life, right? Only now am I realizing just how happy I really used to be. Right now, I'm not happy. Hell, I'm probably the farthest from happy that ya can possibly get. See, it's all a certain chameleon's fault. Dunno why I let Espio take over my life the way I did. It was stupid on my part, especially the way I let him steal my heart right on out of my chest.

Now, Espio is dead. Well, the real Espio is dead anyway. Sure, there's a new Espio who finally woke up after lying on the hospital bed for several days straight, but this new Espio sure ain't my Espio. He looked at me and didn't even recognize me! What's worse is that he turned to Patricia the slut (okay, so she's not a slut, but I can't help callin' her that) and smiled! Dammit, Esp! Why'd yeh have to go and break my heart? Maybe I wasn't as good ta you as I should've been, but still! Nobody deserves this kind of awful heartbreak.

I've been locked up in the bedroom ever since last night when I came home from the hospital and shared my news with Charmy. Surprisingly enough, the little bee knew better than to try and push me into bringing him to the hospital to see Espio last night. Guess I did kind of come home in a rage though. Speaking of home, this place still doesn't feel like home. I like Miss Vanilla and all, but the truth is that I like Espio and Espio's house a lot more. I keep tryin' to make myself like it here, but is it working? Obviously not.

Miss Vanilla came into the bedroom last night and I was forced to search somewhere deep inside of myself for my happy face. Somehow or the other, I'm still not sure how, I managed to find it and act like I was totally fine when Miss Vanilla came to talk to me. Turns out that Charmy spilled the beans about what happened at the hospital with her. There are no secrets in this place!

Miss Vanilla was actually real nice about the whole situation. She told me that it wasn't my fault that Espio didn't recognize me. After all, he still has drugs in his body that probably prevent him from remembering most of his past. I nodded along during all of her reassurance and pretended to buy into it although one question still remains in my mind. How can Espio remember Patricia, someone he's never even spoken to, and forgot the most important part of his life? ...That would be me, of course.

Thinking that I was finally okay, Miss Vanilla let the subject drop and we went to sleep. Er, kinda. Miss Vanilla went to sleep and I stayed awake starin' at the ceiling and thinking about Espio and how things might have been different if I had gotten my wits about me sooner and gone to save him before he had gotten so drugged up. Would the little chameleon have recognized me then?

Argh, why am I _still_ thinkin' about Espio?! I've tried to convince myself that I don't care about the new Espio, but the truth is that he looks so much like the old Espio that I can't help but care to some extent. It hurt me when he didn't recognize me and instead recognized Patricia the slu...er, the nurse. Anyway, things should get better over time, shouldn't they? Isn't there an old saying that says time heals all wounds or sumthin' like that?

It's the day after the new Espio opened his eyes for the first time at the hospital. I'm trying to engage myself with the sports channel, but like usual, it's not doin' me much good. I'm just sitting here and staring blankly at the TV screen without any idea of what's actually going on in the game. Miss Vanilla is baking as usual and Charmy and Cream are somewhere outta the way.

Bang! The door to Cream's bedroom goes flying open. Okay, scratch that bit about Charmy and Cream bein' out of the way. The small rabbit and hyper bee come walking and flying into the room. Charmy takes one look at me and immediately notices from my expression that I'm not in a good mood. Instead of bugging me, the two kids go to the kitchen. I ain't complaining.

Unfortunately, my peace and quiet doesn't last long. Just as I'm finally figuring out what two football teams are playing against each other, Charmy comes flying back into the room. He hovers directly in front of the TV screen so I'm forced to look at him and then says, "Hey Vector. Cream's mom is bringing Cream and me over to the hospital to visit Espio. Do you want to come?"

"Nah," I reply automatically, not wanting to see the new Espio when my heart longs for the old one.

"But why not?" Charmy asks, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly. "I'm sure that Espio will want to see you if he's awake. He loves you, Vector!"

I can't help but snort at that comment. Giving Charmy a rueful look, I reply, "Maybe the old Espio does, but the new Espio sure doesn't. He's probably gonna ask the nurse out on a date."

A weird expression crosses Charmy's face before he says after a moment of thought, "Why do you keep calling Espio the 'new Espio' or the 'old Espio'? Espio is Espio! I don't get it. Besides, everyone knows that Espio loves you. Why would he ask out the nurse?"

"Geez, I wonder why?" I ask sarcastically, my humor starting to take on a nasty edge. "Maybe because he's lost his memory?"

"Um, okay, you don't have to go with us, I guess," Charmy says, still looking confused at my bad attitude towards Espio. 'Course he won't be able to understand what I'm going through right now. He's just a kid and Espio wasn't his lover. Just before he flies out of the room, Charmy turns to me and adds, "We'll be back later."

I don't bother to reply to Charmy as the door falls shut behind the party of three. It's nice ta be alone in the house for once. I can finally get some rest and relaxation. However, as soon as the door slams shut, I feel kinda lonely. God, I sound like a hypocrite. One minute, I'm dyin' for some peace and quiet. The next moment, I'm feelin' lonely. What the hell is wrong with me?

My feet seem to be tugging me towards the door for some unknown reason. Without even bothering to turn off the TV, I let my feet take me wherever they want to go and start tromping towards the door. My hand spontaneously reaches out and grabs the doorknob. Now I'm outside on this sunny April day. Guess it decided to stop raining for a bit.

Without any clue of where I'm going, I let my feet do all the work and aimlessly wander down the streets without any real destination in mind. Imagine how surprised I am when my feet suddenly come to a halt. Looking up, I find myself standing in front of the door to Espio's house. Already, the house looks neglected and abandoned. It's only been over a week since Charmy and I have officially moved in with Miss Vanilla, but the doorknob is starting to tarnish and a little paint has chipped off of the door.

I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. I guess I might as well go inside the house at this point. It's not as if I've got anything better to do exactly. Sighing, I unlock the door, trudge inside the house, and then flick on the lights. A stab of reminiscence buries itself in my chest as I look around myself at the living room. There's the big, ol' grand piano I insisted on buying in the corner of the room, there's Espio's precious glass bowl sitting by the doorway although it's now covered in dust, and I can see Espio's favorite light blue blanket lying on the arm of the couch.

I end up going to the couch and plopping down on it. Reaching out for the blue blanket, I wrap it around my shoulders and immediately inhale the sharp, sweet scent of Espio. Damn, this whole place reminds me of him so much. No wonder I moved in with Miss Vanilla.

For a long time, I just sit and think about past memories. I remember the two of us going trick-or-treating, recall our first kiss, and of course I remember our first Christmas together. At this point, I'm startin' to get all sentimental, so I figure it's about time I look for something to do or get outta this place before I make a fool out of myself.

Surprisingly enough, something to do presents itself right in front of my nose. Blinking, I find the video tape Bryce threw at me the night I went to save Espio. What did he say when he threw it at me? Oh yeah, he said that it would be better to show me what he had done to Espio than to tell me about it.

Sending a wary look at the videotape, I start wondering what dark secrets might be contained within it. Part of me wants to play the film and part of me doesn't. Do I really wanna know what happened to Espio? Don't I know enough? I've already been scarred by that image of Bryce raping him.

Unfortunately, the curious side of my mind takes over and I find myself standin' up and putting the film into the TV. After that, I return to the couch, find the remote, and hesitate before hitting the play button. Dunno why I'm hesitating. If I didn't want to watch this film, I shouldn't have put it in the TV.

Oh well, there are no time for regrets now since I've already hit the play button. The first image hits me like a smack in the face. There's Espio on his knees in front of a dark yellow chameleon, one of the ones I saw outside of Bryce's house the first time I saw Espio after he had been kidnapped. My stomach twists inside me as I watch the way Espio is forced to suck the smirking chameleon. I dunno the guy's name, but I hate him even more as the film gives an even closer up view of Espio and the other chameleon. The dominant chameleon suddenly grabs Espio's horn to hold his head steady before bucking his hips against the smaller reptile. God, he's choking Esp! I can see tears of pain rolling out of the purple chameleon's eyes. Before I throw something at the TV screen, it's suddenly all over. Espio collapses on the floor as the menacing chameleon steps away from him with a triumphant smile on his twisted face. He plops down on the dirty sofa in the corner of the room. A light blue chameleon, the other one I saw with Bryce and Espio that fateful day, steps into the room. He cusses when he almost trips over Espio's crumpled figure on the floor. A foot is raised and kicks Espio hard in the ribs. He's so light that he's slammed across the floor and into a wall. Amber eyes full of pain and suffering blink up at the blue chameleon.

The scene blurs out of focus and a new one takes its place. This time, it's Bryce with Espio. The smaller chameleon is lying on the dirty, stained bed I found him on when I rescued Espio. Hands chained above his hands, and Bryce's hands around his throat, Espio is nothing more than a limp body lying motionless below Bryce as the drunken chameleon stabs into him over and over again as if he's trying to see if he can push Espio through the mattress. I manage to get one look at Espio's eyes in this scene. They're blank, empty of all emotion. The drugging has started.

The film suddenly goes dark before a third scene appears before me. I watch in a sick sort of disbelief as I take in what's happening in this situation. Espio is lying on his stomach on the couch awake, but obviously very heavily drugged. The three chameleons in the room joke around for a bit. The yellow one, who's name I've realized is Liam at this point, randomly grabs something off of the sandwich he's eating and shoves it into the little chameleon. The three laugh while my stomach churns inside of me. A few minutes later, Darryl, the blue chameleon, grabs a baseball bat and throws it to Liam. Smirking devilishly, Liam starts pushing the smaller end of the baseball bat into Espio.

Oh god, I've never seen such sadistic behavior before. I should stop the tape, but my hands are trembling and I dunno where I left the remote. When Liam turns the baseball bat and tries to force the wider end of it into Espio's broken body, bile rises in my throat and I lean over the side of the couch and get sick. When I turn back to the TV, Liam has pulled the blood-soaked baseball bat from out of Espio and has tossed it carelessly to the corner of the room.

The scenes change again and this time Darryl is taking Espio from behind. The image blurs before my eyes and I realize for the first time that I'm sobbing. Big, strong crocs like me don't cry, shouldn't cry. Well, screw what I'm supposed to or not supposed to do because I can't help crying now.

Where's the damn remote? There it is! I snatch it up and immediately stop the film. I can't take one more minute of watching Espio being laughed at and abused. I should never have watched that film. Tears continue streaking down my face as I suddenly come to a new resolve. I'm gonna spend the rest of my life hunting down Liam and Darryl. I won't stop until I teach them a lesson for what they did to my Espio. It wasn't just Bryce who killed him. They participated just as much as he did.

_ Just ya wait, Esp_, I tell Espio with my mind, hoping that he can hear me from wherever he is now._ I swear I'll get those bastards back for what they did to ya!_

* * *

_Uh oh, it looks like Vector is on a vengeance mission now! Do you think he'll find Liam and Darryl? Review please! :) And...I know I bring my personal life up way too much, but I have just had one of the worst mornings ever, so if anyone has any spare hugs, I could use them!  
_


	148. Regained Memories

**Regular Sonic Fan: Maybe I should send you a big supply of tissues! xD I agree with you about Espio; he's not changed really, he's still the same guy. Vector is just being stupid (as usual). It is sweet of Vector to want to get revenge on Liam and Darryl, but he better watch it so he doesn't end up back in jail, you know? Eh, I'm not doing a lot better now. Thanks for the hug though. *hugs tightly* Well, I do have a tiny bit of money, but it's only going to last me a month or so, which sucks. Same here, I never get sick of my favorite songs! I put Someday on my playlist so I can hear it all the time. That's okay, I understand about how you're not much of a night person. I'm not much of a morning person, lol. Yay, add me on dA or I'll add you so we can chat on there! Thanks again for the sympathy. You're such a good friend!  
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**Savvy0417: Thank you so much for the hug. *hugs back* I really needed it. Do you agree with Vector's decision to hunt Liam and Darryl down? It could end up causing a lot more trouble if he goes about it the wrong way. =/  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yay, thanks so much for the hug! *huggles* I love hugs! I love Soniac as well. It is super cute. Do you like Sonic or Manic best? Manic is my favorite. I love his piercings and his crazy hair. xD Good idea about joining Vector in his mission! I think we all know that Vector isn't so good at cleaning up his evidence. xP Aw, I'm sorry that your life seems to be going downhill. Mine's been a lot like that lately too. Let's hope we both feel better soon! *crosses fingers*  
**

**Fully Eroded: Wow, you thought it was the best chapter in a long time? That's good to hear! What did you like so much about the last chapter? I totally understand about being in a hurry. Hope you have a nice day!**

**Toni the Mink: Thanks for the well wishes! I really appreciate it. :) That's true, Vector hasn't acted as idiotic as he could have acted. There's still a possibility he could run to Vanilla though. Vector should be visiting Espio, but you'll see in this chapter that Espio gets several visitors, none of which are Vector. xD He's being pretty stubborn, isn't he? Thanks for reading!  
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**Just some person: Hehe, thanks for the pat on the back, it's really appreciated! Everyone around here jokes that I'm a shit magnet. I think it's true. =/ Anyway, that's true about crazy Vector. He's kind of a hypocrite even though he doesn't realize it. :P You would think that Vector would have learned his lesson from killing Bryce, but you know Vector, he doesn't learn easily, does he? The tape could've been used during the trial, but Veccy kind of forgot about it, lol. Thank you for taking the time to review!  
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**TheMidnightShadow: Vector the assassin, huh? :P Interesting idea there although I don't think I'm going to be writing any more Vector-centered stories for a while. I want to explore Manourge and Scouriana for a bit.  
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**Guest: Thanks for the hug! :) Yup, fanfiction is definitely a tension release for me. I have nooooooo idea what I would do without this site. As silly as it seems, it's like the only thing that keeps me going at times. Haha, I'm glad you like the idea of Vector the avenger! He probably won't turn to the cops after last time, but he'll definitely want to do something about the situation. Thanks for the compliment about how I wrote Veccy's emotions. ^^**

**Spiiiii: Thanks so much for the hugs! I really needed them today. :) Aw, no, don't cry! *hands you a tissue just in case* Lol, yeah, Vector needs to go comfort Espio, but you know Vector, he'll go off chasing Liam and Darryl instead. Idiot croc! Anyway, yeah, I like awkward moments too. They're kinda funny! Thanks so much for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: Hehe, alright, I'll leave it to you then! You're officially in charge of getting Vector to visit Esp. Let me know how that goes. ;) That's good that at least your dad has said something about the partying. Does it seem to help at all? My parents just complain about it inside the house and never do anything about it. *rolls eyes* Imagining the future can be fun! I used to do that, but now I have no clue what my future is exactly. =/ And ikr? Someone needs to teach Vector some manners. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**LuluCalliope: Yay for two more days! I'm not feeling much better...I got into an argument with both my parents today and now I feel super dizzy. Hm, god, I suck at names. I dunno, what about Natasha? We could call her Tasha for short? The beach sounds so nice right now although sunburns suck. Are you okay? It's actually suppose to snow here on Saturday. Ugh, I need to go somewhere warm. Talk to you soon!  
**

**AngelLux13: I'm thinking the exact same thing that you are! Do you think that Vector is going to get carried away and possibly end up back in jail? Thanks for offering to help. :) There's not a lot that anyone can do, but sometimes it's the thought that counts. Hope you like this chapter.  
**

**Alicia: I hope so, if not, I'm taking the streets route. =/  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yay for Vector being on your good side again! *parties* Lol, how do you think Vector should take down Liam and Darryl then? *conjures up a large assortment of weapons* Oh god, that must've hurt! Is your hand okay? My dad punched the wall so hard that there's a dent in it now. It's kinda funny to think about actually although it wasn't very funny at the time. xD Omg, I can definitely see Rouge making sexual jokes. I think Knouge is a cute pairing. Did you like it? My internet connection went out last night so I haven't been able to watch any episodes yet. I guess there's always tonight though unless the damn internet goes down again. It's been thunderstorming here for the last week, so I'm guessing that's what the problem is. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CXXXXVIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

My first visitor is a blue hedgehog. He comes to the hospital the very next morning after I've come to the decision that I'd like to meet some of my "friends". According to Patricia, I already know these people who want to visit me. Try as I might, I still can't seem to clear the fog in my head. All I can do is cling to the hope that maybe one of my visitors will spark up an old memory inside my head and help me remember everything about the last sixteen years. The only memories I have are of Bryce and, needless to say, those aren't pleasant at all.

I'm sitting up in bed and feeling well for the most part when Patricia comes in with my first visitor. He's a blue hedgehog with bright green eyes and a smile on his face. I return his smile tentatively because I'm quite certain that I don't know this hedgehog. I would like to think that I do, but my memory insists that I don't.

"Espio, this is Sonic," Patricia explains as the two of them approach my bed. Turning to Sonic, Patricia explains, "Espio can't remember much about his past. Maybe you can help him remember a thing or two? It's worth a try. Please sit down. I'll be in the other room if the two of you need anything."

I nod as Patricia leaves the room and Sonic sits down on the chair next to my bed. I continue smiling politely at him since he seems nice and Patricia says that he is a friend of mine. Sonic speaks first, and when he does, his voice is cheerful and light as he says, "Hey Espio! I've dropped by to check on you a few times before, but you were sleeping the last few times I visited. How are you feeling?"

"Much better than before. Everyone here has been very kind to me," I reply immediately, trying hard to study Sonic's face and use it to retrieve old memories barred behind the thick cloud of fog in my head. Unfortunately, Sonic's face does nothing for me. In a tentative voice, I ask, "Do we know each other quite well?"

A look of sympathy crosses Sonic's face as he realizes just how bad my memory predicament is. He thinks for a moment before he says, "Not_ that _well, I guess. You went on a mission for me once with the rest of Team Chaotix. I remember you found three Chaos Emeralds for Knuckles, Rouge, and me."

Most of what Sonic says doesn't make much sense to me, but something he mentions seems to ring a bell in my mind. Team Chaotix? Whatever it is must be important to me because I feel a strong sense of loyalty to the team even though I'm not exactly sure what it is. Was I part of the team? There's only one way to find out.

"This 'Team Chaotix'...was I part of it?" I ask curiously, knowing that I must be asking idiotic questions even though I can't help it at the moment.

Thankfully, Sonic doesn't seem to mind my questions too much and nods immediately, replying in his cheerful voice, "Yes, you were as a matter of fact. Vector, Charmy, and you are all part of Team Chaotix. It's a detective agency. You've gone on a lot of missions and have helped out everyone in our community. We owe a lot to you guys!"

Sonic's words help me remember a few things although not many. I remember wanting to do something to help fight evil ever since I was a young chameleon. It doesn't surprise me in the least to hear that I was part of a detective agency. The names of Charmy and Vector create strange feelings inside me. Charmy's name stirs up an inner protectiveness within me. I feel like I need to take care of him for some reason. Vector's name creates an even stronger feeling inside me. I can't detect the emotions that go with the passionate feeling though.

An accidental yawn slips from the corner of my mouth. Although I'm getting better at staying awake now that the drugs are mostly out of my system, my body is still weak from weeks of constant abuse. The bruises have started to fade and heal, but the scars will forever remain etched onto my scales.

"Are you getting tired?" Sonic asks me, looking concerned. "Maybe I should go. I've always got somewhere or the other to run to."

"I am a bit tired, yes," I admit, lifting my hand to conceal another yawn that slides out of the corner of my mouth. I send Sonic a grateful smile as he starts towards the door and add, "Thank you for visiting me. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and talk with me."

"Hey, it's no problem at all! I'm really glad to see you up and moving again. Good luck with the memory problem!" Sonic says, giving me a thumbs up before he whizzes out of the door in a blue blur.

I blink after Sonic leaves, wondering if it really is possible for someone to move that fast or if my eyes are just playing tricks on me. It saddens me not to have recognized Sonic, but I am still glad that I had the opportunity to talk with him. Even if I never do uncover my memories, I can always become friends with the people that I supposedly knew before Bryce took me. There is always hope for the future. Although it would be nice to uncover the mysteries of my past, I will always have the future to look forwards to. Things are starting to look up.

After Sonic leaves, Patricia steps back into the room and gives me a smile. She comes to sit by the side of my bed and says, "You look worn out. How did talking to Sonic go?"

"Sonic seems very nice although I can't seem to remember much about him," I admit with a little sigh. "Is it quite likely that I will never recover my memories?"

Patricia hesitates before answering, finally saying, "There's really no way to know. You've been heavily drugged, and to be quite honest, I'm surprised you remember as much as you do. You've done a wonderful job turning your situation around. I'm very proud of you. Most sexual abuse victims are far more depressed than you are. You certainly have a bright future ahead of you."

"Thank you," I reply, turning to look at Patricia. "I try not to think about what happened. The memories from then aren't all that clear and I don't think I remember the worst of them. I'm not going to try and remember more of them. I know enough. I only wish I could remember my friends. It makes me feel guilty not to remember them."

"There's no need to feel guilty. Your friends understand completely," Patricia says tenderly. "Why don't you rest now? You'll have more visitors later."

I agree to resting and let my eyelids fall shut. I'm looking forwards to more visitors. Hopefully, one of them will help me remember everything that happened to me before I was taken by Bryce. The cloudiness in my head seems a bit less thick than before. Perhaps the visit with Sonic really did help my memory out after all. I hope that Charmy or Vector will be one of my next visitors. Something about the two of them sends tingles throughout my body. It's as if they're the key to the box of memories locked up tightly inside my head.

I fall asleep easily, but end up dreaming about Bryce. When I wake, my forehead is sweaty and I'm gasping for breath. I'm glad that Patricia isn't in the room with me because I don't want her to worry about me. Although I'm slowly learning that the things Bryce told me aren't all true, I still feel worthless and am always surprised when Patricia acts like she wants to spend time with me. I'm also shocked that I'm getting visitors. Why would anyone ever want to visit me? I'm nothing really. I have nothing to offer and I'm dirty. Even after being scrubbed clean, there's a certain dark aura about me that never leaves. I've been cleaned of the dirt marring by body, but I'll forever be stained.

Patricia enters the room and I quickly do my best to compose myself. Bryce isn't here. He isn't with me nor will he ever be with me again. Wait, is that true though? What happened to Bryce after I was taken away from him? Does he still live in his dingy shack on the opposite side of the town?

"Good afternoon, Espio," Patricia greets me with a warm smile that I don't deserve. It's such a puzzle to me why Patricia smiles at me like she does. It's like she thinks I'm actually worth something despite my tainted scales. Going on, Patricia asks, "Did you sleep well?"

I hesitate before deciding to lie in this situation to save Patricia any extra worry. Nodding, I reply, "I slept decently. I've been thinking about something though. Where is Bryce now?"

"Bryce is no longer around," Patricia replies immediately. "You have nothing to worry about."

"No longer around?" I echo, not quite sure what this means. I frown before questioning, "Does that mean that he's...dead?"

"Yes," Patricia says swiftly before changing the subject. I suppose she thinks that talking about Bryce isn't good for me. "You have two more visitors. Tails and Knuckles would like to see you if you're up to talking to them. If not, I can tell them to come back tomorrow. You still look a bit tired."

"No, no, it's alright. I'd like to see them," I reply, surprised that I actually have two visitors this time. This must mean that I had at least three friends before I lost my memories.

"Alright. I'll explain the situation to them and then send them in. Hopefully, they'll be able to jog your memory a bit. Again, if you need me for anything at all, just call my name. I'll be in the room next door to this one," Patricia tells me before sending me one last fond smile, adding, "You're doing so well. It's nice to see you visiting with your friends."

With that said, Patricia leaves the room and I wait for my two visitors to enter the room. Who did Patricia say they were again? Ah, yes. Knuckles and Tails. I run these names through my head a few times, but come up with nothing. Although I cannot be positive about anything right now, I think that Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic were friends of mine whereas Charmy and Vector meant something more to me than that. Of course, I could be wrong though.

Creak! The door to my hospital bedroom opens up and a red echidna and a two-tailed fox step inside the room. The echidna wastes no time in striding across the room and sitting down on the chair next to my bed. He smiles down at me and says, "Wow, it is so good to see you sitting up with your eyes open! Rouge and I were making bets on whether or not you'd wake up by the end of the week. I said that you would and Rouge said she didn't think you'd wake up until next week. Serves bat girl right to lose the bet. So how's it been for you?"

"I've been well, thank you for asking," I reply, glad that the echidna feels like he can hold a normal conversation with me even though I'm not sure who Rouge is. "How have you been?"

"The same as always. Nothing new on my end," the echidna says before noticing the fox standing next to him. He suddenly looks guilty and asks the fox, "Um, did you want to sit here, Tails?"

"No, I'm fine," Tails, the fox, replies in a higher-pitched voice. He smiles at me and says, "I'm so glad to see you, Espio! We've all really missed you!"

"Thank you," I murmur, feeling a wave of surprise roll over me. I don't know _why_ I've been missed. Knuckles and Tails are aware of what happened to me, aren't they? Do they honestly not mind that I've been stained for life and reduced to nothing more than a whore?

Knuckles, Tails, and I talk for a good thirty minutes or so. Actually, Knuckles and Tails end up doing most of the talking while I do my best to participate even though I don't really know what they're talking about. The fox and echidna end up arguing about something called the "World Grand Prix" whatever that might be. Knuckles says that he's going to beat up someone called Storm before the race and Tails is trying to convince him against it. I side with Tails since I don't support violence under any circumstance.

Eventually, the two bid me farewell and I'm left all alone in my room with Patricia once more. Although I enjoyed the visit, I'm left feeling slightly confused. Turning to Patricia, I start out, "There's something I don't quite understand."

"What is that?" Patricia asks immediately, looking concerned. "You know you can ask me about anything and I'll do my very best to answer you."

"Thank you," I murmur gratefully before thinking about how to phrase the question on my mind. Finally, I say, "I know I'm not worth much. I feel dirty after what I've done. Do Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic know what I've become? If so, I do not see how or why they would still want to be friends with me..."

"Espio, look at me," Patricia says firmly, using a gentle fingertip to turn my face towards hers so that she can look me in the eyes. "They want to be friends with you because you_ are_ worth something. Remember what I told you before? Everyone is worth the same amount no matter what. It doesn't matter to Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles that you were drugged or abused. If anything, they care for you more now. True friends are like that."

"I see," I reply, feeling slightly reassured although still very confused. How can anyone like me when I cannot like myself? I still feel dirty and used and nothing more than a speck of dust.

Patricia squeezes my hand in an encouraging manner before she admits, "You have one more visitor for the day if you'd like to see him. I know you're worn out and he can always come back tomorrow."

Truth be told, I _am_ worn out at this point. Still, I want my memory back and keep hoping that one of my visitors will help me obtain it. Tilting my head, I ask, "Who is the visitor?"

"Charmy," Patricia replies. "Should I ask him to come back tomorrow?"

"Oh no, I would really like to see him," I answer immediately, feeling excited for some reason or another. Finally, I'll be able to put a face with Charmy's name.

"Alright. I'll send him in, but I think he should be your last visitor for today. It's been a long day for you and we don't want you getting worn out. As before, I'll be in the other room if you need anything," Patricia replies before taking a step out of the room and leaving me in temporary silence.

It only takes a second before the door to my room bursts open and a black and yellow blur comes whizzing at me. Tight arms catch me off guard and are thrown tightly around me in an affectionate hug. A very familiar voice yells in my ear, "ESPIO!"

When the arms finally release me and I get a good look at the face of the excited little bee grinning before me, the walls surrounding my memories come crashing down. Suddenly, everything is crystal clear. I remember absolutely_ everything_ from the day I met Charmy and brought him home to live with me to the day I met Vector and formed Team Chaotix with him and every single event up until the time I went to my mother's funeral and was taken by Bryce.

"Oh, Charmy..." I whisper, my voice thick with emotion as I reach out and hug the little bee, holding him tightly to my chest as tears of happiness fall from my eyes. "I've missed you so much."

* * *

_Espio has his memory back, yay! Do you think that his love for Vector is going to stay the same as it was before the "accident"? Review please! :)  
_


	149. Strong Bonds

**Regular Sonic Fan: Wow, yay, I'm so happy to hear how much you liked the last chapter! I guess you do need the whole box of tissues though! *sends you the whole box of tissues* I totally agree with you about how Espio will love Vector even more after Vector has pretty much gone through hell for him. What do you think Vector will do though? Do you think that he'll just dump Vanilla or...? I agree that Vector should plan his revenge out a little more. Rash Vector is never a good thing. I suppose a cheap hotel could work, but what I really need is a job and Michigan is one of the hardest states to find a job in. Go figure, right? =/ Oh, this is random, but there is one song I hate from Sonic Underground that always gets stuck in my head. It's "Society Girl", ugh, Sonia sounds so stuck up in it. What do you think of the song? My god, I don't know how you can get up at four am. I'm usually going to sleep around then! And yay, thanks for watching me on dA! I'm excited that we can talk on there more. *hugs* Thanks for continuing to like this story!  
**

**Savvy0417: Yep, Espio finally remembers everything! Hm, how do you think Vector will react to Espio? I would assume that he's too caught up in his vengeance mission to think much about Espio right now, knowing Vector.  
**

**Guest: Lol, yeah, Charmy is the amnesia blaster! xD I agree with you about Esp, it's likely that his feelings for Vector are back now, but do you think Vector will still be able to love Espio like he used to after everything? Thanks so much for reading!**

**Chibi-Guest: Yay, I'm glad you're so happy! *gives you a tissue for the happy tears* Haha, I know where Vanilla lives. Should I bright you there so you and I can drag Veccy over to the hospital to see Espio? Oh no, I'm sorry that your life isn't getting better. I hope it improves really, really soon! I'd love to live in a cartoon land! That would be awesome. What cartoon land do you want to live in? ^^  
**

**PreyasRules: It's okay for not reviewing yesterday. Thank you so much for the hugs though! *hugs tightly back* Hugs are awesome, aren't they? They always make me feel better anyway. :D Noooooo, your knee is hurting again? Now you need a hug! *hugs you* Are you feeling any better now, I hope? And yup, Esp's memory is finally back! It's about time, right? Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**NMason1997: Woo, I'm glad you thought that the last chapter was one of the more unforgettable ones! That's good to hear, especially since there are a lot of chapters in this fic at this point, haha. That is so true, things are finally getting back to normal again besides for Vector's change in attitude. Do you think that he'll actually go through with his mission and kill Liam and Darryl? He seems to be pretty focused on it. I'm glad that this gave you a great start to your weekend. Let me know what you think of this chapter. ^^  
**

**Spiiiii: Aw, you thought that the chapter was sad? I tried to make it happier than the last one, but I have a tendency to write depressing stuff as you know. :P At least Espy has his memory back though, right? Of course Charmy would help him remember things and not idiot Vector, who is god-knows-where right now. Do you think Veccy will visit him soon? You never know with that stubborn croc. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: It's okay! Why did your phone get taken away? D: I hate it when anyone steals my stuff. I'm very protective of my things, lol. Yeah, let's hope that Vector smartens up for once in his frigging life! *crosses fingers* I see Espio as pansexual (which means that he's attracted to someone because he likes them, regardless of gender) basically because I don't see him as gay or even bi. Does that make sense, I hope? Oh god, I hate OCs so much! I have never paired any Sonic characters with OCs, nor do I ever plan to. Doesn't it seem like the Sonic fandom is clogged with OCs? *shudders* That's so true about a teenage Manic...I think he might have turned into more of a rebel, you know? xD Shadourge doesn't really spark my interest much although I guess there's something for everyone. Hehe, so you'd rather impress Manic than Scourge? :P Oh, don't worry too much about Manic getting his feelings hurt in my future fic because it has a happy ending. That's what matters in the end, right? And omg, I completely relate to you there. There is nothing worse than an unfinished fic in my opinion. But AmyxManic? Eh...not my thing. xD It looks like I'd better do some more drawing practice. You're a really good artist! I'm jealous. I'm so sorry about your ex though. She sounds really awful. =/ But yeah...we're always blind with our first love. I haven't dated anyone for over a year now, lol. What about you? I hope that I didn't bring back any bad memories...I was kind of like "Scourge this" and "Scourge that". *hides under my desk* Believe me, all of my drawings look like blobs. I'm queen of drawing blobs. Thanks for the hug! *hugs back* I hope you have a super day and I always say that the longer the review, the better. :D**

**Andypandy123: Yup, Espio has finally regained his memory! *throws Espy a party* I'm glad to hear that your talk with Veccy is going well. It might be hard to drag a 400 pound croc to the hospital though...do you want some help? :P Maybe I should come over and help you teach him some manners. That's true, nobody knows their future and I guess it's best that way so we always can have hope for a better future. Hope you like this chappie!  
**

**Guest: Yay, I'm glad to hear that you love this story so much! Well, Espio and Vector won't see each other for another few chapters to answer one of your questions. To answer the other one, there's no telling that Vector will for sure break up with Vanilla. You'll have to keep reading to find out! xD**

**LuluCalliope: *hugs back* Thanks for the sympathy. You know how my parents are; they never give me a break. Geez, your brother sounds annoying. Are you okay now? And yay, you're coming back tonight! *throws you a welcome home party* I can't wait until we can talk more and you know that I'm super excited for your update. :)  
**

**AngelLux13: I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter so much, but, uh, don't die, okay? :P It seems like Espio still loves Vector, but how do you think Vector will react towards Espio now? I mean, he's pretty caught up with his relationship with Vanilla and his vengeance mission. =/ Thank you for reading!  
**

**Alicia: I dunno, I guess there's always wi-fi at coffee shops and stuff, but alright, I guess I can try and avoid that route for now...  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yup, the memory is back! Woohoo! I still don't recommend skydiving into a swamp though. I don't think that would be much fun, just saying. :P Hehe, I find you would make one epic horror movie. Have you seen I Spit On Your Grave? It's sort of a revenge movie, and for some reason, your torture ideas made me think of it. xD Well, at least the Michael Jackson poster covers the hole, right? I have this big patch of wallpaper that has been chewed up by my hamster, so I just threw the garbage can in front of it. Uh, that was sort of unrelated, but anyway. You know, I just love blushing Knuckles. I think that's too cute. What's your favorite Knuckles pairing, btw? Ugh, snow! It's supposed to snow here tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to move to the tropics. Aren't you just sick and tired of the snow? I hate it at this point. And aw, really? I still think I suck at writing the other characters, but thanks so much for the compliment! **

* * *

**Chapter CIL  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I cling to Charmy as if my life depends on him with tears of joy spilling down my face. I don't think I've ever felt this happy before in my entire life. Not many people know what it's like to lose their memory, wade around in muddled cloudiness, and then regain everything that was once lost. I shudder to think of what it would have been like if Charmy hadn't lit the spark that burned down the walls locking my past memories away from me. I won't worry about this now though. Everything is going to be alright.

I can't decide if Charmy is more excited to see me or if I'm more excited to see him. We hold each other for a very long time before Charmy finally lets go of me to get a good look at my face. He's grinning from ear-to-ear and his bright brown eyes are lit up as he exclaims, "I _knew_ that you would remember me! I just knew it! Vector said you wouldn't and blah, blah, blah, but I was right! You definitely remember me. Aw, why are you crying, Espio? Are you crying because you're happy? You're the only person I know who does that."

Charmy's blabber sounds like music to my ears. I can't believe that I forgot Charmy and Vector for a short period of time! Nodding, I reply to Charmy's question and try to brush away the tears streaking down my cheeks as I reply, "Yes, I'm crying because I'm happy, Charmy. You just helped me remember everything..."

It takes Charmy a minute to figure out what I'm saying. He tilts his head at me curiously and asks, "You mean that you didn't remember anything until you saw me five minutes ago?"

"That's exactly what I mean," I nod, attempting and failing to stop the steady flow of tears running down my face. "Without you, I wouldn't have remembered Team Chaotix, Vector, or anything about our life together. Thank you. I don't know what I would ever do without you."

"Well, I don't know what_ I_ would do without _you_," Charmy emphasizes before going on, "Vector is okay to hang out with, but he's not like you and he gets tired of me really fast. He's always telling me to go play with Cream or to find something else to do. You're going to come back home with me, aren't you? Please, please, please?"

I feel an inner pang at Charmy's plea because I know that I'm not quite ready to go back home just yet. Although I am healing, my body still needs a bit more time to repair before I'm able to return to the life I lived before I met up with Bryce after my mother's funeral. Despite all this, I am truly tempted to tell Charmy that I will go home with him tonight. I've missed him and Vector so much.

"I wish I could, but I have to stay here for just a bit longer," I tell the hopeful bee regretfully. Charmy's face immediately falls and I feel even worse. Sighing, I reach forwards and squeeze his hand affectionately before promising, "I'll go home with you soon though. I will only be here for a week longer at the most. After that, everything will return to normal."

Charmy thinks this over before he gives me a calculating look, asking, "Do you promise everything will return to normal?"

"I promise. You know that I always keep my word," I tell Charmy, looking him straight in the eye to let him know how serious I am.

"Okay then. I guess I can survive a week with Vector," Charmy admits, his pained expression causing me to chuckle. Charmy, however, does not laugh. He notices something on the side of my neck and flies closer to get a better look at it. Staring at me in horror, Charmy points at the base of my throat and exclaims, "Espio, there's a huge red mark right here! You're hurt!"

I immediately feel a bit self conscious. I haven't gotten a good look at myself since I was brought here to the hospital. Unfortunately, I know now that my body didn't escape Bryce unscathed. I wouldn't be surprised if the mark on my neck is one of many wounds that will forever scar my scales.

"It's alright. It doesn't hurt anymore," I quickly try and reassure Charmy before an alarming thought occurs to me. What if Charmy won't like me anymore because of the marks? What if Vector won't like me anymore? I still don't see why everyone is being nice to me after how low I was forced to act during my time with Bryce. Charmy is probably only acting the same towards me as he always has because nobody has told him exactly what happened to me. Searching the bee's eyes, I ask, "Does the mark bother you?"

"Hm," Charmy thinks before he replies, "It bothers me to know that you've been hurt, but I think that scars look kind of cool sometimes. They make you look like a hero!"

A wry smile tilts up my lips. Only Charmy would be able to come up with a comment like that to make me feel better. It seems as if Charmy is going to love me with or without scars. At least I have one person in my life who's love for me remains unshaken. Worry about how another person is going to react to me starts festering deep down inside me. How will Vector take me, scars and all?

Charmy suddenly yawns widely, jerking me out of my thoughts. He looks covetously at the bed and asks, "Can I sit here? I'm kind of tired."

"Of course you can sit here with me," I murmur, wrapping my arms around Charmy and pulling him onto my lap. I suppose that he's getting a bit old to sit on my lap, but I have always embraced my role as a substitute parent to him and closeness with another being is something I crave right now. After being kicked around by Bryce and his "customers", I need to be around my loved ones more than ever, mainly Vector and Charmy. I stroke Charmy's forehead affectionately as he rests his head sleepily against my chest. "If we were at home, I could read you a story right now."

"Oh yeah! We were in the middle of that awesome ninja story!" Charmy immediately perks up despite the fact that he's having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "You'll read it to me when you come home, right? I want to know what's going to happen next in the story."

"We'll read it the night I come home," I nod before hesitating and asking a question that's been on my mind ever since I got my memory back. "How has Vector been?"

At my question, Charmy's expression changes. It's a strange expression that's now on his face, one that I don't recognize. Charmy finally says, "Vector's been okay, I guess. He's been a little weird lately. I think it's just because he misses you though."

"Oh," I reply, wondering if this is truly the case or not. Something about Charmy's expression tells me that he's not giving me the whole truth. My paranoia kicks in and I start thinking that it's a bit odd that Charmy is here by himself and not with Vector. Frowning, I ask, "Where is Vector now?"

"He's at Cream's mom's house," Charmy immediately replies. Suddenly, he bites his lip as if he's said too much and goes on in a rush, "Vector and me went over there earlier because we were getting bored at home and there was nothing to do. I tried to get him to come and visit you with me earlier, but I think he was tired or something."

The bad gut feeling I get slowly increases. Vector is at Vanilla's home? I suppose that doesn't mean much, but why is Charmy acting so suspicious whenever he talks about Vector? I remember Patricia saying that Vector was the one who saved me from Bryce. Of course he must still love me if he saved me. Still, something feels off.

"Does Vector ever talk about me?" I ask, trying to discover the mystery of what's really going on with Vector.

"Yeah, he talks about you sometimes," Charmy admits. I blink at him and wait for more of an explanation. Charmy hesitates again before going on in a rush, "He talks about you in a weird way though. He always refers to you before you left as the 'old Espio' and ever since you've been in the hospital, he calls you the 'new Espio'. I don't know what he means by that. It's just weird. Anyway, I think he's kind of mad because he said that you didn't recognize him when you first opened your eyes and you smiled at one of the nurses instead of him."

The pieces of the confusing puzzle finally fall into place and everything makes sense to me now. Vector is jealous. Leave it to him to take offense to me unknowingly smiling at a random nurse in my hospital room when I was half-awake in my drugged state. At least now I know that Vector isn't upset at me for anything serious. All he has to do is see me again and everything will be fine.

"Vector never changes, does he?" I ask, shaking my head with a slight smile on my lips. I'm rather relieved that Vector isn't upset at me for what I've done. I know deep inside that the actions I was forced to perform over the course of the last month were despicable and unforgivable, but if I need someone's love the most right now, it's Vector's.

"He's kind of changed since you left though," Charmy points out sleepily, his sentence a long string of words slurred together. "He misses you. We both need you, Espio."

"I will never leave you again," I promise, feeling so much better than I've felt since arriving here at the hospital. Knowing that I've been missed makes me feel appreciated and wanted.

The door to my hospital bedroom slowly creaks open and Patricia pokes her head around the corner. A smile quickly crosses her face as she sees Charmy almost asleep on my lap. She watches us in silence for a moment before admitting, "I'm afraid that visiting hours are just about over for tonight. You can come back and visit Espio tomorrow, Charmy."

"Aw," Charmy complains, forcing his eyes open sleepily. He yawns without bothering to cover his mouth before giving me one last hug. Flying towards the door, Charmy calls over his shoulder, "Goodnight! I love you. I'll be back as soon as I can tomorrow."

"Get a good night's rest," I tell Charmy before a thought occurs to me. Before Charmy can leave the room, I interject, "Do you have someone to bring you home? I don't want you wandering the streets alone at this time of night. It can be dangerous for anyone and I can't have you getting hurt."

"You're the one who never changes, not Vector!" Charmy giggles, rolling his eyes at my concern. I smile stiffly at his joke, but wait tensely for his answer. You can never be too careful. Charmy goes on, "I came here with Cream's mom. She'll bring me home. Bye, Espio!"

"Goodbye, Charmy," I reply, feeling a flood of relief wash over me knowing that Charmy has someone to bring him home safely. As selfish as it is for me to admit this, I'm secretly glad that Vanilla is here at the hospital with Charmy right now instead of at her home with Vector. I know that Vector would never betray me, but it's still nice to know that he's not spending time with Vanilla.

As soon as the door falls shut behind Charmy, Patricia enters the room and steps over to my bed. She sits next to me and immediately notices that something is different about me. Her whole face lights up as she exclaims, "You've gotten your memory back, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes."

"I have," I admit, a smile turning up the corners of my lips. "It's all thanks to Charmy. He helped me remember everything."

"I'm so happy to hear that," Patricia replies, looking just as happy about the return of my memory as I am. "It's been a long day though and you ought to get some rest so you can get out of here sooner than later. I'm sure you're anxious to return to your home and whoever you live with. I would predict you have about a week's stay left here."

"I told Charmy I would be home in a week, so that's good to hear," I nod before realizing that I really am tired. Unlike Charmy, I make sure to cover my mouth as I yawn. "I think I will sleep now. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me since I arrived here. You have been very kind to me."

"It's not a problem!" Patricia replies, blushing slightly as she gets to her feet. She starts towards the door, hesitates midway across the room, and then turns back to me. Her cheeks visibly turn a bit pinker as she asks, "Is there a girlfriend waiting for you back at your home with Charmy?"

Now it's my turn to blush. It never occurred to me before that Patricia might secretly like me. Not wanting her to get the wrong impression about me and also not wanting her to feel bad, I shake my head and reply, "No, but I do live with Vector. He's my...partner. We've been together for a while now. I'm very sorry."

"Oh, it's alright," Patricia says in what seems to be a cheerful voice despite the fact that her face looks crestfallen. She continues all the way to the doorway of my bedroom before turning and adding, "Vector is a very lucky guy to have someone like you in his life. Goodnight, Espio. Have sweet dreams."

I wish Patricia a goodnight as well before she leaves and I'm left all alone. I'm still feeling a bit bewildered over the fact that Patricia came to like me in the way I like Vector. After all, she didn't even meet me until after what I had gone through with Bryce. She is perfectly aware of what Bryce has made me. Yet, by some small miracle or the other, she still seems interested in me. Why would anyone want a chameleon like me? Why?

I sit in the dark and puzzle over this thought for a while without coming up with any answers to my question. Finally, I close my eyes and think about Vector as I try to go to sleep. For some odd reason, thinking about him makes me nervous. I really wish that he had come to visit me with Charmy tonight. I suppose that there's always tomorrow though. In fact, perhaps I'll ask Patricia if I can use the phone to call Vector tomorrow morning. Yes, I think that I will do that...

* * *

_Uh oh, Espio thinks that Vector wouldn't "betray him". How do you think he'll react when he finds out that Vector's been sleeping with Vanilla? Review please! :)  
_


	150. Heartwrenching Truths

**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, I'm glad that you thought the last chapter was a cute one! I agree with you that Espio is not going to take the news about Vector and Vanilla well. It isn't really Vector's fault, but still. Espy's little heart is going to be broken if he finds out about Vectilla the wrong way. And ikr? I want to see Vanilla cry too! *smiles evilly* I'm sorry, but I just do not like her! Oh my god, really? This is the best fanfic you've ever read? Thank you SO much for that! I think it's the best compliment I've ever gotten. :D I'm going to try and see if I can get a job waitressing or working as a cashier. Those jobs will be (hopefully) easier to get than others. Yeah, "Society Girl" and "Listen to Your Heart, Girl", are super annoying! Do they get stuck in your head too? =/ My god, your school schedule is a few hours too early! At least you get out at one though, that's nice. What time do you start school? I hope that you're having a great weekend!  
**

**Savvy0417: So you'd prefer Vector and Espio together than Vanilla and Vector in this story? :P I love Charmy and Espio's relationship too. I always think of Espio as his substitute parent.  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: It's okay! I agree with you about Espio, he usually ends up forgiving Vector. Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: Let's go drag Veccy to the hospital! *gets ready to go to Vector's house with you* Lol, ikr? Who cares about Vanilla? She can survive without Vector, she's a big girl. :P Espio needs him! Ooo, the resort sounds super nice and I love mickey and anything Disney related. :D Are you a Disney fan too?  
**

**FullyEroded: That's okay about not reviewing the last chapter. I'm really sorry about your crappy day. Are you feeling any better now, hopefully? Thanks for liking the last chapter! Here's a big hug for you! *hugs tight* So you're getting into Manourge, huh? Awesome! *high fives you* I'm not a big Tails fans, so I haven't thought much about those other ships before. Do you like Tails? Hope you like this chapter!**

**Guest: You're definitely right about Espio. I mean, to some extent it is his fault for breaking up with Vector over the phone, so although he'll be upset at first, he'll probably understand why Vector got back with Vanilla. Do you think that Vector will break up with Vanilla for him though? Thanks for reading!**

**PreyasRules: Haha, I'm with you there! Patricia needs to stay away from Espio since he belongs to Veccy, right? Well, he belongs to Vector when he's not sharing a bed with Vanilla, ugh. Do you think that Vector will want Espio back when he realizes that he has his memory again? Yay, here's another hug for you! *hugs you* I love animals too! I have four cats, a tortoise, three hermit crabs, and a snake. What kinds of pets do you have? Oh my god, I frigging love the role playing idea! Do you mind if I use it? I'm totally in love with the idea - it sounds so sexy, hehe! Thanks for the suggestion and for the review!**

**Toni the Mink: Yeah, that's true...Espio isn't stupid. He'll find out what Vector's been up to sooner or later. Veccy is kind of predictable. Do you think that Vector will resort to begging and pleading if he has to? He seems sort of...distracted right now. And lol, I kind of forget about the whole fingering incident until you mentioned it. xD Thanks for reading!  
**

**Spiiiii: *sends you a tissue box for the next few chapters* Just in case they make you tear up again. :P I agree, poor Espio is going to be heartbroken when he figures out what Vector has been up to. Yay, so you like Patricia? I think she's okay. I mean, she's just trying to help Esp and she's not interfering too much, thank god. Yeah...Vector should win the world's most stubborn croc award. I'm surviving, lol. My Saturday sucked, but the weekends always suck. xP Thanks for reading!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I think that Charmy and Espio have a child/parent type of relationship. That's how Charms helped Esp recover his memory. Ooo, that would hurt like a slap in the face if Vector told Espio outright that he's been sleeping with Vanilla. I think Espio trusts him a little too much. To answer your question, Espio will start to get suspicious of Vector in this chapter. Poor guy is going to get his heart broken. And ikr? Boyfriends and girlfriends cheat at the first opportunity possible. It's way too common. =/ Oh, I understand about your phone. I hate it when you have to pay to use the internet, don't you? Internet should be free. I feel the exact same way about original characters. They work okay as minor villains since the Sonic series doesn't have a lot of villains. That's why I made up Bryce. I couldn't really see Eggman raping Espio, lol. Recolors and Mary Sues need to go die in a hole though. God, I'm so sorry about the guy who asked your friend out two feet from you! That must've hurt really bad. *hugs you* Guys are very unpredictable. I totally understand why you don't trust them. Are you les then or...? Sorry if that was too personal. That sucks about where you live. It's the same way around here. You're not considered dating material unless you're pretty much perfect. I've actually resorted to online dating, lol. I sound like a freak now. xD Mm...that's a good idea! I should try purposely drawing a blob and see how that turns out. Are you having a nice weekend so far? I hope so! I could use another hug if you have a spare one. My day was kind of shitty. I love the preview of the Manourge one-shot, especially the part with all of the Metallica references! Can't wait to read the whole thing!  
**

**Andypandy123: Hehe, I always burst balloons. Never put me in charge of the balloons at a birthday party. xD Yay, I'm glad to hear that you've got Vector almost convinced to visit Esp. I'll come over and give you some help though. Frustrated Veccy is NEVER fun to be around, is he? :P Same thoughts here, I think life would be dull if we knew exactly how it is going to play out. Thanks for reading!  
**

**AntauriSigma: You're right to worry about what's going to happen next! Who are you worried about more? Vector or Espio? Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Wow, I guess your brother must be really sensitive then, huh? Your parents actually sound a little like mine. You know, like how they always threaten to send me off even though it would cost a ton of money? *rolls eyes at our stupid parents* Yes, I am always ready for another chapter of WIR! I am loving your story so much. It's my favorite at the moment. I love evil Sonic and Mario! Are you going to update today?  
**

**AngelLux13: I agree with you there, it sounds like both Espio and Vector are in for a shock. Do you think that Vector will dump Vanilla for Espio and that Espio will be able to forgive him? Haha, I agree, Charmy is just too cute! Thanks for hoping that I feel better. :)  
**

**Alicia: *hugs* Thanks, I hope so. I just have two and a half months...I hope I can hold on until then.  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Yay for the cuteness overload! Charmy and Espio are pretty adorable together, aren't they? Espio would probably get depressed without Charmy around. I don't like Miss Vanilla either. I have an idea! Let's send her skydiving in the swamp! *insert evil grin here* You should become a horror film director! You'd do a great job with horror films. I Spit On Your Grave is sort of a rape movie...just so you know, lol. It is kind of weird how Sonknux isn't all that popular. I definitely see where you're coming from though. I think that Knuckles looks at Sonic as a younger brother. I haven't read any Sonknux fics before. Have you read any? Same thoughts about the snow! *packs bags* Okay, I'm ready, where are we going to go live in the tropics? xD Thanks for the review!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CL  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I wake up bright and early the next day without having to sleep any longer than the typical person needs to sleep at night. I'm so glad to have finally remembered everything about my past. It feels as if nothing can go wrong now. Well, almost nothing. For some reason, I'm still a bit concerned about Vector. Perhaps it's just paranoia, but I'm determined to see him today one way or the other. Surprisingly enough, Patricia isn't even in my room at this time of day. I'm completely alone with my own thoughts.

As I stare blankly at the wall across from me, I start thinking about something odd. Usually, sexual abuse victims are forever scarred from their abuser and sometimes it takes them weeks, months, or even years just to get used to interacting with others again. They flinch at the ordinary brush of a hand or a friendly hug. I haven't been like that though. I've been able to distinguish between Bryce and his "customers" and my friends. Yes, I was a bit wary of other people when I first woke up in this unknown bed with unfamiliar people surrounding me, but as soon as I found the key to my past, I've been able to realize that there's nothing to fear about the life I live now. Bryce still stalks me in my dreams, but am I frightened of all people? Certainly not.

Of course I'll avoid going into the bad parts of town, but it lifts my spirits to see my friends again and engage in normal conversations with them as if nothing ever happened to me during the last month. In fact, if anything, I need social contact more than ever so I don't end up retreating within myself like I did when I moved out of my mother's home after months of abuse at Bryce's hands. He was the only other being I interacted with at the time and so I automatically assumed that most everyone in the world was "evil".

Despite being abused much worse than last time and by the hands of several more people, I feel as if I'm going to be able to make a better recovery from Bryce's treatment than I did the last time. I have friends this time, people willing to help me out and give me the care and comfort I need while trying to recover. There's one certain someone I need to talk to more than anyone else though.

Needless to say, that certain someone is Vector. I haven't forgotten any of our interactions. I still love him as much as I did before this last month came to pass. In fact, I believe I love him more if anything else. The only reason I went along with Bryce's torment was to save Vector. At least I accomplished that goal and my suffering was not for nothing.

Fear cannot help but twist into my stomach as I think of Vector. I really need him at this time of my life and I have a strange feeling that he may not act normal towards me when we meet next. Things weren't awkward between Charmy and myself because Charmy still doesn't know what I've been though. Vector _does_ know though. He knows more than perhaps everyone else because he was the one who rescued me from Bryce's cruel grasp. I don't know how much Vector knows, but I certainly hope that it's not enough to make him act differently towards me.

I tilt my head and think about this further. What would it be like knowing that your best friend has been raped not once, but over and over again? I feel worthless. Stained. Dirty. None of my friends seem to mind, but what if Vector does? What if he sees me for what everyone else seems to be skipping right over? What if instead of looking through me to my heart, his eyes get stuck on my tainted scales and the scars on my body?

The door to my hospital room creaks open, alerting me that Patricia has stepped inside. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. I'm just over-thinking this. Vector has said that he'll always love me. He's even called me beautiful in his eyes. Although I've never agreed with that, the crocodile will still love me for being me, won't he? He'll understand that everything I did was for him...

"Good morning, Espio!" Patricia says cheerfully, no sign on her face to show that I might have broken her heart last night. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," I reply graciously, deciding to make an extra effort to be nice to Patricia just in case she is feeling upset over last night. "How are you this morning?"

"Alright," Patricia admits, not saying she's doing great like she said the last few days. I feel a little twinge of guilt from somewhere inside of me, but am not sure what to do with it. Patricia goes on, "Is there anything I can do for you or get you this morning? I think you're going to have a busy day. I've gotten lots of calls from people who want to visit you."

"Everyone has been so kind to me," I murmur, still surprised that people other than Charmy want to visit me. Although I don't know Knuckles, Tails, or Sonic all that well, they certainly care about me enough to come and visit me. Remembering my plan from last night, I ask Patricia, "May I use the telephone? I'd like to call someone."

"Of course you may use the phone," Patricia says immediately. "It's just down the hallway to your right."

I thank Patricia and gingerly slip off of my bed and onto the floor. My legs aren't very strong beneath me, but they manage to hold me up as I carefully step across the room and out into the hallway. The hospital is not busy at this time of day and I'm able to walk all the way to the phone without falling over, running into someone, or creating a mishap.

Once I reach the phone, I immediately pick it up and dial the familiar numbers to the home Vector and I share with Charmy. It's technically my home since I was the one who purchased it and have been living in it the longest. I've pretty much given the home to Vector though. I'm not sure how it happened, but he's ended up dominate in our relationship despite my attempts to remain as the one in control. Vector isn't exactly a leader by nature, but he's certainly powerful and in control when he wants to be.

Ring, ring, ring! I wait impatiently for someone to answer the phone, shifting from foot to foot until I almost lose my balance. After that, I keep my feet glued to the floor and start to frown as the beeping goes on and on. Suddenly, I hear my own voice on the other side of the phone.

_ I'm sorry, but no one is available to take your call. Just leave your name and number and Vector, Charmy, or I will get back to you shortly. Again, we're sorry for this inconvenience.  
_  
Instead of hanging the phone back up, I try dialing my phone number again. Shouldn't someone answer the phone? Even if Vector does happen to still be sleeping, Charmy never lets the phone go to the answering machine. It's too early in the morning for either of them to be out of the house already. Hm. I have a bad feeling about all of this.

I try dialing my phone number twice more and get the exact same results as before. My shoulders slump and I return to my hospital bedroom. Patricia is waiting for me inside it with a bagel coated with cream cheese on the chair by my bed. I'm still having a hard time getting used to eating and just nibble along the edge of the bagel as Patricia starts up a conversation with me.

"Did you get ahold of whoever you were trying to reach?" she asks in a concerned voice.

"Unfortunately, no, I didn't," I admit, suddenly feeling a lot less hungry than I felt moments earlier.

"That's a shame. I hope you can reach them later," Patricia says before she sets a bottle of pills next to my bedside and explains, "Now that you're completely off of the drugs, I'm going to give you these pills to take if you start feeling depressed. They'll be here for you whenever you want them. Take one at a time and let me know when you start taking them, alright? Like all pills, they have some side affects like possible weight gain and a chance of an increase of suicidal thoughts, but these side affects rarely effect anyone who's taken the pill."

I nod since I'm still chewing on a piece of bagel just as a loud knock comes from the door to my bedroom. My heart leaps into my chest since the knock reminds me of the way Vector used to bang on my doorway before entering my house. Could he be here to visit me?

"Espio, it's me! Can I come in? Please?" Charmy's enthusiastic voice sounds from just outside of the door.

"Of course you may come in," I reply, setting the bagel aside.

"I'll leave for now," Patricia tells me as soon as Charmy enters the room. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to call. You look so much better than you looked even yesterday. You may be able to leave the hospital and go home in five days at this rate."

"Five days? Yay!" Charmy, who overheard what Patricia was saying to me, cheers loudly before zooming towards me and giving me one of his famous Charmy bee hugs. Plopping down on the bed next to me, Charmy grins proudly as he holds up a book and says, "I brought one of Cream's books for you to read to me!"

I chuckle and open the book to the first page before hesitating and asking, "Charmy, where is Vector? I assumed that he would be with you today."

"Oh, uh..." Charmy trails off and looks like he's thinking hard. Finally, he says, "Vector is sick."

"Sick?" I echo, wondering why it took Charmy so long to think about Vector being sick. My protective instinct immediately kick in and I start pressing Charmy with several questions, asking, "Do you know what he's sick with? He should stay in bed and make sure that he's drinking lots of water."

"I'm sure he's fine. You just worry too much. Can we read the story now?" Charmy begs, not quite meeting my eyes.

I nod, not wanting to nag, and find the words on the top of the first page of the book. As I begin to read, my mind starts to wander. Charmy isn't a very good liar. In fact, he's a downright awful liar. I can easily tell that he's keeping something from me about Vector. I want to see the tough-scaled, vermilion-eyed crocodile more than ever now. Is he really sick or is that part of the lie?

Charmy stays with me until midday when Vanilla, who apparently brought him here again, says that they ought to head home and get some lunch. I make Charmy promise to tell Vector I miss him and that I'd love to see him as soon as he's healthy. I also ask Charmy to tell Vector to call me. Charmy agrees to pass on the message and I end up waiting all night for a phone call that never comes. By the time morning arrives, my eyes are bloodshot and I'm feeling sad. Perhaps Vector was just too sick to call me last night. Then again, perhaps it was something else.

Luckily, Charmy comes to visit me this morning as well. He whizzes through the door with a big grin on his face and plops down on my lap as he says, "I talked to the nurse who's always in the room with you while I was flying down the hallway. She said that you're going to get to go home in three days! Isn't that awesome?"

"That_ is _nice," I nod, not feeling as happy about this good news as I should feel. Needing to talk about the matter at the front of my mind, I tilt my head at Charmy and ask, "But Charmy, what about Vector? I waited up for his phone call last night. I don't think it's possible that I could have missed it."

"Vector said he was busy," Charmy says, looking everywhere but at me.

"What is he busy doing exactly?" I inquire curiously. Vector isn't typical active at night. He tends to lounge around the couch and watch TV or look through magazines.

"Busy trying to feel better, I guess? I dunno, I didn't ask him. He was in a weird mood again," Charmy replies, still avoiding eye contact with me.

Very gently, I slide a finger under Charmy's chin and tilt him towards me so the little bee can look me in the eyes. In a gentle voice, I ask, "Is there something that you're not telling me about Vector? I promise I won't be upset no matter what it is. I just feel like something is being hidden from me and I would like to know what it is."

Charmy shrugs his shoulders and says, "Vector's just been acting weird lately. I'm sure he'll be normal when you come home."

"Let's hope so," I reply dubiously. If Vector isn't acting "normal" by then, what will I do?

On the third day, Knuckles and Sonic come to visit me. I'm feeling fine physically now. I can walk up and down the hallways without getting too tired. Walking for over fifteen minutes tires me out, but even the walk from the hospital back to my house is only ten minutes. I'm excited to finally be going home in just two more days. There's still the problem of Vector though. It's starting to take over my mind. In fact, I've mainly been letting Sonic and Knuckles do all of the chatting while I sit and worry.

Wanting to get to the bottom of this, I ask the red echidna and the bright blue hedgehog, "How has Vector been feeling lately?"

"Vector? Fine, I guess," Knuckles shrugs. "I saw him out doing the grocery shopping with Vanilla yesterday morning. I waved to him and that was that. Why? Has been sick or something?"

Ah, so Vector has _not_ been sick after all. Shaking my head, I reply to Knuckles' question, "No reason at all. I was just hoping that he's been doing alright."

"You know what's strange?" Knuckles points out randomly, "I've seen everyone _but_ Vector come to visit you."

Sonic gives Knuckles a frown and elbows him when he thinks I'm not looking, replying, "I'm sure Vector will come to visit you soon. I overheard the nurse telling Charmy that you'll be able to leave the hospital in two days. Congratulations! Remember, if you ever need anything, we're always here for you!"

I nod and thank my friends, but something just doesn't feel right. I need to know what's going on with Vector and I really need to know _now_. Last time Charmy left me, I gave him a message for Vector. I told the bee to tell Vector that I miss him very much and that I love him with all of my heart. Now all I can do is pray that Charmy will return to me tomorrow with a message from the crocodile. Tomorrow will be my last day at the hospital. After that, I'll be going home.

When Charmy arrives in my room the next day, I look up at him hopefully and ask, "Vector is planning on coming to pick me up from the hospital tomorrow, isn't he?"

"Um, I think so. I should ask him," Charmy replies, not making me feel much better.

"I hope he is," I answer, not certain what I'll do if Vector doesn't come for me. Fingers lacing together nervously, I question, "Did Vector give you a reply to my message for him?"

"Yeah. He said he's been sick and that's why he hasn't been around," Charmy says, looking at the wall again.

I know that Vector is lying to me. My chest feels tight as I add, "Did he say anything else?"

"Nope, not that I can think of anyway," Charmy replies with a shrug.

That's when it finally hits me smack in the face. Vector doesn't love me anymore.

* * *

_Hm, things probably won't go so well from here on out. Do you think that Vector will pick Espio up from the hospital or will he leave that job to Vanilla? x_x Review please! :)  
_


	151. Giving In

**Regular Sonic Fan: I definitely agree with you there! Charmy should just have told the truth. Is it just me or does one lie usually turn into a whole bunch of lies? Yes, I hate everything about Vanilla too! It annoys me how she doesn't ever do anything but stand around and look pretty. Wow, that is such a nice compliment! *huggles* I try to add a lot of elements to my fic. I'm glad that it shows through! :D Thanks for wishing me luck with my future jobs. I really hope that I'm able to get one of them. *crosses fingers* Hehe, the fast forward button always comes in handy for those songs. And god...I get up around that time. I would never make it to your school on time. :P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Savvy0417: Vector might finally decide to give in and visit Espio in this chapter. It's about time, right? I understand where you're coming from. The thing I don't like about Vectilla is how Vector only seems to like Vanilla because she looks pretty. I'm glad that you still like my story though! That means a lot to me.  
**

**Guest: That's actually a really good prediction! Vanilla might be thinking along the lines of that. After all, she knows that Vector loved Espio first and that she was the "second choice" to some extent. That's true though, poor Esp is going to end up getting his feelings hurt no matter what at this point. Actually, he probably already has, hasn't he? Poor guy! Thanks for reading!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: I think you accidentally copied and pasted my review response...xD**

**FullyEroded: Good luck on your SATs! I am not a fan of SATs at all. Personally, I find the ACT far easier. Have you taken that before? Either way, I'm sure you'll do great. *hugs* Thanks for hoping that I have a better day. My morning has been horrible so far. :S And ikr? Vector deserves that kick and more. He's being really selfish at the moment. So is Tails your favorite Sonic character then or...? I would say that Scourge is mine atm. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Saints-Fan-12: I'm with you there; Vector really should pick Espio up and stop being an idiot! Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Chibi-Guest: I think that Vector already deserves some slaps in the face! What do you think? He's been acting like such an idiot lately. Tropical places are amazing! Are there any certain tropical locations where you might want to live? I want to go to some awesome Caribbean island or something, hehe. I'm glad that things are getting better for you! My day was kind of worse today. Wish me luck for tomorrow! I hope that everything keeps getting better for you!  
**

**Delition: Aw, thank you so much for the nice compliment! It's nice to see that you're still reading this. :) I wasn't sure if you were or not. And wow, you think my chapters are short? They always seem super long when I have to edit them (my least favorite part of writing xD).  
**

**PreyasRules: Hehe, you sound like me when I get hyper! xD Yaoi lemons ftw! *cheers* That actually reminds me of something...we're sort of reaching the ending of this story. It's not all that many more chapters. *sadface* That is so funny about your iPod recognizing "fuck", but not "shit". :P Your pets sound so adorable! I love animals, don't you? In fact, I love them more than people (not in a creepy way, of course, I just don't have anyone irl that I really care about). Omg, I have always wanted my own Garfield! I want your cat, hehe. My snake is a python. Her name is Roxanne and she's super cute! I wish I could show you a picture of her or something. :) Of course I'll give you credit for the idea, I'd be stupid not to, haha. I love all of those roleplaying ideas! They all sound so sexy. What one is your fave? Thanks for the review!**

**Spiiiii: Uh oh, do I need to send you more tissues? :P I should buy a tissue company at this rate with all of the tissues I'm handing out lately. God, that was random of me. Anyway, Vector is being a stubborn idiot, isn't he? And yeah, that's true about Patricia. I guess we all have our mood swings though, so we can't blame her too much. Lol, poor Espio if Vanilla picks him up from the hospital. *awkward moment* Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Guest: Aw, thanks so much for the compliment! I was a bit worried when you said that my fic was weird, but as long as you mean it in a good way, that's great, hehe. xD Are Vector and Espio your favorite Sonic characters? Thanks for reading! :)**

**Andypandy123: You know, I'm starting to think that there is nobody more stubborn than Vector out there! What do you think? *joins you in trying to drag him to the hospital* Come on, you stubborn croc! xD I agree with you about poor Espio. He has had a really rough life. =/ Nothing ever seems to go right for him. I think that the good surprises are what makes life worth living, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**AntauriSigma: Lol, I see what you're saying. So you don't think that Vector should try and hunt Liam and Darryl down? Thanks for the review.  
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**LuluCalliope: I loved the update! It was frigging awesome! :D Ooo, so I'm going to get trapped in a game, huh? That sounds interesting. Is Bowser getting trapped with me? :P I had to ask. I'm okay with getting trapped in games, just don't trap me in a horror movie, lol. That's true about Vector! If he's going to be nice, he's going to get to the hospital ASAP! Thanks for reading!  
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**AngelLux13: I'm feeling the same way towards Vector as you are right now! Do you think that Vector actually doesn't love Espio anymore or that he's just pretending not to love him? That's a good point about Vanilla possibly coming to pick Vector up, but Charmy might not allow that. xD I hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: *huggles* Okay, I trust you if you say that we can work something out. Yeah, I can hang in there until the 13th. After I turn 18, my parents shouldn't be able to boss me quite as much...hopefully. =/  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Vector is really good at going from your good side to your bad side and back again, isn't he? Bad croc! *shakes finger at Vector* Aw, don't be nervous about the next chapters! Vector won't do anything too bad...I think. xD Woo, let's send Miss Vanilla swamp diving! She totally deserves that and more. Yeah, me too, I watch rape movies and read rape fics all of the time. Did you watch I Spit On Your Grave yet? I'm curious to see what you think of it. Yes, I do see it too with Sonknux! *high fives you* I hate it when people say I'm crazy when I like certain pairings. Like there's this movie I like with a twosome in it and I'm like, "OMG, they are sooooooo definitely a couple!" and everyone else is like, "No, Jenna, they're not." Then I'm all x_x. But anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. You should write a Sonknux if you feel inspired to! Same thoughts here about getting away! *gets an airplane for us* Okay, let's get the hell outta here! :D Thanks for reading!  
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* * *

**Chapter CLI  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Ever since I watched those goddamn videotapes that Bryce threw at me the night I went to save Espio, I've been preoccupied. Er, okay, maybe I've been a bit more than preoccupied. I've been downright obsessed. Wanna know why? It's because of Liam and Darryl and what they did to my Espio. I can't even get my brain to wrap around all the sleazy things they forced him to do, all the smacks and punches they gave Espio's black-and-blue body, and all the times they brutally raped him. How the hell can anyone be so ruthless and cruel?

I've made up my mind to bring justice to the old Espio. I'm gonna hunt down Liam and Darryl until I find 'em and then I'm gonna teach them a lesson for what they did to Espio. Guess I can't kill them exactly, but I'll leave 'em almost dead. I'm definitely angry enough to kill them, but my whole trial ordeal is still too sharp in my mind and I don't wanna go through something like that again. I got lucky the first time, but I know damn well that if I get charged for murder once again, I'll be hauled off to prison for sure.

Still though, I practically have to keep reminding myself of this fact since I want vengeance more than anything else right now. Hell, I haven't even watched the entire videotape, but just the few scenes I watched have scarred me for life. Espio wasn't Espio in most of them except for the first scene I watched. After that, he was just a soulless body going through the motions of whatever cruel thing Bryce, Liam, or Darryl wanted him to do. There's sumthin' even worse than murder and that's destroying a soul.

'Course, hunting Liam and Darryl down ain't easy. How do yeh go about trying to find someone who doesn't want to be found? I've got no clue where the bastards might be right now. I dunno where they live although I get an inkling that they might have been living with Bryce. They obviously aren't living with Bryce anymore though since that son of a bitch is enjoying his eternal sentence in hell.

So how exactly do ya go about trying to hunt two criminals down? I haven't had much luck with my searches so far. I've borrowed Miss Vanilla's laptop a few times and have scoped out the entire web for anything regarding Liam or Darryl. I haven't found out much of anything from the web. Guess Liam's father was a builder. I've seen a few articles about him, but how much good does that do me? Not much good. I don't give a damn about Liam's father. I just wanna know more about Liam and where I can go to find him!

All along, I've known that I'm gonna have to go back to Bryce's house unless its been locked up or barred off for bein' an official "crime scene". I've been holding off on this for obvious reasons. The sleazy part of town gives me the chills after what I saw the first time I stepped onto those crumbling streets. I don't wanna surround myself with druggies, drug dealers, drunkards, prostitutes, and criminals! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I have much of a choice. I wanna get revenge for Espio, don't I? Of course I do! That means that I'm goin' to the bad part of town.

...Argh, I really_ don't _wanna go back to Bryce's house and relive the memories of the hellish night I rescued Espio's corpse. I don't care what anyone says about him - Espio is a corpse and no more at this point. Don't care that he's gotten his memory back like Charmy says he has. Don't care that this new Espio wants to see me either. I want the old Espio, dammit, and only the old Espio will do!

I try to give myself a reality check. It's obvious that I'll never get the old Espio back no matter what I do, but I feel that getting revenge on Liam and Darryl is the right thing to do. My stomach tightens into a knot as I stare blankly at Miss Vanilla's antique coffee table. All I can see are those horrible scenes of Espio being beaten, drugged, and raped in my mind. All I can hear are his suppressed cries for help and his screams of pain that stab straight through my chest and into my heart.

This is all my fault really. If I had only not been so stubborn and sure that Espio had broken up with me for his own selfish reasons, I could have saved him sooner. Maybe I could have gotten to him before he had even been drugged. I could have saved Espio, but I didn't because I was the one bein' selfish and now I'm gonna have to live with that for the rest of my life.

"Vector, dear, are you alright?" Miss Vanilla's voice sounds from what seems like a long ways away.

I jerk myself out of my reveries and have to search deep down inside of myself to pull out my happy mask. I slam it onto my face and give Miss Vanilla a fake smile as I reply, "Yeah, just fine. Thanks for askin', ma'am. Is that one of yer delicious cakes I smell?"

Miss Vanilla blushes at my comment and nods, murmuring, "Yes, I tried to bake one of your favorite cake flavors. I hope you like this one. Are you quite sure that you're alright? You've been acting a bit...distant lately. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to help."

Oh geez, now even Miss Vanilla thinks I'm mad at her! I swear that nothing has gone right for me ever since the trial. Trying a little harder to make my smile genuine, I reply, "I'm good. Guess I've just had a lot on my mind lately. There's sumthin' I have to talk to yeh about."

The tightness in my stomach gets worse as I realize that there _is_ a conversation that I need to have with Miss Vanilla. I've been putting it off for a while now, but at this point, there's no more time to put it off. Espio is going to be released from the hospital tomorrow, and as much as I don't want to be the one who's gonna have to take care of him, the role of the sickly chameleon's caretaker has already fallen into my hands. Already Charmy is buggin' me about picking Espio up from the hospital tomorrow.

"Talk to me about whatever you like," Miss Vanilla says as she sits down on the couch next to me and places a hand on my knee.

"Espio is gonna be released from the hospital tomorrow," I state bluntly, not in the mood to beat around the bush. Hoping that Miss Vanilla isn't gonna get mad over this, I look up and hesitantly meet her eyes as I go on to explain, "I have to bring him back to his home tomorrow and I was thinking that I should probably stay there with him for a few days just to make sure that he's gonna be okay. It's not going to be for forever. It's just a temporary thing and I'll come and visit yeh during the day or during the night. Whatever ya want."

"Of course I understand that you will need to stay with Espio for a bit. That's quite alright," Miss Vanilla reassures me, not looking the least bit upset.

I sigh with relief and wish that everyone could be like Miss Vanilla. She's so relaxed when it comes to things like this. I know that a lot of other guys' girlfriends who would throw a fit if they were in Miss Vanilla's situation. Finally able to give the cream-colored rabbit facing me a true smile, I reply, "Thanks for understanding. Like I said, it won't be for forever."

This time, it's Miss Vanilla's turn to look a little nervous. She looks at her hands folded neatly in her lap and admits, "There is also something I wanted to talk to you about if you have a moment."

"I've definitely got a moment. In fact, I've got all afternoon," I reply, figuring that a long talk with Miss Vanilla will let me put off searchin' for Liam and Darryl until tomorrow. I really wanna teach 'em a lesson or two, but I'm not in any hurry to relive the nightmare of Bryce's beat up shack.

It takes Miss Vanilla a few minutes before she figures out what she wants to say to me. Choosing her words carefully, she murmurs, "Vector, I know that you had feelings for Espio before you thought he broke up with you. I know now that Espio only broke up with you to save you as you've told me a few times before. If you still find that you have feelings for Espio, I want you to know that I understand that. He was your first love and if you would like to get back with him, you need only tell me."

My mind spins as I register what Miss Vanilla is telling me. God, is she actually giving me permission to get back with Espio if I want to? She really is one-of-a-kind girlfriend. I'm surprised that she's not actin' all possessive of me or anything like that. I need to reassure her that I'll never dump her before she gets too worried.

"Don't ya worry, ma'am. I don't feel anything towards the new Espio. I don't love him at all. You've got nothin' ta be concerned about," I say fervently.

Looking a little caught off guard, Miss Vanilla replies, "I see. I didn't know that you felt so strongly about this."

"Yeah, well, the Espio I used to date is long gone. Bryce killed that Espio. The Espio who woke up in the hospital and didn't recognize me ain't the same one," I state a bit too harshly because now Miss Vanilla is givin' me a weird look.

"I know that Espio didn't recognize you right away, but Charmy told me that he has his memory back now. I'm certain that he will recognize you when you go to pick him up from the hospital tomorrow," Miss Vanilla says in what seems to be a reassuring voice. I don't feel reassured though.

"Either way, I'm not gettin' back with him - not now, not _ever_," I say with an edge of finality to my voice. Talkin' about Espio is still hard for me. Whenever I think of him, an all-consuming bitterness wells up inside of me. I can't seem to get rid of it until long after the subject changes.

At this point, Miss Vanilla is concerned. She frowns slightly and admits, "I know that you're upset at Bryce for what he did to Espio, but please don't take out your anger on Espio himself. Even if you don't love him anymore, he will still need your friendship and support. He's been through quite a lot. Oh! That must be the oven beeping. I really ought to go check on the cake."

As Miss Vanilla leaves the room, I find myself thinking hard about what she just said. Have I been punishing Espio for what Bryce did to him? I guess that I had never thought about it that way before, but if Miss Vanilla senses my attitude change towards Espio, it might be true. Before I can reflect on the situation any longer, the door to the house is flung open and Charmy comes whizzing inside. At first, I try not to see him, but that never works with Charmy. He's already in my face. Great. Better see what the kid wants.

"Wassup, Charm?" I ask, looking up at the little bee who is practically bobbing up and down with excitement in front of me.

"Espio is coming home tomorrow!" Charmy yells in my ear, reminding me of the exact thing I'm trying not to think of. Giving me a sharp look, Charmy adds, "You_ are_ going to come with me and pick Espio up from the hospital tomorrow, right? I told him that you would."

"Yeah, I'm comin' along. We're all gonna live at Espio's house for a little while until he's stable enough to live on his own. Then we'll come back here," I say, not sure if I'm saying this for Charmy's benefit or my own. Probably my own. As much as I try not to be, I'm kind of a selfish croc at times.

"Okay. Um, one more thing," Charmy adds, suddenly looking nervous. I raise an eyebrow and wait for him to say whatever it is he wants to say. Charmy goes on, "You need to act like you've been sick, okay? I needed something to tell Espio. You know, to explain why you weren't coming to visit him? So I told him that you've been sick."

"Argh, what did ya do that for?" I complain loudly. "Now I've gotta spend all of tomorrow faking coughs and a runny nose! Why didn't yeh just tell him what I told ya to tell him?"

"That you were busy?" Charmy asks dubiously, making me feel a little sheepish as he goes on, "Busy doing _what_ exactly, Vector? Sitting on the couch and staring blankly at the wall?"

"Okay, okay, I get yer point. I guess the sick excuse ain't so bad after all. We'll just say that I'm gettin' over my cold so I don't have to sniffle too much," I decide.

"Mhm," Charmy murmurs before he tilts his head at me in confusion. "I still don't get why you've been avoiding Espio. I don't get why you don't want to see him."

"It's...complicated," I say after a long moment's pause.

Truth be told, it actually is complicated. I don't wanna see Espio for a lot of reasons. The main one is because the Espio who woke up at the hospital didn't recognize me and wasn't my old Espio, the one I had loved and cared for more than anything else in the world. Yeah, Charmy says that Espio has gotten his memory back, but I'm not forgiving him for smiling at the nurse instead of at me when he first opened his eyes! The second reason is that I feel kind of awkward about Espio. I used ta think that I wanted Espio. Y'know, like sexually? I laugh at myself just thinking about that now. After watching Bryce's awful films, I've seen one too many shots of Espio's torn up private parts and mutilated scales. I can't look at him the same way I used to before the accident. Now I look at him and flinch.

"Why is it complicated?" Charmy presses me, never one to back down. Once he's interested in a subject, he pursues it until it's totally worn out. Needless to say, this drives me crazy.

"I dunno, kid! It's just hard to explain," I sigh, wishing that Charmy would go off and annoy someone else. "Doesn't Cream need someone to play with?"

"Probably," Charmy admits. "I'll go find her. Don't forget about tomorrow though! If you do, Espio will never forgive you and neither will I!"

My expression contorts as Charmy flies out of the room. How the hell can I not forget about tomorrow? I'm havin' a horrible time attempting to forget about it. It will be my first real interaction with the new Espio since he got his memory back. I wonder what it will be like talkin' with him and seein' him again after everything. Will it be like meeting a stranger for the first time? Only time will tell.

Light footsteps sound around the corner of the room. A moment later, Miss Vanilla reenters the living room with a generous piece of yellow cake oozing with icing on a plate for me. She hands the plate to me and says, "I hope you like this one! I tried a new recipe for the frosting."

I immediately grab the fork and take a big bite of cake, but I'm so distracted by the turmoil in my head that I can't really enjoy the cake. Not wanting Miss Vanilla to know this, I lie, "Wow, this is real good! I'd say that it's one of yer best cakes yet!"

"Why thank you, Vector!" Miss Vanilla beams, cheeks flushing just slightly. "What time are you leaving tomorrow to pick up Espio from the hospital?"

"Eh, sometime in the morning, I guess," I reply, wondering why everyone keeps bringing up the damn subject of Espio! After shoveling a few more bites of cake into my mouth, I add, "I'll probably have ta spend most of the day with him, but I'll come back here at night. Sound okay?"

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Miss Vanilla answers with an understanding nod. "Remember what I told you about your feelings for Espio though. I'm fine with whatever is best for you, dear. That's all I want."

* * *

_Hm, is it just me or does Vector seem to have fallen out of love with Espio to some extent? It's like he sees him as more of a rape victim than an ex-lover. Review please! :)  
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	152. Going Home

**Regular Sonic Fan: I know, Vector is being such an idiot right now! It's clear that Espio needs him and Vector just keeps on slighting him. Way to go Vector. x_x Haha, yeah, let's give the bitch a medal! You'd think that she wouldn't want to be in a relationship with Vector since she's second best, but apparently not. Vanilla just reminds me of a dumb blonde, you know? :P *hugs back* Wow, thanks a ton! I'm so glad that you like this story even better than books you've read! I'd love to write a book someday, but I don't think I'd be able to get it published. =/ I guess you're right; you do get used to getting up after a while, but still, it would be so hard at first. And omg, you pass out at school? Me too! I sleep during history. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Savvy0417: I agree with you one hundred percent! Girls always mature way more quickly than guys. I don't think that Vector has grown up even though he's twenty-one, what do you think? *rolls eyes at Vector*  
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**FullyEroded: Vector is definitely being a bastard, isn't he? =/ Poor Esp! And hehe, I call him purple all of the time too, so it's totally okay. xD Aw, it sounds like you're having a rough time! Good luck with those SATs! When are you taking them? Thanks so much for the cool stuff! They will help me to have a good day. I see what you're saying about Tails; we usually like the characters we can relate to best. I'm sorry that you get bullied. *hugs tight* I do too. =/ Good luck and have a good day!**

**Guest: I agree with you completely about Vector having an attitude change. He probably isn't acting like himself though due to everything that's gone on with him and Espio recently. Lol, funny that you mention that because I always thought of Vector and Espio as opposites. xD You're right though; if Vector keeps this up, he's going to end up drowning in his own misery. Thanks for reading!**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: *pulls you out of the corner* Hehe, it's okay, I've done that a few times before too. I agree with you about poor Espio. He's definitely going to get his fragile heart broken. Vector seems to have lost the ability to love at the moment. He's being all "tough croc" and can't seem to get his mind off of revenge. Why do I hate Vanilla? Probably because she just stands around and looks pretty with eyes her half-closed all of the time. I think that Vector isn't shallow enough to fall for someone just because of what they look like, you know? You should never cheat on someone without breaking up with them first imo. What religion are you if you don't mind me asking? Lol, sorry about scarring you for life with the Espio/Eggman thought there! Believe me, it gives me the creeps too. Ah, I guess that is kind of a minor detail. xD I failed all of my art classes. x_x I definitely understand why you'd be furious. I'd be really upset too. There's no need to feel ashamed. I think we all go through stages like that in our lives. At least you broke up with him and don't have to talk to him anymore. I read somewhere that nobody is one hundred percent straight or gay. I think that's true, you know? This generation is definitely superficial. I mean, you can't even be friends with people these days without meeting certain "expectations". I think that's why I spend most of my time online. You're not judged nearly as much online. Hehe, okay, I'll remember the pepper spray! Thank you so much for the hug! *huggles back* I need about a million hugs today. I have a lot of issues at home as you know. =/ Oh my god, I MUST see the Manourge picture! Please post it! I'm so excited for it. I definitely like the idea of Manic as Lars and Scourge as Kirk. Manic is a WAY better drummer than Lars though. :P  
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**TheMidnightShadow: Oh, awesome, so today is your birthday? Happy birthday to you then! I'm glad that you liked the chapter. And lol, you sound like me. I feel like I get more immature as I get older.  
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**Saints-Fan-12: You know, that's something that I've always wondered! Why aren't there any guy rabbits in the Sonic series? Espio needs Vector! Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
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**Chibi-Guest: Yes, that is sooooooo true! Vector just never changes. *shakes fist at Vector* Ooo, I want to go to Hawaii too! That's an awesome idea about coming up with a name for your own island. Aw, no, don't cry! *hands you a tissue* Any better now? I have some pets! I have four cats, three hermit crabs, a tortoise, and a snake. I love animals. Hopefully, you can get a pet soon! Thanks so much for hoping that my life gets better. I had a really bad day again today. I feel like I'm drowning in depression sometimes, you know? =/ And aw, thanks! *hugs back* I never thought that this story would end up being so long. xD Let's hope that Espy can talk some sense into Veccy!  
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**Toni the Mink: I agree with you; Vector is definitely acting like an idiot at this point. It definitely seems like he's fallen out of love with Espio. You'll see more of that in this chapter. How do you think that Espio will respond to the way Vector's treating him now? Do you think that he'll hook up with someone else? Thanks for the review!  
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**Spiiiii: Lol, yes, we shall call them "Jen's Tissues" and put pics of the Chaotix on them. xD I bet I could make a lot of money off of those. Anyway, Vector is being stupid and stubborn. *rolls eyes at Vector* Yeah...it's like he's forgotten that he actually dated Espio, you know? Maybe he has memory loss and should be the one in the hospital instead of Espio! Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Guest: I'm so glad to hear that you're still liking this story! That's great to hear as an author. I really hope that you keep liking the fic!  
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**Andypandy123: Getting Charmy to explain things to Vector is a good idea! Where is that hyperactive little bee? I don't seem to be making much progress with Vector over here. =/ I agree with you though, Espio has had enough crap in his life and Vector is just making his situation worse! Geez, Vector, stop being so selfish! Hope you like this chapter!  
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**AntauriSigma: Ah, I see what you're saying now. I admit that you're right; Vector is acting like Espio has changed dramatically even though he's the same guy. If this is all over the nurse, it is pretty stupid. Do you think that Vector will realize that Espio is the same guy once he picks him up from the hospital? Thanks for the review!  
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**LuluCalliope: I loved the last chapter! Bowser made his first appearance, woohoo! *parties* Uh oh, should I be scared about the games I'm going to get trapped in? :P Yay for Bowser rescuing me though! I feel like Princess Peach getting rescued by Bowser instead of Mario, hehe. Thanks for reading!  
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**AngelLux13: You weren't expecting that sort of reaction from Vanilla? :P What were you expecting from her? I have to admit that she's a little hard to get down personality-wise since she doesn't have a lot of lines in Sonic X. Anyway, Vector is getting a little annoying with the "old Espio" and "new Espio" crap. xD Do you think that he'll adjust his attitude after picking Espio up from the hospital? Let me know what you think of this chapter!  
**

**Alicia: *hugs tight* Love you too! Um...let's see, I can try to get on tonight. Yesterday was a really, REALLY shitty day for me.  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Vector is being such a selfish croc, isn't he? Did he actually say that he didn't love Espio in the last chapter? My god, I forget what I wrote in it. My memory is horrible! Okay, so maybe you do have a right to be nervous because I forgot how jerkish Vector acts in the next few chapters. Don't kill me! *hides under my desk* Yes, let's toss Vanilla into the swamp! She can float around in there for a while. Hehe, I dunno if naggy is a word or not, but jerkish isn't either. We should create our own dictionary! God, I hate it when youtube starts acting up, especially when I'm trying to watch something. It's the most annoying thing ever! Did you come up with a plot for your Sonknux story? I bet it will be really good. :) Oh my god, that sounds so scary about what happened with your friend earlier! People are so horrible these days. I can't believe someone screamed at her. =/ So she's okay now? That must have been so awful! Seeing something like that happen in real life is way different than seeing it in the movies, I agree. I kind of pass out a lot, yeah. I tend to hyperventilate and get panic attacks a LOT, so I end up fainting a lot. How about you? Thanks for reading! I hope you and your friend are both better now.  
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**Chapter CLII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I feel as if I've been waiting for this day for quite some time even though it's only been five days. I'm finally allowed to go home today. I didn't realize just how much I am looking forwards to sleeping in my own bed and walking around in my own room until this morning. Vector and Charmy will arrive to escort me home at any moment. Excitement and strange jolts of anxiety run through my veins. I'm excited for the obvious reason of getting to go home. There is a certain someone creating my anxiety though. Vector.

I know for a fact that he's been avoiding me. Charmy told me that he didn't come and visit me because he was sick. After my visit with Knuckles and Sonic, I learned that Vector has obviously not been sick. Something is off between us, but I'm unsure of what it is because I haven't been conscience around Vector except for the first time I opened my eyes and accidentally smiled at Patricia instead of at him, or so Charmy tells me. I don't even remember doing any of this, but if the little misunderstanding with Patricia is all that this is about, I will be very grateful.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this is all about me accidentally smiling at Patricia. I think that there's something else going on with Vector that Charmy isn't telling me. Uneasiness settles in the pit of my stomach as I remember how I told Charmy to tell Vector that I loved him in a message. I am not a sappy person by any means, but it hurt me somewhere deep inside when Vector didn't tell me that he loved me back in his message. At first, I assumed that this means that he doesn't want me anymore. However, after thinking about it all night, I've reached the conclusion that perhaps I'm just being paranoid. Today will finally give me all of the answers I've been craving for over the last few days. Today, I'll finally see Vector again.

The door to my hospital bedroom opens and I immediately jerk my head to the left, hoping to see Charmy or Vector. Instead of seeing a bright yellow and black bee or a scaly crocodile, I see a pretty hedgehog with curly hair. Patricia. Although I like Patricia, I can't help but feel disappointed that it's not my dysfunctional family entering the room instead.

"Today is a big day for you!" Patricia exclaims as she crosses the room and sits down in the chair besides my bed like usual. I notice a reminiscent spark in her eyes as she murmurs, "I'm really going to miss you, Espio. I've really enjoyed our time together although I'm of course very glad that you've recovered so well and can go home now."

"Thank you," I reply, inclining my head slightly. "My quick recovery is mostly due to you. I will be in your debt for a very long time."

I unintentionally cause Patricia to blush. She turns her head away from me, but not before I catch a glimpse of her poppy red cheeks. Patricia replies, "Oh, you don't need to say that! You're just too sweet! I always do my very best to help my patients. Just do me a favor and promise to stay in contact with me. I'd like to know how you're doing in a week or so."

"I will certainly try to do that. It's the least I can do," I nod firmly.

Patricia's eyes suddenly get watery and she hastily reaches for a tissue. Laughing shakily, she says, "Ah, look at me! What a mess I am getting all sentimental over you leaving. I'm sorry, I don't typically get like this when it's time for a patient to leave. I guess that I've just felt a special connection with you."

"Everything will be alright," I reply, reaching out and placing a hand on Patricia's slender wrist. "I will stay in contact with you."

Patricia nods and blows her nose with the tissue, trying and failing to stop crying as a loud bang sounds from across the room. The door is flung open and Charmy dives inside with a million dollar smile on his face. He wastes no time flying to my bed and then zooming around it in circles as he yells, "You're coming home today, Espio!"

"Yes, I am, Charmy," I nod, a smile turning up the corners of my mouth. My smile quickly dissolves when nobody follows Charmy into the room. "Is Vector coming?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. He's just being a slowpoke as usual," Charmy replies, rolling his eyes as he plummets straight down onto my bed and then flings his arms around me and snuggles into my chest as he goes on, "It's going to be so great to have you home again. I miss our story time, I miss our hugs, and I even miss your icky cooking!"

I chuckle and feign mock annoyance as I hug Charmy back and reply, "What? You don't like my cooking? Not even my green bean casserole?"

"Ew, I _hate_ the green bean casserole!" Charmy groans, causing me to roll my eyes. Looking up into my face, Charmy adds, "Of course, I would eat green bean casserole for every meal of the day if it meant you'd be home with me forever and ever though!"

"That's very nice of you to say," I murmur, feeling touched by Charmy's words. It's no secret that Charmy hates my cooking. Well, all of my cooking except for the sweets I bake for him and Vector on occasion. For the most part, I try to keep the three of us on a consistently healthy diet.

Loud footsteps sound outside of the room. I jerk my head towards the door in anticipation and feel butterflies rise up in my stomach. This has to be Vector. Charmy senses the way my body tenses up and also looks over his shoulder to see who's entered the room despite the fact that he still has his arms around my chest.

Thud, thud, thud. Finally, the figure of a large crocodile wearing headphones and a golden chain around his neck hesitantly tromps into the room. My heartbeats quicken as I see Vector again for the first time since the accident. I want to get up and run to him, but feel like that would not be appropriate to do under the circumstance. Vector plows across the room, but keeps his eyes on the ground. Only once he's standing next to the bed does he cast me a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes as he says, "Er, hey, Espio."

"Hello, Vector," I murmur, his name rolling like honey off of my tongue. I reach out slightly to try and bring him into the hug that Charmy and I are sharing, but Vector either doesn't notice my gesture or he purposefully takes a step to his right. I try to pass this off as a coincidence, but now it seems like I'm just trying to deny the truth. Speaking of the truth, what exactly_ is _the truth? Vector is clearly upset with me, but why?

An awkward silence falls between the two of us. Finally, Vector speaks up and says, "I bet yer ready to go home, huh? Do ya need me to give yeh a hand or can ya get up on yer own?"

Vector's question makes me cringe because I realize just how absent Vector has been in my life over the last week. Even Sonic and Knuckles know that I've been able to get up out of bed on my own for days now. Vector should have been the one by my side when I was first able to stand, but where was he? Certainly not here.

"I can stand on my own, but thank you," I reply politely, supposing I might as well follow Vector's lead for now and act slightly formal towards him.

"Alright then," Vector says, looking everywhere but at me as I slide back the blankets covering my body and drop my feet onto the floor. Although I'm not strong, I'm not weak either. Still not looking at me, Vector asks the wall, "So are we ready to leave then?"

"Yes, I suppose so," I nod, taking a step forwards and causing Vector to take a hasty step to his right as if he's afraid that I might touch him.

Before I can feel hurt about this, Patricia presses the bottle of pills she offered to me before into my hand and says, "Here, take these with you in case your depression gets worse. Sometimes we all need a little something to pick us up when we're feeling down. If you ever need anything at all, you know where to reach me."

"I do. Thank you again for everything. Goodbye," I tell Patricia with a warm smile before I follow Vector out of the hospital bedroom and into the hallway. When I turn out into the hallway, I find that Vector is already halfway down the hall. Turning to Charmy, I whisper, "Is Vector in a hurry to go somewhere?"

"I don't think so. See how he's acting weird?" Charmy whispers back. "He's been like this ever since you left. Will you find out what's wrong with him?"

"I will," I nod, making it my mission to figure out exactly what is going on with Vector by the end of the day. I need to know where we stand in terms of Team Chaotix, our friendship, and our relationship. Taking hold of Charmy's hand, I squeeze it affectionately as I pick up my pace and murmur, "Let's go."

Charmy and I finally catch up to Vector once we reach the hospital's waiting room. Vector pushes the door open and steps outside without a look behind himself at Charmy or me. I follow in his shadow, suddenly wondering if something is wrong with me. I do look a bit different. There are a few noticeable scars covering my scales and there are still the dirty remnants of Bryce and his "customers" all over my body. I've tried and tried to wash the filth off of me, but I'm still tainted. Vector can see that, can't he? Perhaps I'm just not good enough for him anymore.

Practically having to run, which is not at all good for my legs at this stage of my recovery, I fall into step with Vector and send him a long look from under my eyelids. Vector has his eyes closed and is bobbing his head up and down in time to his extremely loud music. In fact, it's so loud that I can hear it from where I'm walking by Vector's side. It's almost as if he's trying to forget that I'm here by turning up his music louder than usual. I may be wrong about this, but I feel a bit slighted. Vector hasn't seen me for weeks and he doesn't even want to talk to me?

"Vector?" I ask quietly. I get no reply since Vector can't hear anything but the music blaring in his ears. I try again and gently touch his wrist as I try again in a slightly louder voice, "Vector...?"

At my touch, Vector jerks his hand back from me as if he's been burned. Sharp vermilion eyes focus in on me as Vector turns down the volume of his music a few notches, asking, "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing me. You saved my life," I murmur simply, looking up at the crocodile with unguarded affection in my eyes. I can't seem to stay formal around him right now, not after being unable to see my lover for over a month.

Vector gulps either at my sentence or the look in my eyes before he replies almost awkwardly, "Yer welcome. Couldn't leave ya to die, could I?"

With that said, Vector turns up the volume to his music once again. It's even louder than before. Wondering what in the world is going on, I turn to Charmy flying to my left for help. Charmy shrugs his shoulders with a nonplussed look on his face and mouths to me when Vector's head is turned, "He's been like this ever since you left, but it's gotten worse."

I nod slowly, attempting to figure out what turned the usually noisy, talkative crocodile into the reptile I'm walking next to right now. Vector's attitude towards me is strange. He's never acted like this towards me before. Is it because I'm dirty in his eyes now? Does he see me as a worthless whore?

Just as I'm thinking all this, Vector sends me another sidelong stare out of the corner of his eyes. Since he's clearly not in a talking mood, I decide to try something else. I offer him a small, shy smile. Instead of returning it, Vector immediately looks downwards. Unperturbed, I reach out to him with my right hand, wanting to hold hands with him like we used to do. Vector was always the one to initiate hand holding, so I figure that he'll accept this little gesture of affection. He doesn't.

As soon as I reach out to him, Vector immediately pulls his hand away from me. I feel as if I've just been slapped in the face. Tears sting the corners of my eyes, but I am in public and will not be seen crying here. I blink the tears back resolutely and decide to let Vector have his way for now. We walk the rest of the way to the house in silence.

Finally, we reach my familiar little house, and despite my current mood, my heart lightens a bit just to see my cozy home. Charmy is glad to see me excited and grins, "Here we are!"

"Yes, home at last," I nod, reaching out enthusiastically and pulling the door to my home open.

The three of us step into the living room while I flick on the lights. Everything is just as I left it for the most part. The only difference is the fact that the doorknob is tarnished and a thick layer of dust coats the furniture. Oh my! I will certainly have to take care of these things very soon. There is simply nothing worse than a dirty house! Actually, that's not quite true. Not knowing why Vector isn't talking to me is the absolute worst thing. A dirty house is the second worse thing.

"It's so nice to be home, but it looks as if I'm going to have to make tomorrow a cleaning day," I point out to get Charmy used to the idea of cleaning tomorrow. "It will be so very nice to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"Mm," Vector nods absentmindedly before his eyes suddenly fly open and he looks like a guilty criminal caught red-handed at the scene of a crime as he turns and starts barreling down the hallway without much of an explanation. All he does is shout over his shoulder, "Er, right, the bed! I'll just go and change the sheets for ya!"

"I don't mind doing that..." I trail off since Vector is already gone. Apparently, it's going to be harder to get him to sit down and talk with me than I thought it was going to be.

* * *

_Lol, well, I think that we all know why Vector ran off to change the sheets, don't we? :P Do you think that Vector and Espio will actually talk in the next chapter or will Vector just keep on avoiding Esp? Review please! :)  
_


	153. Speaking Up

**Regular Sonic Fan: Hehe, no need to apologize, I swear all the time as you know. I'm with you though; what is up with that idiot croc? What will it take to get him to realize that Espio is the same dude he's always been and that he needs Vector right now? =/ It is nice that Espio is home though. Charmy is definitely glad about it, that's for sure. Oh my god, yes, Vanilla is just there to look pretty and have everyone feel sorry for her because she's a single mother. *rolls eyes* Wow, you really think so? You're definitely my best encourager, thanks so much for saying that! *hugs* Maybe I will try to write a book someday! Hehe, I pass out in math sometimes too. It's sooooo boring, isn't it? I'm...decent today. How about you? :) Thanks for reading!  
**

**Savvy0417: First of all, happy birthday to you! I hope that you had a super great birthday! How old are you turning? :) I'm glad that you thought the last chapter was heartwarming. This one is a bit more awkward because Espio and Vector finally chat. Hope you like it!  
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**PreyasRules: Omg, I hate it when someone updates when I'm trying to reply. :P That's so annoying, sorry about that! I agree, it's about time Vector and Espio finally see each other. Oh god, your iPod recognizes Vectilla but not Vecpio?! You definitely need a new iPod, that's for sure. *nods* Scottish fold cats are sooooo adorable. I want one now. Your Garfield kitty sounds so freaking adorable! I want to see a video of him spazzing out. xD Snakes are really great pets! Roxy's tongue always tickles my skin whenever she's coiling around my arm. I wish I could show you a pic or her or something. Little Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf is my fave. I frigging loved that fairytale as a kid and I still love it now, but for different reasons. And omg, I read a book about a student who had sex with a teacher. It was an interesting book to say the least. :P Lol, it would be nice if there was a lemon in this chapter, but Esp just got out of the hospital and he probably still has a slight aversion to sex. Plus, Vector needs to break up with a certain someone before he sleeps with Espio, you know? Thanks for reading!  
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**TheMidnightShadow: No problem! Did you end up having a nice birthday, I hope? :) Haha, that would make a lot of sense. I worry about life being too short all the time (I guess that's one sign that I'm getting old xD).  
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**Guest: I love how your predictions are always so accurate. xD I agree that Espio will definitely try to corner Vector and make him talk before the night is over. And yeah, Vector had better get rid of the videotape before it scars someone for life. How do you think Espio would react if he knew that Vector had seen the tape? Thanks for reading!**

**FullyEroded: Vector definitely needs to get taught a lesson or two, I agree! It's such a shame that people are bullied for stupid things. In my opinion, it's usually the nicest people who get bullied. I understand the fights with your dad issue. I have constant fights with my parents too. =/ Can't live without them until we're 18 unfortunately (but maybe you are 18? I don't know, lol). Good luck with your SATs once again! When I took them, I had to do the whole thing in one day, ugh. Hope you're feeling better soon!**

**Saints-Fan-12: You'll get your wish in this chapter! Vector and Espio will finally chat. :D Thanks for the review!  
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**Spiiiii: Yeah, you're right, Vector is going to want to put off the conversation for as long as possible knowing him. Surprisingly enough, it's Charmy that gets Vector to talk, not Espio. Weird, huh? And hehe, I am soooooo making Chaotix tissues then. I'd probably be using half of the supply myself though since I go through a box of tissues a day literally. Ikr? Vector is acting like Espio is ugly now or something. Bad Veccy needs to go to a place for mental people...er, crocs! xD Thanks for reading!  
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**Andypandy123: I think that I can manage while you go find him, just don't take too long! Vector is hard to control. And ikr? He's making the situation so much worse. He should just talk to Espio, shouldn't he? Thanks for the review!  
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**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Haha, you're right, Vector is being a total idiot right now. Imagine what it would have been like for Espio to find the sheets smelling like sex and sweat and all that. =/ I agree with you; he does trust Vector way too much. In fact, he's going to get his little heart broken because of it in this chapter. How do you think Espio will react when he finds out that Vector actually slept with Vanilla? Ooo, nice prediction there! It's just like Vector to run off to Vanilla's place when things aren't going his way. *rolls eyes at Vector* Oh god, if Vanilla was a playable character in Sonic Heroes 2, blood would have to be spilled! xD What do you think of Sonic Heroes, btw? It's one of my favorite Sonic games. I sort of assumed that you're Christian based on some of the things you've said, but I didn't want to say that until you told me, lol. I'm agnostic. And yeah, you're totally right about this generation. Sometimes I wish that I lived in a different generation, but if I did, I wouldn't have super speedy internet access and I couldn't live without that, you know. xD How about you, do you ever wish that? Awesome, I am so excited to see your picture! *jumps up and down in excitement* I love that idea, I can see all of those Sonic members taking on the Metallica member's roles. Oh god, yes, I've seen those pictures! They're...uh...interesting. I remember listening to an interview where Lars says that he finds Dave Mustaine, Metallica's ex-guitarist, attractive. Lars seems gay to me, but who knows? :P Well, Manic's got all of those superpowers, so he's the best drummer ever imo. Plus, I'm not such a big Lars fan, lol. Thanks so much for the hug and for the luck! *hugs back tightly* Did you have a nice day? :)**

**LuluCalliope: I wanna know about the games I'm getting trapped in! Are they real games? If they are, what are they called? I wanna look them up. xD And hehe, I feel like a damsel in distress in real life too. I just, uh, don't look like Peach at all and I'm no princess. Thanks for reading!  
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**AngelLux13: Yeah, it's really nice that Espio is finally home again, isn't it? That's got to be a relief for him. I agree with you about Vector though! He needs to talk to Espio and the sooner, the better. In fact, they're going to end up having "the talk" in this chapter. Hope you like it!  
**

**Alicia: Alrighty. I'll talk to you then. *huggles*  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, you would definitely think that Vector could at least attempt to talk to Espio, wouldn't you? Apparently not though! D: He's got that "new Espio" and "old Espio" idea glued to the front of his brain or something, stupid croc. And ah, I think I remember writing that now. Stupid Vector had to go and fall out of love with Esp. =/ I like our new dictionary already! I'm adding all of my substitute swear words to our dictionary too, hehe. Oh my god, I have to admit that I start giggling at the computer over the "plants with faces" thing. xD I have a list of story ideas and sometimes I'll click on them and have no clue what I'm describing or where I was trying to go with the ideas. I'll just be like "Ooooookay then.." *hits delete button* Exactly! It is definitely not your fault if you're claustrophobic. People are such jerks these days. Do they not understand the meaning of thoughtfulness and sympathy or what? =/ It's good that she went to the doctor today just to make sure that things are okay. Ow, that must have hurt a lot getting kicked in the face during soccer! No wonder you passed out! Do you think that the girl from the other team really couldn't stop or not? x_x There are more mean people than nice people these days, I think. I'm glad that both of you are okay now though! Thanks for reading. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter CLIII  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

Deciding that now might be a good time to try and talk to Vector alone, I turn to Charmy and whisper, "I'm going to go see if I can find out what's wrong with Vector. Would you mind playing your video game for a bit? I promise to come sit with you after talking with Vector."

"Aw, okay," Charmy replies, looking a little disappointed. He perks up and asks, "Can we have pizza for dinner tonight to celebrate you coming back home? Oh, and can we please read that awesome ninja book tonight? I've been wondering about what's going to happen in it next for over a month now. I almost had Cream's mom read it to me, but nobody reads like you do."

Charmy's compliment lightens my mood. I find myself nodding as I reply, "Alright, we can have pizza for dinner tonight, but tomorrow we will have some veggies. I have a feeling that Vector has been giving you mostly junk food while I've been gone. And yes, I will read to you for as long as you like tonight. I will be back in just a few minutes if all goes well."

I give Charmy a light kiss on the forehead and watch him fly off to the couch before whipping out his video game controller and turning on the TV. Everything feels so very normal here except for Vector. Charmy is acting exactly the same as he acted before the predicament with Bryce, the house is same give or take a bit of dust, and even the kitchen looks untouched. Determined to find out what's going on with Vector and why he became so jumpy at the mention of my bedroom, I slip down the hallway and crack the door open before joining Vector in the darkened room. He hasn't even bothered to turn on the lights. Instead, he's rapidly stripping the bed of the sheets as if there is a stain on them.

"I can take care of my own sheets, you know," I tell Vector quietly as I come to stand behind him.

Vector jumps about a foot into the air at my voice, but doesn't stop his work as he turns his head towards me and laughs uneasily, replying, "Yeah, but yer still sick and I'm just doin' my job by helpin' ya out. There's nothing worse than a dirty bed, huh? ...Not like the bed is dirty or anything, of course!"

"Right," I reply since I have no idea why Vector is babbling on like this. I suppose it's an improvement from the way he was acting towards me earlier. It was about impossible to get a word out of him then. Still, I know that Vector is trying to hide something from me because he only yammers on and on when he's keeping a secret. Taking another step forwards, I ask, "Are you hiding something from me, Vector? Can we please sit down and talk? I've missed you and-"

"Me? Hiding sumthin'? Geez, Espio, it's like ya don't even know me anymore! 'Course, ya probably don't since yer not the real Espio anyway," Vector completely cuts me off as he yanks the sheets off of the bed almost aggressively and tosses them into a haphazard pile on the floor. As if worried that I will pick them up, Vector kicks them to the right just out of my reach.

"Vector, I'm the same Espio I was before the accident. Nothing has changed. I apologize for not remembering anything when I was first brought to the hospital. The drug I was given was quite strong. I remember everything perfectly fine now though. Nothing is different about me. I still love you and-" I try to explain before Vector interrupts me again.

"Yeah, yeah, I know yer still the same. It was stupid of me to say that," Vector says, scooping up the sheets and sidestepping me as he walks out of the room and calls over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go wash these up for ya so yeh can have some nice, clean sheets tonight."

I don't typically get frustrated quickly, but right now, I am feeling quite frustrated. Why does Vector keep cutting me off? He's being impossible to talk to! How can I try and hold a conversation with someone who refuses to let me finish my sentences? Sighing, I lean against the doorway of my bedroom for a few moments before I slowly step back into the living room. Charmy is playing his video game and has his eyes glued to the TV. Vector is still absent, most likely throwing the sheets into the washer for god-knows-why reasons. It's not like Vector to be so concerned about clean sheets. Since when has the messy crocodile ever cared about cleanliness? Something strange is certainly going on here.

Unsure what else to do about Vector at this point, I drag my feet over to the couch and sit besides Charmy while he plays his video game. At this point, my legs are tired from trying to chase Vector around all day. I wish he would just talk to me and tell me what's going on. I hate silly games like this. If something is wrong, shouldn't we just talk about it?

Charmy finishes the level of his video game with a triumphant grin before he turns to me and whispers in a furtive voice, "Did you talk to Vector?"

"I_ tried_ to talk to Vector," I emphasize, sighing loudly. "He didn't seem like he was in much of a talking mood though. I will try talking to him more tomorrow."

"Hm. Maybe having pizza for dinner will get him into a better mood," Charmy whispers as Vector tromps back into the room, arms free of dirty laundry. Shouting across the room, Charmy calls to Vector, "Hey Vector, Espio says that we can have pizza for dinner tonight! I love pizza, don't you?"

"'Course I love pizza! Who doesn't love pizza?" Vector asks as he heads straight to the kitchen, adding, "I'll go preheat the oven!"

My legs are weak and I don't feel like dragging myself around any longer, but this opportunity is too perfect to pass up. I turn to Charmy and force myself to my feet as I whisper to him, "I'm going to try and talk to Vector one more time. Let's cross our fingers that he feels like talking."

Charmy crosses both fingers, his arms, and his legs. He ends up giggling and I crack a smile at his silly antics despite the fact that I'm quite preoccupied right now. I trudge along to the kitchen, step inside, and watch Vector tug the frozen pizza out of the pizza box.

Deciding to take an indirect approach to this, I ask softly, "May I help you?"

At the sound of my voice, Vector's head immediately jolts up and he looks alarmed to see me in the kitchen. Frowning, he shakes his head and says, "I can handle it. I'm a perfectly capable ol' croc. Yeh need to go sit yerself down somewhere. The doctor told ya to take it easy, remember?"

Vector takes hold of my wrist and practically tows me out of the kitchen and back to the living room. He pulls out a wooden chair at the table for me to sit at and then immediately turns and tromps right back to the kitchen without another word to me. I chew my lip and don't bother to get up and follow him this time. At this point, I'm exhausted through and through.

Dinner ends up being extremely awkward. About thirty minutes later, the pizza has been cooked and the house smells of tomato sauce. Vector makes quite a bit of noise in the kitchen while he slaps pizza slices onto plates and grabs napkins from underneath the sink. I cringe at every loud noise, thinking that he's going to break something sooner or later. However, by some miracle, Vector manages to get dinner dished up without breaking any dishes.

"CHARMY, TIME FOR DINNER!" Vector yells as he sets plates of pizza down on the table before taking a seat to my right.

"Thank you for getting dinner prepared for us," I tell Vector in a tired voice.

"Yer welcome," Vector says, not looking at me but at something to my right. I tilt my head in that direction to see what he's looking at, but see nothing but the wall.

The awkwardness between Vector and me grows over the course of dinner. It could have been a normal dinner if it wasn't so obvious that Vector keeps avoiding looking at me or talking to me. Charmy makes a few half-hearted attempts to get us all to join into a conversation, but eventually gives up when it becomes clear that Vector is more interested in stuffing his mouth with pizza than in talking to Charmy and me. Finally, at the very end of the meal, Vector finally decides to talk to the wall just to the right of my head.

"I'm gonna go out for the night. Yer gonna be alright by yerself here, aren't ya? You've got clean sheets and everything else yeh might need," Vector points out, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

I blink over at Vector in complete surprise. In all the time that I've known him, Vector has never gone out at night before. Giving him a confused glance, I reply, "Yes, I'll be just fine on my own. Where are you going though? It can be dangerous to go out at night."

"Uh..." Vector stammers, looking like he's searching his head wildly for an excuse of where he might be going.

"You're going to Cream's mom's house again, aren't you?" Charmy says loudly from next to me. He gives Vector an annoyed look and adds, "I thought you said you wouldn't go over there once Espio came home!"

"_Charmy!_" Vector snaps at the little bee as his cheeks turn bright red and he sends a nervous look at me out of the corner of his eyes.

It takes my fatigued mind a few moments to figure out exactly what is going on here. Vector is going to Cream's mother's house for the night. That would be Vanilla's house. Vector wouldn't be going over there at this time of night unless...oh my...

"You're spending the night at Vanilla's house?" I ask, my voice sounding broken even to my own ears. I meet Vector's eyes and murmur his name, my voice sounding like more of a plea than anything else as I ask, "V-vector...?"

"Er, yeah. Um, guess we do need to talk, Espio," Vector says, getting to his feet abruptly without even bothering to finish his pizza. He waves me after him and starts down the hallway to my bedroom, which seems to be the place we always go when we need to have a serious conversation.

At this point, I'm not so sure that I want to follow Vector to the bedroom. I sit where I am completely stunned. Everything is suddenly falling into place. Vector must have gotten back together with Vanilla as soon as I broke up with him. I can't blame him for this, but I feel a wave of hurt flow through me. How many days did it take Vector to get over me before running off to Vanilla? One? Two?

Figuring I might as well get this cleared up while Vector is out of the room, I turn my gaze to Charmy and say in a knowing voice, "Vector is dating Vanilla again, isn't he?"

Charmy looks down and doesn't reply right away. His expression is enough to tell me all I need to know. Finally, Charmy says, "I think you should talk to Vector about it."

Charmy is right; I _should_ talk to Vector about it. Why does it suddenly seem so much harder to get to my feet and take the few steps down the hallway to my bedroom though? I try and tell myself that this situation is my fault. After all, what exactly had I been expecting? Vector to welcome me back home with open arms? I've been an idiot. Of course Vector wouldn't be able to stay single for over a month. It's selfish of me to have automatically assumed that he would save himself for me after I broke up with him over the phone. I lost Vector to save him from Bryce.

Finally, the bedroom comes into sight. Panting slightly, I step through the doorway and lean against the wall before turning my eyes to the crocodile pacing back and forth along the opposite side of the room. Vector's footsteps come to a halt and he comes to a stop and looks me full in the face for the first time tonight. Only inches separate us and my pulse immediately picks up speed at the closeness between us. What I want more than anything else are Vector's arms around me and his lips at my ear, whispering how he still loves me despite the many roles I had to play for Bryce. Of course, this isn't going to happen though. I may never be embraced by Vector again.

_ Stay strong_, I tell myself. _ You're not weak. You can stay standing through all this and not make more of a fool of yourself._

A strange expression crosses Vector's face as he takes a deep breath and says all in a rush, "Look, Espio, you broke up with me on the phone and I didn't know ya were in trouble. I hooked back up with Miss Vanilla because I was lonely and needed someone to talk to. I didn't realize ya were in trouble until a lot later. It's my fault yeh got drugged up. If I had saved ya earlier, none of this crap would have happened."

"No, Vector, it isn't your fault," I reply quietly, forcing my voice not to quake. "I should have assumed that you would go back to Vanilla. I broke up with you to save you though. You do realize that, right?"

"Mhm," Vector says, fiddling with his hands uncomfortably as he adds quickly as if he's trying to hurry and get this conversation over with, "So yer alright with Miss Vanilla and me bein' a couple now? Ya don't mind or anything? I mean, it's not like you'd want anyone touching ya now anyway. Besides, I know yeh can find a date real easy. That Patricia from the hospital has a thing for ya."

I am having a very difficult time wrapping my head around all this. Vector is just going to throw away everything we ever had together and I have no choice but to go along with it. My heart is shattering in my chest, yet, what can I say when I was the one who broke up with Vector?

"I will be alright with it, yes. It's your decision to make, not mine," I reply in a voice that lets Vector know that this is his choice and that I still love him. Something he said a few minutes ago is still bothering me. I reach forwards and place a tentative hand on Vector's hard, scaly chest before I add, "Just because I was abused doesn't mean I'm soulless. I still have feelings."

For once, Vector doesn't jerk away from my touch. What he does do, however, is avoid my eyes again. I know that my words are falling against deaf ears. Vector has decided that he wants Vanilla over me. I should be alright with this. Yet, I'm not. I know it would be wrong of me to ask Vector to break up with Vanilla to be my partner again, but I can't help but want that. Vector's love was the thing that always used to heal me, especially when I was getting over Bryce's abuse the first time around.

Suddenly, I realize that Vector's uncomfortableness isn't just because we're no longer a couple. Frowning, I stare up into his eyes that are unwilling to meet mine and ask quietly, "Why can't you look at me anymore?"

* * *

_Well, I guess that wasn't too messy of a break up. Still, Espio's heart is broken and Vector is acting "off". Any predictions regarding why Vector can't look at Espio anymore? Review please! :)  
_


	154. Unknown Destination

**Regular Sonic Fan: Aw, don't cry! *hands you some tissues* Vector is being selfish again though, isn't he? You'd think that he could at least act respectful towards Espio, but apparently not. I'm glad that you still liked the chapter despite the drama though. Oh god, exactly! I mean, even Cream tries to get away from Vanilla for long periods of time during Sonic X! xD That's kind of funny now that I think about it. Aw, you'd be the first one to read my book if I ever get one published? That is sooooooooo sweet of you! *hugs tightly* I'll be the first to read your book too - I know you'll write one someday. :) Same here! School is so boring that it's hard to stay awake during, don't you think? :P I'm sorry that you're tired! I'm really tired too. I was up to 5:30 watching a TV show last night, so I got like one hour of sleep and now my head is spinning. x_x Thanks for reading!  
**

**Savvy0417: You're so welcome! Did you have a nice birthday, I hope? Ah, 15 is cool! I feel so sorry for Espio too. You'd think that Vector could at least treat him decently, but he's acting like Espio's dirt. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Guest: Hehe, well, the breakup went fairly clean because it was Vector breaking up with Espio. If Espio had tried to break up with Vector, there would have been hell. xD That's true; Vector had better keep his big mouth shut at this point before he says anything more hurtful to Esp. They broke up, Espio's okay with it, but now Vector needs to learn not to be rude. Thanks for reading!**

**FullyEroded: Wow, you're only 13, huh? I guess I really do suck at predicting ages. :P Woo, yay for yaoi fans! *high fives you* You have dark green eyes? I'm super jealous! I have blue, but I've always wanted green. Haha, Vector is getting on my nerves too. It's about time he runs off to Miss Vanilla's before I personally take him over there myself before he hurts Espio worse. I share your dislike for Tails/Cosmo. Cosmo always seemed like a Mary Sue to me. I kinda prefer Fiona with Scourge over Tails because she's like 18 and Tails is 13, right? Thanks for reading! :D**

**PreyasRules: Oh damn, well, that might take a lot of work if you do happen to get a new iPod. I hate transferring stuff, don't you? It's like...so much work. *gets tired thinking about it* If I'm not the definition of lazy, then I don't know what is. Sky sounds so frigging adorable though! I like cats with attitudes. :P My cats get like that too if their food bowl is empty. They just sit by it and meow, meow, and meow until you get them more food. Lol, the book is called Impulse. I dunno if you'd like it though...it's about three people who are in therapy for suicide (yeah, I read weird shit). Woo, yes, let's kill Vanilla! *grabs gun* She deserves a nice, slow death. Those are all good predictions! Basically, Vector can't look at Espio anymore without thinking about that stupid videotape he watched, so that's why he's avoiding looking him in the eyes. Thanks for the review!**

**Chibi-Guest: Exactly! It's all Miss Vanilla's fault, isn't it? I knew there was a reason behind why I hate her so much. D: Animals are great, aren't they? I love having pets. Aw, is your mom afraid of snakes? My mom doesn't like them, but I guess she's used to Roxy (my snake) by now. Aw man, I hate it when people steal my stuff! *hugs you* Today was so-so. I'm extremely exhausted though. Like the letters on the computer screen keep blurring in front of me. Does that ever happen to you? And aw, you're sweet. Writing is the only thing I'm semi-good at though, so you don't have much to be jealous of.  
**

**TheMidnightShadow: You're very welcome! I'm so glad that you had a nice one. How old are you now if you don't mind my asking? My birthday is in the summer. It seems like forever from now. :P  
**

**Toni the Mink: Yeah, let's give Esp some credit for being consistent and finally getting Vector to talk to him at the very least. You're right, Vector should just tell Espio that he slept with Vanilla before Espio finds out on his own (which he eventually will, of course). I think that Vector's not taking him back because of everything he saw on that stupid videotape, you know? It's kind of scarred his view of Esp. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Well, they show that Vector has a crush on Vanilla in Sonic X, but is seems pretty one-sided if you ask me. I dunno why it's considered canon by so many people either. =/ Thanks for the review!  
**

**Alethe-Hedgefox84: Haha, same thoughts about Vector over here! *gives you a pizza* Maybe this will help? That's true; it probably doesn't make much of a difference to Espio just what Vector is doing with Vanilla now that Vector's made it clear that it's over between them. He'll find out the complete truth very soon though. Which team do you like to play with when playing Sonic Heroes? I always use Team Chaotix. :P That doesn't sound weird about Sonic Unleashed at all! You know me, I think that Scourge is pretty sexy, hehe. xD Hm...okay, I no longer want to live in the 80s. I'm not much of a gamer, but I seriously can't imagine living without the internet. *hugs the computer close to me* How about you? I'm a technology addict, I guess. That doesn't surprise me about Lars getting married so many times. And ikr? He has bad taste. Let me know if you watch the video! My day was so-so. I found a TV series I'm totally addicted to now, so that was cool. I still feel kind of sick though and I'm exhausted! My vision keeps blurring...it's kind of weird. Aw man, it sounds like you had an awful day! *hugs tight* I completely understand how you just want things to go back to the way they used to be between you and your friend. It's so stupid of him not to want to be your friend because of his girlfriend or other friends. =/ You're not too weird to have friends! *huggles* It's just that there aren't many people worth being friends with in middle and high school because people are so immature. You'll find more friends as you get older, I promise! To be quite honest, I don't have even one irl friend. **

**Spiiiii: Lol, usually it's a good thing for people not to blab, but in Charmy's case, it comes in handy, don't you think? *makes tissues right now and sends you a big supply* How's that? :P True, that's probably why Vector can't look at Espio. Either that or he's been scarred for life from the rape video, you know? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Andypandy123: Vector is definitely the world's most selfish croc! I think that I'm going to crazy too. We should start calling the team "Crazy Chaotix". It fits, you know? :P I'll help you comfort Esp. Vector needs some time alone with his thoughts. :P Thanks for the review!  
**

**LuluCalliope: Thanks for the sneak peek! You know me, I love sneak peeks, they're my absolute fave. :D You know reverse psychology? You keep telling me not to look up the games and I have to look them up now! Btw, don't worry too much. I just watched a very disturbing film and I didn't get nightmares from it, so I should be fine.  
**

**AngelLux13: That's a good question! It seems like Team Chaotix is slowly falling apart now, doesn't it? *sighs* Do you think that Vector will change his mind and go back to Espio or will he stick with Vanilla? Thanks for the review!  
**

**Alicia: I'm through episode three now. I would've watched more, but it was 5:30 and I figured that I should get at least an hour of sleep. I hate blondie now though! She's acting like a bitch towards her brother. =/  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Lol, exactly! If that wasn't a hint about what's wrong with the bed, then I don't know what is. :P Vector is so terrible at acting inconspicuous. And exactly, that comment about Espio not being the "real Espio" was pretty rude. You should never say anything like that to someone. Oh my god, yay, that is so awesome that your laptop works again! I couldn't survive if my laptop wasn't working. I would seriously die. x_x I think you should post that story about Sonic and Shadow. It sounds really deep, especially if it made you tear up! Don't read it if you're in a depressed mood though. *gives you a comforting hug* I've actually cried while writing before. I'm way too sentimental and get into my stories too much. Your St. Patrick's Day one-shot sounds cute! Think that you'll ever post it? That is so true; you should never push or shove someone who's sick. That's just not right. My god, I'm so surprised that the teachers didn't stop the singing after she passed out! That's not right at all either. I would have refused to participate after that too. You made the right choice. *high fives you* It's always best to stick up for our friends. Ouch, that must've killed! I completely understand where you're coming from. I don't get why some people just automatically don't like us. It's so stupid, isn't it? I remember that I joined the swim team when I was 12 and there was a girl there who hated me from the first day I joined. I was like, "Whatever did I do to you?", you know? =/ Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter CLIV  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

A strange invisible wall seems to hang between Vector and me. The tension between us is so thick that it could be cut with a knife. As much as it hurts me, I need to accept the fact that Vector has moved on to Vanilla. It is truly my fault since I was the one who broke up with Vector in the first place even if it was to save him from Bryce's wrath. For some reason, I had never once thought of the possibility of Vector and Vanilla getting back together until it happened to be staring me right in the face though. I need to just take a deep breath, steady myself, and accept what I've just been told.

Even if Vector won't be my lover anymore, I still want us to be friends. Why is Vector refusing to look at me? Either I am still slightly drugged or I am too exhausted to think because the answer does not come to me. I stare up at Vector imploringly, hand still placed on his chest. I can feel the soft beating of his heart beneath the hard bright green scales.

"Vector, look at me," I plead, wanting to be looked at as a person and not be avoided like a germ Vector seems to be afraid of catching.

Slowly, Vector turns his bright vermilion eyes onto me. What I see in them shocks me and causes me to take a step backwards into the wall. Horror, disgust, and a mix of other emotions I haven't seen before cloud Vector's eyes as he stares at me. The love and affection that used to pour from those eyes is gone. I can't help but wonder why until I suddenly have an idea. Just how much did Vector see that night he saved me from Bryce's cruel clutches? Did he just find me lying on my bed or did he find me in a worse situation?

"What was it like when you rescued me? What was _I_ like?" I emphasize, wondering if some old image of me is warping Vector's mostly innocent up-until-this-point mind.

...Alright, perhaps Vector has never been "innocent". I know just how much he likes his pornography films and magazines, but as far as torture and humiliation go, I think Vector is a novice. Nobody knows the definition of sadism until they've met Bryce. He brings a whole new meaning to the word altogether.

"Why does it matter to ya? Why do yeh care?" Vector asks, eyes on the wall just to the right of my head instead of at me again.

The answer that greets my ears makes my stomach flip flop. If Vector won't tell me how he found me, the situation must have been worse than I thought. Taking a deep breath, I take another step forwards towards Vector and place my other hand on his chest as well. This time, the crocodile flinches, but doesn't pull away. He knows how dirty I am. He knows exactly how low I had to take myself while I fell deeper and deeper into Bryce's plans. This is why Vector won't look at me. I'm too beneath him for him to even look me in the eye now.

"I'm sorry you had to see whatever you saw that night. I cannot apologize enough times for all the problems I've caused for you and Charmy," I murmur, hanging my head sadly.

"Yeah, well, what's done is done, but most guys shouldn't have to witness their best friends bein' raped," Vector suddenly spills, his fists clenching at the thought. I stiffen, but don't move back, wondering if his fist is meant for me or for Bryce. Vector's eyes narrow into slits, "Yeh don't know what it was like that night, how ya looked, what they had done to yeh..."

"I am very sorry. I wish that this had never happened. Please listen to me though. I'm still the same person inside. I may look a bit different on the outside, but inside I'm the exact same," I try to explain to Vector since it's clear he knows just how tainted my scales have become.

"No, Espio, yer not the same," Vector shakes his head violently as if he's trying to convince himself of this for some strange reason. "Yer just not the same."

"Why?" I question quietly, needing to know the answer because it will clearly tell me whether or not things will ever be the same between Vector and me again. "Is it because I was raped? I...I didn't think that would make a difference to you. It didn't seem to bother you before."

"It's different now though. Bryce killed yer senses! When I found yeh, ya were nothin' more than a soulless body," Vector flinches before he takes a step away from me and looks at the wall without really seeing it. "Look, it's gotten late. I've gotta go. If ya need anything, yeh know Miss Vanilla's number."

With that said, Vector tromps out of the droom and lets the bedroom door fall shut behind him with a loud bang. I lean against the wall for a long moment, close my eyes, and will myself to stay strong. Of course someone would see me for what I truly am now - pathetic, dirty, worthless. Why did it have to be Vector though? Everyone else seems to have forgiven me even under the circumstances. Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic are all aware of what happened to me, yet, they still treat me just like they did before the accident. So why did it have to be Vector to realize the truth?

Exhausted from following Vector around all day, my knees abruptly give way and I topple onto the ground, hitting my head on the floor with a thud. Everything spins for a long moment. During that short period of time, my head goes blank. I can't feel the hurt welling up inside of me and I forget that I'm worthless in Vector's eyes. Then the world steadies itself and every hurtful word Vector just said to me comes flooding back into my mind. He hadn't been directly cruel to me, but he had been truthful. I am not worth knowing or loving now. Slaves don't deserve love nor do whores. What was I? Both?

I stay on the floor for a long time before I remember that Charmy is waiting for me in the other room and most likely still wants me to read his storybook to him. Bracing myself, I grip the edge of my nightstand and use it to pull myself to my feet. As I stand, my hand brushes up against something and knocks it over. It's a little cylinder container. Oh yes, it's the pill bottle Patricia gave me.

I start to take one step away from the nightstand before I turn back to it. What did Patricia say that the pills were for again? Depression. Well, if I don't feel depressed now, then I don't know what depression is. I absentmindedly uncap the bottle and carefully place one pill on my tongue. Patricia said to only take one, but under the circumstance, I think that I could really use two. I add one more pill onto my tongue before swallowing them. Now all I can do is pray to the spirits that my voice won't tremble while I'm trying to read to Charmy.

Forcing myself to act as if nothing has happened, I hold my head high and stagger weakly back into the living room. The lights are out and I assume that Charmy is already waiting for me in his bedroom. I cross the door, crack it open, and find the little bee already snuggled up in bed with the storybook on his lap.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, Charmy," I apologize, feeling like all I'm ever doing these days is apologizing. I must be an awful person.

"Don't worry about it," Charmy dismisses my words before pointing to an empty spot on the bed besides him. As I sit down, Charmy looks up at me hopefully and asks, "Did you talk to Vector?"

"I did," I admit, taking a deep breath as I figure that I ought to be the one to tell Charmy how things are going to be from now on. Vector isn't very good at explaining situations, especially with that temper of his. Squeezing Charmy's hand more for my own reassurance than for his, I add, "Vector is going to continue dating Vanilla for a while. Of course you're more than welcome to continue living here with me though. I don't know when Vector will move in with Vanilla, but I assume that it will be soon."

"I'm never leaving you! I love you, Espio!" Charmy replies emphatically, throwing his arms around my chest and holding me tightly until my ribs ache. Despite the ache, the hug makes me feel better. Getting a puzzled look on his face, Charmy adds, "I don't know what's wrong with Vector! I know that he loves you."

"No, I don't think that he does anymore," I admit the hard truth to myself, feeling the broken bits of my heart crumble into smaller pieces.

"Of course he does!" Charmy frowns. "I _know_ he does! Why wouldn't he? Because of your accident? That's stupid."

"It's really not that stupid. I did break up with Vector to keep him from getting into trouble. Do you remember that? When I left the two of you for a while, I did that to keep you and Vector safe. There was a...bad person who might have tried to hurt you. It's not Vector's fault that he decided to get into a relationship with Vanilla. We need to accept this and move on without complaint. My only wish is that Vector and I can stay friends," I add the last sentence as an afterthought, chewing on my lip as I do so.

"Vector will stay friends with you," Charmy says, but this time, his voice sounds less sure as he tilts his chin up to me and adds in a quavering voice, "Won't he?"

"Let's hope so," I reply, not wanting to upset Charmy further. I take the storybook from him, open it to the correct place, and comment, "I think we left off here on chapter thirteen."

For the next thirty minutes or so, I read to Charmy until his eyelids slowly fall shut and his chest begins to rise and fall rhythmically. Smiling slightly, I slide quietly off of the bed and tuck the "Adventures of Ninjas" book between the tissue box and a photograph of Cream and Charmy both resting on the nightstand. After that, I head to my own bedroom.

Creak! As I push the door open, I realize that my bedroom does not seem nearly as welcoming as it used to. Perhaps that's because there's not a certain crocodile in it waiting to snuggle with me. Of course Vector will not want to do that anymore. I'm not worth snuggling with.

I take a few more steps towards the bed before a sick feeling takes hold of my stomach. I reach out and grab the nightstand before realizing how idiotic I've been. Only now am I realizing why Vector was suddenly in a hurry to change the sheets. He clearly slept with Vanilla on them and not in the innocent way of sleeping either. They made love, of course. I flinch to think that Vanilla was Vector's first, but then I immediately chastise myself for thinking such a selfish thought. I wasn't willing to give myself to Vector, so why should I have expected him to keep himself clean for me? For a moment, I almost regret my earlier decision. Perhaps I should have given myself to Vector if only to spite Bryce and nothing more.

No, no, the pills must be muddling up my mind because I'm not making much sense anymore. I need sleep. It's been a very long day and I need to rest. I take another hesitant step towards the bed, but can't bring myself to sleep on the bed knowing what Vanilla and Vector must have done on it. Instead, I drop to my knees and curl myself up into a ball on the floor. I don't sleep well, but I do sleep.

When I wake up the next day, I find sunshine already spilling into my bedroom from the window. My goodness, I must have slept late! Rubbing my eyes sleepily, it takes me a moment to figure out why the world is tilted at such a strange angle until I remember the events of the previous day and why I happen to be lying here on the floor.

Pulling myself up into a sitting position, I find that all of my limbs ache, but whether that's from sleeping on the floor or from walking around too much yesterday is something I don't know. Figuring that I might as well not waste the day away, I use the nightstand to help myself stand up and once again find myself looking at the pill bottles. Should I take one or not? I decide that it can't hurt anything and end up taking two. I'm certainly going to need them seeing as I have a long day with Vector ahead of myself.

I drag my feet to the living room and find that my breakfast of wheaties and almond milk is already set out on the table for me along with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Vector and Charmy are on the couch, Charmy playing his video game intently and Vector pretending to be interested in it.

"Yer breakfast is on the table there," Vector calls to me without bothering to glance in my direction.

"Thank you. This is quite thoughtful of you to do for me," I murmur gratefully before sitting down at the wooden table and taking a small bite of cereal.

As I eat the soggy cereal, I can't help but feel a little lonely sitting here all alone. Vector is treating me nicely, but it's with actions. He does kind things for me, but I think that's only to make up for what he's giving me in words. We don't speak to each other at all. I assume that it's either because Vector feels too awkward around me after being with Vanilla or because he simply finds me not worth talking to. I decide over the course of breakfast that it's most likely a combination of the two.

By the time I'm done with breakfast and have started to stand up, Vector immediately gets to his feet. Despite pretending not to look in my direction, he clearly has been watching me. Motioning me towards him, Vector says, "C'mon, I have a little date set up for ya."

"A date?" I ask in confusion, my heart rising in my chest hopefully at the word.

"Er...not like_ that_ kinda date. It's hard ta explain. You'll see what I mean when we get there," Vector says, already at the door.

Completely bewildered, I start after the crocodile, wondering what he's referring to. I suppose it can't be all bad if it means spending time with Vector though. That's really all that I want anymore.

* * *

_Espio has pretty much learned the whole truth about Vector and Vanilla now. What sort of "date" do you think Vector is taking Espio on? Review please! :) Also, sorry for any grammatical errors in this chapter. I am soooo tired, so I skipped editing. :P  
_


	155. Getting Help

**Chibi-Guest: I'm glad that you really liked the chapter! :) I'm mad at Vector too - how dare he do all of that to poor Esp? I don't really blame Esp for not wanting to sleep on the bed though. I'm glad that your days have been decent, but I'm sorry about your brother. That does sound awkward. How are you doing now? I don't really go on youtube all that much unless I'm watching video game walkthroughs, lol! How about you? :)**

**AngelLux13: That does seem to be exactly what Vector's up to, doesn't it? *sighs* I mean, I guess it's good that he wants to help Espio get over him, but forcing his heartbroken friend on a date is not going to help him. Thanks so much for reading!**

**Guest: Yay for no noticeable grammar errors! :D Those are good guesses, but I'm definitely leaning towards what you said about the date not being romantic-related. Vector is still a little protective of Espio even if he doesn't want to be his lover. :P Interesting thought there about Vector wanting Esp to participate in Liam's and Darryl's murders. I read a fic like that once, but it was a little on the sick/sadistic side (not like this fic hasn't been like that in some parts, lol). Thanks for the review!**

**LuluCalliope: I loved the chapter as always! You know, getting to read your updates like the highlight of my day. :3 Thanks so much for writing such a great story. I'm sorry I got behind, I need to catch up today. I had an awful day yesterday and wasn't online at all and the day before my internet connection went out. *sighs*  
**

**PreyasRules: Aw, so your mom only lets you get free books? That sucks. =/ Same here though, I never get to actually buy books, so that's probably why I'm forever on FF! Ikr? Cats must be the definition of lazy. I wanna be a cat. They have such easy, stress-free lives. Lol, wow, you have a lot of predictions and most of them have something to do with the future of this story. Knuckles actually has an appearance in this chapter surprisingly enough! The Eggman encounter doesn't happen until a bit later though. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Emma: Aw, don't cry! I understand where you're coming from though; how dare Vector do that to poor Esp? Haha, so you think that Vector set Espio up on a date with Patricia? That's definitely not going to go over well. xD**

**FullyEroded: I guess you're right about love coming in many forms, but actually, if I recall correctly, Tails is like 10 and Fiona is 18, so that's kind of too big of an age gap imo. I agree with you about Espio though. He certainly deserves better than Vector at this point. Aw, well, thanks for the compliment, but I'm not what you'd call pretty, I'll guarantee you that. xD Jeremy's a nice name, but if you don't like it, you can always change it someday. I'm planning on changing mine someday. :P Thanks for reading!**

**Toni the Mink: True, taking too many pills can easily become a bad habit (one that I've personally experienced), so let's hope that Espio doesn't get stuck in a rut. Ooo, nice prediction there. See, even if Vector doesn't want Espio for himself, he's probably too protective of him to try and send him on a date with someone else, so the counseling is more likely imo. Hope you like this chapter!**

**TheMidnightShadow: Wow, 14, huh? Does it feel any different than being 13? xD Probably not. I always laugh when people ask me that. I honestly thought you were close to 16, but I really suck at guessing people's ages. Wanna guess my age? xD**

**Andypandy123: Hehe, I'm definitely going to rename them the "Crazy Chaotix" until things settle down for them again. And aw, no problem! I'm happy to help. Espio does deserve a good date, doesn't he? Then again, things never seem to go right for Esp, do they? xD**

**Spiiiii: Aw, thank you so much for the compliment there! I always feel like a crappy writer, so thanks again. ^^ Curling up on the floor is always what I do when I get super depressed, so I think that's why I threw that into the story. Let's just say that Espio's date is not going to go well. xD Hope you like this chapter!**

**Savvy0417: That's true, Vector still doesn't understand at all. *sighs* Do you think that he'll ever understand? You'll find out what the date is all about in this chapter! I'm so glad that you had a great birthday. =3**

**Saints-Fan-12: Oh god, yeah, setting Espio up on a date is not a good idea. And phew! Good to hear about not too many mistakes. Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: I know! I mean, Espio just barely escaped hell and now it's like he's being thrown right back into it because of stupid Vector. And hehe, it's okay, swearing a lot means that you're getting really into the story. Woo, no errors, good to hear! :D And exactly! I mean, who goes to outer space to escape their mother?! _ Well, actually I probably would, but that's not the point. :P Aw, thank you! I talked to my mom about writing a book today and she is trying to discourage me from it because she doesn't think I can handle it or the bad reviews I'd probably get from it and blah, blah, blah. *sighs* Oh my god, same here! I am so frigging tired today! D: I dunno if it's this time of year or what. =/ I'm watching Game of Thrones. Have you seen that? I LOVE that show. I'd definitely recommend it. Thank you so much for reading!**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: You usually are really good at predictions! I'll give you a hint why you probably can't predict this one though; Vector is only bringing Espio to the date, he's not actually going to be there with him on it. So I guess that maybe Vector has turned evil? And ikr? They were definitely meant to be together. They're like a match made in heaven. Geez, don't I sound sappy? xD Yeah, good idea! You should post the story on St. Patrick's day! :D Yay for faint free musicals! *parties* Hehe, that sounds so funny about the line of color among the black and white. Throwing confetti sounds like fun! Being a rebel is awesome, you've gotta admit that. So did you have fun at the musical then? It sounds like it went well besides for the teachers beings jerks. And yes! I think that our conscious knows when someone automatically hates us, don't you think? I also wonder why people just automatically hate us. Maybe we remind them of someone else they don't like? *shrugs* And aw, no problem! You're not ranting though; I like talking to you! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter CLV  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

I'm not doin' a very nice thing and ya know what? I feel absolutely horrible about it. 'Course, I've felt real awful these last few days, so this is really nothing new. I knew that things were gonna fall to pieces when Espio came home from the hospital and I was damn right. Already, everything feels screwed up for so many reasons. My head starts spinning just trying to think of all the reasons. Guess it's smartest to tackle one reason at a time. Can't bite off more than I can chew, right?

Okay, so the first problem with Espio bein' home is that I don't get much time to myself anymore for the things I wanna do and the things I feel obligated to do. The thing I mainly wanna do is hunt Liam and Darryl down. I've been getting a little obsessed with them, but I just can't seem to get those goddamn images of them torturing and raping Espio out of my mind. They haunt me day and night no matter what I do. The thing I feel obligated to do is to spend time with Miss Vanilla. I got into a relationship with her by my own choice and I can't just abandon her now that Espio's home. I'll stay at Espio's house for a few more days just to make sure he's stable and then I'll return to living with Miss Vanilla. I'm pretty sure that Charmy's gonna stay with Espio. The kid likes him more than he likes me. I'm definitely not complaining though. The little bee drives me crazy just as much as Espio does even if it's for different reasons.

Huh? What did I just say? Did I really just say that Espio still drives me crazy? Guess it's true and I might as well admit it. See, I thought Espio was gonna be a whole different guy when I picked him up from the hospital. That's why I used to refer to him as the "old Espio" and the "new Espio". I don't do that anymore though because I'm startin' to realize that Espio isn't any different than the chameleon he was before he left for his mother's funeral over a month ago. He's still the same kind-hearted chameleon give or take a few scars and a memory filled with recent nightmares.

You'd think that this is all a good thing, right? Well, lemme tell ya sumthin'. It's _not _a good thing. If Espio didn't recognize me, I could pretend we were just friends before the accident. I obviously can't do that now because Espio remembers everything down to the last detail. I can't help but feel awkward around him now that I've hooked up with Miss Vanilla. I wasn't planning on telling him about our relationship until later, but of course Charmy had to go blabbing and spill the news to Espio last night. Thanks a hell of a lot, Charmy!

Espio took the news hard. Like_ really_ hard. It practically broke my own heart to watch his reaction to my news. I didn't think that it would hit him so hard. I mean, wasn't I always the one pressing him to get into a relationship with me? Either way, I know that I've just smashed the chameleon's fragile little heart and wave upon wave of guilt keeps pouring down on top of me. I feel like I'm gonna drown in the guilt if this keeps up. I'm tryin' to keep everyone happy, but it just ain't working.

There's another problem that I've run into that I didn't expect to run into. Since I thought Espio would be a different guy once he came back from the hospital, I figured it wouldn't be any harder to keep my act up with Miss Vanilla. I'm finally getting used to pulling out my cheerful mask and slamming it on my face whenever I drop by her place. Fake smiles and laughs come almost naturally to me now. Our sex is good, and to be honest, I think that's the only reason why I keep this up.

Actually, what I just said isn't one hundred percent true. I also keep this up because I remember how Miss Vanilla told me I broke her heart the first time I broke up with her for Espio. She didn't exactly word it that way, but I'm not that stupid. I could read into her words and realize what I had done. There's no way I can ever break her heart again, although guess what? It looks like I've just broken Espio's. I'm a heart breaker and I didn't even know it. Huh.

It's getting harder to hold up my act with Miss Vanilla because Espio's back home. Guess I better get straight to the point and stop beatin' around the bush. I'm fallin' in love with Espio all over again. He's still the same guy I fell in love with several months ago, and if anything, I love him even more now.

It's funny how I used to think that things would be so much different when he returned home. I couldn't have been more wrong. If it weren't for my relationship with Miss Vanilla, everything could be completely normal. I really like that word right now. It seems like I've lost all sense of normalcy lately.

So far, I've treated Espio really crappy. My logic behind this is that the less I speak to him, the less I'll want him. If I don't touch him, only speak to him when I have to, and try to convince myself that he's not who he used to be, then maybe I'll be able to fall out of love with him. It's not working yet, but I have to try sumthin', right?

Espio isn't exactly making the situation any easier though. He obviously misses me and wants me back. His amber eyes are full of hurt and longing whenever I catch him staring at me. He tried to hold my hand a few times yesterday. I just pretended not to notice him.

Geez, I just don't know what to do anymore! I can't let myself fall any more in love with Espio because I've gotta keep myself loyal to Miss Vanilla. I'm a loyal croc, aren't I? 'Course I am! This means no messin' around with Espio no matter how hard it gets.

Right now, I'm bringing Espio to see a counselor. That's what yer supposed ta do with people who have been abused, right? On TV and in the newspaper, there are always advertisements for a counseling clinic just five minutes from Espio's house. I've walked by it several times without really lookin' at it. After all, I have no reason to go to a counselor. Now though, I'm thinkin' that bringing Espio to the counselor sounds like a good idea.

'Course, the more that I think about it, the more that I realize that bringing Espio to see a counselor is more for my own selfish reasons than for anything else. With the chameleon stuck in the counselor's office for a few hours, I'll have free run of the house or I can go to see Miss Vanilla feeling guilt-free.

Right now, Espio is walking trustingly by my side as I lead him along to the counseling clinic. I haven't told him where we're going because I know that going to see a counselor is probably the last thing Espio will want to do right now. The shy, quiet chameleon isn't good at opening up to people. This should be good for him though! After all, there's all kinds of counseling, I've learned. There's even specific counseling for sexual abuse. That's what I signed Espio up for.

"Where are we going, Vector?" Espio asks me in his even voice as he glances up at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Er, it's a surprise," I reply, not wanting Espio to know where he is until it's too late for him to back out. I need some time alone, which means that he has to be outta the house.

"I see," Espio replies, not pushing me and instead falling silent.

I shoot a long look at the smaller reptile out of the corner of my eye when I think he's not looking at me. He looks sad. His eyes are dark and bloodshot and his body is still extremely thin from malnutrition during his stay with Bryce. Espio obviously needs someone to take care of him and that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I fix his meals for him, bring him to see counselors, and do whatever else he needs me to do. I just can't love him. That's the only thing I can't do.

I'm actually real surprised that Espio seems ta want my love still. I expected him to jerk away from the slightest touch after what Bryce, Liam, and Darryl did him to, but he seems to need affection more than ever. Is this how it normally works with sexual abuse victims? I've got no clue.

Looking up, I see the counseling clinic in sight. Knowing that I'm never gonna be able to get Espio through the door if he knows where he's going, I feign cheerfulness and exclaim, "We're almost to the surprise, Espio! How about ya shut yer eyes for me and let me lead ya along until we get to the surprise?"

"...Alright," Espio says after a moment of hesitation.

I watch the slender chameleon shut his eyes and then I reach down to take his hand. Even through our gloves, I feel an immediate spark as soon as I grasp onto Espio's hand. I ignore what I know this spark means and pull Espio along forwards, wondering if he feels the spark as well.

By the time I reach the door to the counseling building, the spark has turned into a tingling that travels from my hand throughout my entire body. I knew that touching Espio was gonna be a bad thing. I surprise myself by thinking this, but I really_ do_ want him again. I want him way more than I've ever wanted Miss Vanilla. My want for Espio isn't driven by lust - it's driven by love. I think that I finally know the difference between those two emotions.

"Can I open my eyes now, Vector?" Espio asks in that same trusting voice from earlier.

"Uh, not yet," I reply, feeling even worse for tricking Espio into coming here.

Pushing open the heavy door to the counseling building, I step into the waiting room with Espio in hand. The waiting room is too cheery. The walls are painted light yellow, there are paintings of nature scenes on the wall, and everything seems too bright and sunny. As soon as I enter the room, a woman walks towards me. I talked to her on the phone last night to set Espio up an appointment here. Her name is Tessa and she's a hedgehog who specializes in sexual abuse cases.

With a friendly smile planted firmly across her lips, Tessa comes striding up to us and tucks shoulder length dark brown hair behind her ear as she says, "You must be Vector! I remember speaking to you on the phone last night. I'm assuming that this is Espio? It's very nice to meet you both."

Espio frowns, but keeps his eyes closed, clearly confused at what's goin' on. I let go of his hand and admit sheepishly, "Er, yeh can open yer eyes now."

At my words, Espio's sharp eyes immediately flick open. Puzzlement clouds his normal shiny irises as he stares blankly around the room. Suddenly, his eyes focus in on one of the pamphlets advertising the clinic on a desk nearby. Realization crosses his face as well as betrayal. Frowning, Espio starts out, "Vector, I don't need to be-"

"This here is Tessa," I speak over Espio, not wanting to listen to his protests. "She's gonna take care of ya, right, Tessa?"

"Of course. That's my job," Tessa replies although her smile isn't quite as wide as before. It's as if she senses that something is off between Espio and me. Turning to the smaller reptile, Tessa waves him gently towards her and says, "Follow me!"

Poor Espio has no choice but to follow the hedgehog. I chew my lip as I watch him trail after her with slumped shoulders. I feel bad about tricking Espio into coming here, but it really is for his own good! The counseling should help him overcome his inner demons and now I finally have some time to myself.

Now I've gotta decide what to do now that I finally have some free time. I could go and visit Miss Vanilla, but if I drop by her place, it will be because I feel obligated to visit her, not because I want to by any means. She's a nice rabbit, but I'm always gonna love Espio more.

My feet start moving of their own accord. Not bothering to find out where they're going, I walk along absentmindedly and try to clear my head of all the conflicted emotions I've been experiencing lately. I tromp right on through a puddle on the cobblestones ahead of me and suddenly realize why Espio is so into meditating. Clearing yer mind ain't such a bad thing after all!

Glancing ahead of myself, I suddenly realize exactly where my feet are taking me. I've been puttin' it off for a while now, but I'm finally going to go back to Bryce's house to see if I can find any clues that will lead me to Liam and Darryl. Focusing on getting revenge on the two evildoers helps me forget about falling in love with Espio and not being able to break up with Miss Vanilla. In a world where I have to fake just about everything, bringing justice to the two bastards who screwed up Espio's life as well as mine is a damn good distraction from all the chaos that I have to wade through on a daily basis.

I put one foot in front of the other and set my jaw in determination. I'll find a way into Bryce's house even if it's been barred off for bein' a crime scene and all that. I've just gotta find a way to track down Liam and Darryl. I won't rest until I've taught them a lesson for ruining my life and...oops, I almost went crashing right on into someone. The certain someone is a familiar red echidna with a glower on his face. He sure doesn't look happy.

"Yo! Knuckles!" I greet him, not sure why he looks so mad, but hoping that it doesn't have anything to do with me. "Wassup?"

* * *

_Hm, what do you think Knuckles is so upset about and how do you think it will go with Espio and the counselor? Review please! :) Sorry for the late update, guys. I had a terrible day yesterday and was in bed from 8 am yesterday until 8 am today. =/  
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	156. In Ruins

**AngelLux13: I agree with you completely about counseling. I've been forced into it a number of times, and believe me, it does not do you any good if you're forced into it. Haha, ikr, Vector is the one who really needs counseling, isn't he? Yup, Miss Vanilla did say that she would be okay with him going back to Espio, but Vector doesn't want to break her heart again. I love Knouge, I think that Knuckles and Rouge make a cute couple. Wbu? Aw, I'm sorry that you've been depressed lately too. *hugs* I know that feeling. Sometimes I just get so tired of being sick all the time. I'm not asking for much, just a normal life, you know? *sighs* Anyway, I hope you feel better soon!  
**

**Guest: Omg, you are totally right about being sore! I swear that everything aches today. Thanks so much for hoping that today is better for me. I hope it's better today too. :) I just love your predictions. I didn't think that anyone would remember that Knuckles was staring at Esp and Vector way before the hundred chapter mark, but yup, it has something to do with that, hehe. Espio is definitely feeling betrayed by Vector. It seems like he's doing everything possible to avoid him. Thanks so much for reading!**

**FullyEroded: I'm with you and Vector on that one; let's hope that his life takes a turn for the better soon! Aw, thanks, I haven't cut my hair for ages, so it's almost down to my waist now. I'm going to dye it one of these days. I listen to a variety of music really. There's nothing that I don't like although Marilyn Manson is my favorite. xD Hehe, I'll definitely give Esp a kiss for you! I dunno much about the Star Fox series, but I'm really in love with the Mario series. xD**

**Guest: Thank you so much! I really hope that I am feeling better soon too. It's nice to know that someone else out there cares. ^^ And wow, really? I'm so glad that you like my story so much! I hope you like this chapter. **

**LuluCalliope: Take your time with getting around to reading the chapter. :) I hope that the meeting downtown goes okay! So you liked The Hobbit then? I haven't seen that yet. Btw, you totally need to see Game of Thrones! Alicia and me both love that show. xD  
**

**PreyasRules: That makes sense about your mom. xD You're lucky that she lets you use her card. I have to get everything I buy online "approved" before I can actually get it. *rolls eyes* Yay, yaoi lemon stories ftw! I usually just try to find them on FF. My dad is a homophobe too. What is it with homophobic dads? Let's send 'em to planet homophobe! You are like a fortune telling crystal ball! Hehe, nope, Knuckles hasn't lost the emerald, but he is really pissed off at Vector. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Guest: Yeah, let's hope that Espio is going to be okay! You'll find out what's up with Knuckles in this chapter. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Toni the Mink: Those are some good predictions about Knuckles! I think that he's just being nosy and is doing some investigating of his own, lol. I totally agree with you about Vector. He seems to think that some invisible force is making him stick with Vanilla or something, you know? Stupid croc. =/ Hope you like this chapter!**

**TheMidnightShadow: Wow, nice guess! I'm 17. xD People usually think that I'm way younger than that, probably because I act so immature online, lol.  
**

**Andypandy123: Yeah, let's hope that Knuckles can sort Vector out since I definitely can't. =/ Haha, yeah, we can call them "Team Chaotic" or "Team Chaos". xD Maybe it's just me, but doesn't it seem like the nicest of people always go through the hardest things in life? Thanks for reading!  
**

**Spiiiii: Woo, yay for Knuckles! xD I like him too, especially when Rouge is around, lol. xD Yeah, same thoughts about Vector. At least he's finally managed to realize that Espio is still the same guy. That took him long enough, didn't it? Thanks for the review!**

**Alicia: *hugs back* No, not really. See, I think I'm getting an infection, but I don't know. I keep making myself sick and it gets worse every time, but I can't stop doing it or else I'll get sent away. Everything is so complicated and I really just want out, but there's no escape, so I just have to keep this up until I end up in the hospital most likely. x_x But anyway, I think I'm on episode 7? I'd watch it more if I was feeling better.  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: That's a good guess! You'll figure out what he was up to in this chappie. ^^ Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: I totally understand your conflicting emotions. It is good that Vector is realizing that he loves Espio again, but why must he stay with that flaky Vanilla? D: I agree with you about Espio. It's always super awkward when you get forced to see a counselor. I've been there. *hugs tightly back* Nah, I'm still really sick, but I didn't have anything better to do, so I decided to update anyway, lol. Thanks so much for the support on my future original story. I think that my mom is wrong too. I mean, everyone gets bad reviews, but that doesn't mean that you should let that stop you from writing. Yeah, being tired all of the time sucks. How are you feeling now? And omg, yes, watch the show! hehe Thank you so much for reading!**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Here's another chapter in Vector's POV! Who's POV do you like reading in most? Yeah, poor Espio! He was all excited to be going somewhere with Vector only to get dropped off at the counselor. That would be depressing. =/ At least Vector is doing something productive and not going to visit Miss Vanilla, right? You'll find out what Knuckles is upset about in this chapter. I'm glad that the festival went alright! It sounds like fun. God, I agree with you completely. People who like drama need to go watch a soap opera or something. I actually have way more drama irl than I write about, but I like writing it too to try and get it out of my head, you know? Thanks for reading!**

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**Chapter CLVI  
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_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

It's been a while since I've seen Knuckles. In fact, I don't even remember the last time I saw him. I think it was two weeks ago when I was goin' grocery shopping with Miss Vanilla. I didn't get to talk to him, but I did wave to him on the way into the grocery store. He waved back at me then and didn't seem like he was in a bad mood. Right now, he doesn't look like he's in such a good mood though. In fact, he looks downright pissed. I really hope that he's not mad at me because I've got stuff to do! Tessa isn't gonna be able to talk to Espio all day. I've got a limited amount of free time here.

Instead of returning the greeting I gave him a few seconds ago, Knuckles folds his arms across his chest as he says, "I think you've got a lot of explaining to do, Vector, so you'd better get talking."

I watch the red echidna flex his knuckles and immediately take a step backwards. I'm probably stronger than Knuckles, but it ain't a secret how good of a fighter he is. I'm pretty sure that he could knock me out easily. Holding up my hands innocently, I protest, "I don't have any idea what yer talkin' about. What do I have to explain?"

"Do you really not know?" Knuckles asks, his violent eyes flashing daggers at me as he takes a step forwards.

I take a step backwards and shake my head as I reply, "I've got no idea what the hell yer talkin' about. I think that yer the one who has some explaining to do!"

"Fine, I'll explain, but then you had better answer all of my questions," Knuckles sighs loudly. "I want to know what your problem with Espio is. You didn't go to visit him once after he woke up in the hospital. Everyone knows that. It's no secret that you've been avoiding him. As if that wasn't bad enough, you lied to him as well, didn't you? You told him that you couldn't come visit him because you were sick. Well, I saw you going to the grocery store with Vanilla that very day, so it's obvious to me that you weren't the slightest bit sick."

"Er, actually that was Charmy who told Espio that I couldn't visit him because I was sick," I cut in, not wanting to be blamed for something I didn't do since it looks like I've already racked up a lot of crimes in Knuckles' book. Still trying to defend myself, I add, "I just told Charmy to tell him that I was busy."

"Busy?" Knuckles scoffs, giving me an incredulous look, "Too busy for the poor little guy in the hospital who loves you more than anything else? I went to visit him about four times after he woke up and you didn't even visit him once. Do you have any idea how that made him feel? You probably do know, but you probably don't care. It looks like you've moved on to Vanilla now."

"It's not that simple," I sigh, thinkin' that I'm already feeling guilty enough as it is. Chatting with Knuckles about Espio wasn't on my list of things to do this afternoon. Scratching the back of my head, I go on, "Espio broke up with me on the phone after he was with Bryce-"

"To save you! That's why he broke up with you. It wasn't because he wanted to," Knuckles cuts in, a hotheaded look on his face. "The more you talk, the worse I'm feeling for Espio. All I'm getting from you are excuses, Vector. I don't know Espio that well, but I've known for a long time that the two of you were a couple. Espio is obviously in love with you. You should have taken him back as soon as he opened his eyes in the hospital. He's been through a lot. More than you or me will ever go through anyway. The least you can do is be here to support him."

"Hold up a sec! It ain't _that_ easy," I argue, my own temper starting to flare. I dunno why Knuckles feels the need to suddenly stick his nose into my business, but I'm in no mood to be yelled at right now. I've taken enough crap as it is. Folding my own arms across my chest, I reply, "Whaddya expect me to do? Break up with Miss Vanilla?"

"That's exactly what I or any other person in their right mind would expect you to do," Knuckles snaps, always one to never hold his opinions back. "I'm surprised that you got back with Vanilla in the first place. The two of you aren't a good match. Vanilla likes you, but I know that you don't like her."

"And just how would yeh know if I feel that way or not?" I retort. Knuckles gives me a look that tells me that he knows better. Resigning, I admit, "Alright, so maybe I don't love her the way I used to love Espio, but I can't just go and break Miss Vanilla's heart. I'm not an evil croc. I don't wanna make anyone feel bad."

"You've already made Espio feel more than bad. I don't think that you have to worry about that," Knuckles replies ironically, glare still firmly intact. "Speaking of Espio, where is he now? He should be with you like he usually is when he's not stuck in the hospital."

"He's...uh...seein' a counselor," I reply, unable to stop the blush that creeps up my cheeks.

"A _counselor_?" Knuckles asks incredulously, violet eyes widening in shock. "I wonder who's idea that was. God, I can't take any more of this. Look, Vector, all I can say is that you had something special with Espio. Get it back before you lose it."

With that said, Knuckles stomps off, still cracking his knuckles and muttering under his breath. I gulp and watch him leave, feelin' even more guilty than before. A good half of me wants to do what Knuckles suggested to me and break up with Miss Vanilla so I can get back with Espio. My stronger half insists that this would be wrong to do. I can't break Miss Vanilla's heart again!

I stand on the street and stare blankly at the puddles for a good five minutes before I realize that I'm wasting my time. I don't need to think about any of this mess right now. Didn't I already decide that I'm gonna go search Bryce's house for any leads that might help me find Liam and Darryl?

Shoving all of the turmoil regarding Miss Vanilla and Espio to the back of my mind, I trudge through the streets on this chilly April afternoon and approach the bad part of the town. Bracing myself for the crowd of prostitutes, druggies, and drunks I'm about to walk right into, I hesitate for just a moment before pushing my feet to take me straight into the midst of the crumbling houses and homeless people. I hate it here. This is gonna be the very last time I go to this criminal-infested part of town.

Instead of lookin' at the people I'm accidentally touching shoulders with as I force my way through the crowd, I decide to distract myself with a random topic. The random topic I choose to distract myself with just so happens ta be the weather. It's been a strange spring. First it was real cold, but then it warmed up for a few weeks. Now, it seems to be gettin' really cold again. We've had almost constant rain and there are always puddles on the street.

Oh look, here I am only a few feet from Bryce's house. Guess my little method of distraction worked after all! Feelin' pretty brilliant for a moment or two, I grin to myself and look up to where Bryce's house should be. There's just one problem though. Bryce's house ain't there. There's no sign of the dilapidated shack that used to be right here in front of my nose. Looks like it's been demolished. Dammit. Searching here for Liam and Darryl isn't gonna do me any good now.

A voice from next to me jerks me out of my thoughts as I hear, "Looking for something?"

Glancing to my right, I notice a female fox with a raised eyebrow giving me a quizzical look. She appears to be more annoyed at my staring than at anything else and she also seems kinda familiar. I know that I've seen her before somewhere, but I can't put my finger on where. I quickly reply, "Actually, yeah. I was lookin' for the house that used to be here. What happened to it?"

"Didn't you hear? The owner of the house was shot inside it. After the cops did some investigating, the decided to destroy the place. Can't say that it was a bad decision. The place was falling apart anyway," the fox replies with a shrug of her shoulders. "The guy who owned the place was a troublemaker. Nobody misses him 'round here."

"Yeah, I know that he was a troublemaker," I nod ruefully before taking a step to my left. "Well, thanks for yer help, ma'am."

"Ma'am?!" the fox echoes me before bursting into a fit of laughter. "I'm not so sure about 'ma'am'. You won't find any ma'ams around here. Name's Fiona, by the way. Now if I were you, I'd get back to your part of town. It's obvious that you don't belong here."

With that said, Fiona turns on her heel and marches off with her nose in the air. It suddenly hits me where I saw her last. She was in the jail cell across from me when I got arrested for the charge of murder. I remember her arguing with "Scourge" whoever that was. Guess I wasn't the only one who got lucky and avoided a prison sentence.

Seeing no reason to hang out in this sleazy part of town any longer, I start back towards the nicer parts of town with long strides. As I go, I glance up at the sky and realize that most of the afternoon has already passed. Geez, I guess comin' down here and talking to Knuckles took longer than I thought it would. At least now I don't have time to go and visit Miss Vanilla right now though. If I had extra time, I'd probably feel obligated to visit her. Maybe Knuckles' rant was a blessing in disguise, huh?

Well, maybe not. In fact, our chat has only added to my confusion. More than anything, I want to take Espio back, but know that it wouldn't be fair to Miss Vanilla. I guess the fact that I've slept with her makes me feel like I'm locked into our relationship. Either way, I made a vow to myself that I wouldn't break her heart a second time when I hooked back up with her a few weeks earlier and I ain't gonna break that vow no matter how hard things get!

Casting another long look at the darkening sky, I figure that it's time for me to go and pick Espio up from the counseling clinic. Let's hope that Tessa did him some good. It doesn't take me long to reach the clinic and I find that I don't want to go inside it once I reach it. Espio isn't going to be happy with me, that's for sure. Argh, why is everyone always mad at me these days?

Deciding to go ahead and get this over with, I open the door and step inside the waiting room. To my surprise, Espio and Tessa are sitting in the waiting room, looking like they're waiting for _me_. The two of them are chatting quietly about light topics and both glance in my direction when I enter the room.

As soon as she sees me, Tessa gets to her feet and says, "I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes in the other room, Vector."

I come to an abrupt halt and give Tessa a wary look. I sure as hell didn't sign up for a counseling session! This was all about Espio, not me. I immediately open my mouth to make up some excuse, saying, "I kinda have to get home though. Charmy probably wants dinner and-"

"I really think that you ought to speak to her," Espio says coolly from where he's sitting in his chair with one slender leg crossed over the other.

Not needing to get the chameleon any more upset than he probably already is, I sigh and give in, "Alright, but let's make this fast."

Tessa nods and opens a door that leads to a long hallway with doors on either side of the hallway. Whoa, this place is like a maze! Yeh could easily get lost in here if ya weren't bein' careful. As I follow Tessa to a room to the right, fiddle with my hands uncomfortably, and wonder what this gal wants to talk to me about.

Once we've stepped into a room with the same bright yellow walls that are in the waiting room, Tessa shuts the door behind us and doesn't even bother to invite me to sit down before saying, "I had a nice long talk with Espio while you were gone. I don't think that he needs counseling."

"He doesn't? Hm. Guess that's good," I reply even though I'm thinking the opposite. Now I'm gonna have to come up with more excuses to get time by myself. It drives me crazy to be in a room with Espio because I wanna get back together with him so badly even though I know that I can't.

"It is a good thing, yes. Espio seems to have gotten over his abuse quite well. He does seem awfully sad though. Although he didn't get into specifics, he did mention that he feels lonely. I did ask a few more questions about this, but he answered me vaguely. He needs more support during this rough time. You have to understand that Espio has been mistreated and that his self esteem is quite low right now. Please keep all of this in mind," Tessa reminds me.

My stomach gets queasy. Espio feels lonely, huh? Lemme guess, this is my fault too. Wanting this conversation to be over, I glance at Tessa and say, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Can I go now? I really do need ta fix dinner for Charmy."

"Yes, you may go," Tessa sighs before placing her hand on my arm and adding, "Do keep an eye on Espio though. What starts out as a bit of loneliness can easily spiral into severe depression."

* * *

_It seems like Vector is really torn between Vanilla and Espio. Do you think that he's going to crack soon? He seems really stressed. Review please! :)  
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	157. Just Fine

**AngelLux13: Hehe, way to go Knux! I agree with you; it's about time that someone gave Vector a proper scolding! Who better to do so than Knuckles, right? I know that everyone thinks that Knuckles is dumb and all that, but I've always thought that he has a strong sense of right and wrong. It's definitely going to be messy when Vector cracks, don't you think? I understand about your grandpa. My grandpa died during Christmas from cancer a few years ago. It was especially hard on my mom, but we try not to make Christmas every year a sad time because we don't think that my grandpa would want us feeling that way. I'm sure that your grandpa wouldn't want you to feel sad either.  
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**Savvy0417: Same thoughts about Knuckles! I know that he's supposed to be a "knucklehead" and all, but I think that he always knows how to stand up for his friends, you know? Hope you like this next chapter!  
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**FullyEroded: Lol about that axe! xD I will definitely let Esp know that you're his biggest fan. xD Yay for not getting our hair cut for ages! *high fives you* Long fair ftw, if you ask me. Well, I know what Starfox is, but I just dunno much about it, you know? What are your favorite game series then? I really love Sonic and Mario, but that's just me. Hehe, I can give Scourge and Fiona a kiss for you. I love those two. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Guest: Lol, yup, Knuckles is the guilt blaster! xD I'm glad that you liked the part with Fiona. :) I had fun writing that bit. And I agree with you completely - someone is going to crack soon! Er, I guess I can go ahead and tell you. :P Knuckles is interested in either Vector or Espio, so that's why he's so interested, hehe. Thanks for reading! **

**LuluCalliope: Alrighty, I'll try to see The Hobbit and you can try to watch Game of Thrones! Let me know when you get to watch it. I was thinking about doing a fangirls fic off of it someday since Alicia and I both like characters from it.  
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**Toni the Mink: Ikr? I swear that pills always cause trouble for Espio. Do you think he'll end up in the hospital again from an overdose? And yeah, it seems like both Tessa and Knuckles gave Vector the scolding he deserves! The only question is whether or not he'll actually listen to them. That's so true about Vanilla. She'd probably just dismiss the breakup with a smile and a wave. xD Thanks for reading!  
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**TheMidnightShadow: I agree with you one hundred percent there. Irl is serious and internet life is for fun. Btw, do you have a deviantart by any chance?  
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**Andypandy123: I think that we both owe a big thanks to Knuckles! Good idea about staying with Espio. It seems like he could really use some company right now. The poor guy's getting super depressed. Maybe I should go after Vector now and keep him from cracking? Thanks for reading!  
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**Spiiiii: Lol, yes, does Vector ever stop to think that maybe Espio is stressed? Noooo, of course not. Hehe, I think that everyone owes Knuckles a big thanks for giving Vector a reminder about how ridiculous he's behaving. Now we just need Vector to get a grip on himself and stop being an idiot. Yay, you like the name Tessa? So do I. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Alicia: *huggles* Yeah and the problem is that I don't want to go to the doctor for it, but it hurts! I dunno what to do. I think I should just tell my mom. I might get into trouble, but I don't want this to get worse. =/  
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**Saints-Fan-12: I'm with you there; Vector needs to stop being an idiot and get back with poor Espio already! Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: Lol, yup, Vector finally got that wake up call that he needed! :D Should we give Knuckles a round of applause? :P I agree with you though, that stupid croc is complicating things in his head. Hm, that's a good point about Espio. Do you think that he's going to end up doing something he's going to regret soon? *hugs back* Thank you! I'm still sick, but hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. My mom's been stressing me out a lot lately, so I think that's partially why I'm getting sick so much. Exactly! Who cares what the haters think? *high fives you* I'm glad that you're feeling better! I've been sleeping all weekend. :P Thanks so much for such a nice review!  
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**Gaymie: Yay for catching up! *throws you a big party with confetti* I'm so glad that you like this story so much. I owe a big thanks to Regular sonic fan for introducing you to it. I love getting new readers! So are you a big fan of Vector and Espio then? ^^ Hehe, I'll take a cyber hug! Those are awesome. xD I agree with you completely about Vector and Vanilla. They just don't work together. :P I hope that you keep reading!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: I agree with you completely! I mean, yeah, Miss Vanilla would be sad, but she'd get over it eventually. Vector is just way too miserable right now and he's causing everyone else to feel miserable too. It does suck that Bryce's house was demolished. I guess that forces Liam and Darryl to go on the run then, huh? That makes sense about Vector's and Esp's POV. Do you prefer stories with one POV or two? I like stories with two so you can hear (read? :P) about both sides of the story. Hehe, overly dramatic stories ftw! Stories would be really boring without drama, don't you think? I agree, anyone who suffers from drama issues should spend a day on this site. Thanks for the review!**

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**Chapter CLVII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I'm not very happy with Vector right now. It's not just because of the way he's been avoiding me either. When he said that he had a surprise for me this morning, I expected something nice from him. No, I didn't expect him to bring me on a date since I know that he's with Vanilla, but what I certainly was not expecting was what I got - a trip to a counseling clinic! I feel extremely betrayed that Vector tricked me into going to the clinic. He even told me to close my eyes before leading me into the clinic so that I didn't know where I was going.

There are some things that I can live with. I can accept that Vector is dating Vanilla now and that he no longer wants to date me. There are, however, some things that I will _not_ put up with. Being tricked into going to places I have intention of ever going to is one of those things. Counseling clinics have always frightened me. I'm not someone who likes to open up to a complete stranger. It was extremely thoughtless of Vector to bring me here, and I believe that deep inside, he knows that.

Luckily, the counseling session didn't turn out to be as terrible as I thought it might be. Tessa is actually a very nice woman. She didn't press me with questions regarding Bryce or the things he put me through. Instead, we talked about other things such as what I like to do to relax and calming strategies that I can use in the future if I ever feel stressed out.

Right now, I'm sitting in the waiting room of the counseling clinic waiting for Vector. Tessa wanted to talk to him for a few minutes. I'm not certain what she's talking to him about, but I feel like Vector deserves to be forced into having a short chat with her after he tricked me into coming here earlier. I survived a three hour conversation, so he really ought to be able to make it through a five minute one.

Bang! The door to the waiting room bursts open and Vector steps into the room, looking slightly flustered. I immediately get to my feet as he sends me a sideways glance. Vector never seems to look directly at me these days. He either sends me sidelong looks or stares at the area just to the right of my head.

"Ready to go?" Vector asks me without stopping his long strides to the door.

"Yes," I reply quietly as I follow Vector to the entrance of the clinic, wondering who hates the idea of talking to a counselor more - Vector or me.

Once the two of us step outside into a cold April evening, a thick silence falls between us. Vector turns up the volume on his music player and starts bobbing his head along to his tunes. I purse my lips. At the very least, I believe that I deserve an apology from Vector. It was wrong of him to trick me into going to see the counselor and he knows it. It's even more wrong of him to realize this and not apologize. I'm not about to put up with this. Vector can turn down his music and talk to me for a few minutes. I don't ask much from him these days.

Clearing my throat, I say in a voice loud enough for Vector to hear, "Tessa says that I don't need counseling."

Vector sighs resignedly and turns down the volume of his music. I think he knows that I'm upset with him. Giving me a sheepish look, Vector says, "That's good ta hear."

"It is, yes. Listen, Vector, I don't appreciate being lied to. I understand if you don't want to spend time with me anymore since you're with Vanilla now, but-" I have to stop here for a moment because my voice just cracked. Swallowing hard, I push the hurt away from me as I go on, "But I don't deserve to be treated this way. Don't do anything like this again."

"Well, I didn't exactly lie to yeh..." Vector starts out, trying to dislodge the blame that has fallen onto his shoulders.

"You know what I mean," I reply, giving him a hard look. All I'm looking for is an apology. Is that really so much to ask for? Vector may be stubborn, but he should apologize to me at the very least.

"Okay, fine, I won't do it again. I was just tryin' to help ya out, that's all," Vector sighs resignedly.

I wait for an apology, but it never comes. Silence engulfs us once more as we continue on our way home. I think that I'm leaving the counseling clinic even more depressed than when I arrived there. It's rather ironic, isn't it? My past abuse doesn't trouble me all that much anymore since I've learned to distance myself from it. The thing that does bother me, however, is Vector's attitude. I wish that he would at least treat me as a friend. I don't even need to be his best friend if he doesn't want me to take on that role in his life. Can't I just be a friend he talks to normally and doesn't try and avoid at all costs?

Once Vector and I arrive at my house, we both reach out to grab the doorknob. Our hands accidentally brush against each other. I leave mine where it is and flinch as Vector jerks his hand back is if he's been stung. Truth be told, I'm the one who's been stung. Tears of frustration, inner pain, and confusion prick my eyes, but I force the tears back and take out my frustration on the doorknob. I take it with a firm grip and push it open with much more force than is necessary to open the door.

"Hi guys!" Charmy says as soon as Vector and I stumble through the door. He looks from my face to Vector's before his own expression falls. Apparently, it's clear just from our faces that Vector and I are not back together and are still feeling awkward around one another.

"Hello, Charmy," I greet the little bee, trying to muster as much enthusiasm as I possibly can into my voice. Glancing up at the clock, I notice that it's gotten late and point out, "It looks like it's time for dinner. I could probably fix us some spaghetti for dinner if that's alright with you two. I'd make us some vegetables, but those take too long to prepare."

"Spaghetti beats vegetables any old day!" Charmy points out, grinning once again as he realizes that he's gotten out of his greens.

Turning to Vector, I ask, "Is spaghetti alright with you?"

The crocodile avoids my gaze and takes a few steps backwards as he admits in an uncomfortable tone of voice, "Er, actually I'm goin' over to Miss Vanilla's place and I think that I'm probably gonna eat dinner over there with her. I'll be back in the morning to check up on ya, alright?"

"Whatever you would like to do is fine with me, Vector," I reply, trying not to let the sadness in my voice show through at Vector's comment. "I hope you have a nice night."

"Uh, thanks. Hope ya have a nice night too," Vector says reciprocally as he lets himself out of the door and practically trips in his hurry to get out of my home.

Sighing, I watch the door fall shut and head to the kitchen to whip up some spaghetti. I'm not much of a cook, but I believe that I owe Charmy some home cooked meals since I've been gone for so long. I haven't asked the little bee what Vector fed him over the month and a half while I was gone mainly because I don't think I want to know Charmy's answer.

As I enter the kitchen and open the pantry to look for some noodles, I hear the whirring of little wings behind me. Without having to turn, I know that Charmy is hovering at my shoulder. As I reach up to the top shelf in the pantry to retrieve the noodles, I ask Charmy, "Is there something I can get you?"

"No, I'm okay. Do you want some help or anything?" Charmy offers, probably feeling sorry for me since it's plain to see that Vector is avoiding me.

"It would be helpful if you could reach the noodles on the top shelf for me," I say since I'm struggling to reach the noodles.

"Sure thing, boss!" Charmy says as I fall back onto my heels and watch him fly up to the top shelf of the pantry. As the little bee tosses me the box of noodles, he asks, "When is Vector going to go back to normal? I want you and Vector to be in love again. Why can't things just go back to what they used to be?"

"Vector is dating Vanilla now, Charmy. I've accepted that and it will be easier for you to do so as well. I don't believe that Vector will be changing his mind about his decision anytime soon," I admit sadly as I step across the room to pull a pan out from under the sink. "Besides, I don't know if Vector has feelings for me anymore."

"I'm sure he does!" Charmy says firmly before he thinks about the way Vector has been acting towards me the last few days. He hesitates and then tries to convince himself of what he just said, going on, "He _has_ to! You know what? I'll ask him."

I open my mouth to tell Charmy not to ask Vector if he still loves me or not. However, after a moment or two of thought, I realize that I would actually like to know the answer to this question. Vector hasn't directly told me that he doesn't love me anymore. All he's said are a few things about not wanting to break Miss Vanilla's heart. That's not exactly saying that he doesn't love me, right? Suddenly, I feel anxious for Charmy to question Vector about the matter. Unfortunately, Vector is currently off at Vanilla's house and so the question will have to wait.

The rest of the night passes by rather uneventfully. Charmy and I eat our spaghetti dinner and then Charmy plays his video game for a bit. With nothing better to do, I end up sitting next to Charmy and watch him play his game. Despite the fact that Charmy is sitting directly across from me on the couch, I feel lonely. I miss Vector.

After Charmy plays his video game for a few hours, he starts to get sleepy. I follow him into his bedroom and read him another chapter of the ninja storybook we've been reading. It doesn't take long for Charmy to fall asleep. At that point, I'm on my own. Not quite tired enough to go to bed, but unsure of what else to do, I stand in the living room doing nothing for a good ten minutes. I decide to try and meditate for a bit and seek out the solace of my bedroom. Unfortunately, even the peace and quiet of my bedroom does not help me to meditate. I can't seem to clear my head when thoughts of a kind-hearted, but tough-looking crocodile keep popping into the forefront of my mind.

I give up on meditating after a bit and decide to go to bed. For the first time since I was rescued from Bryce, I feel very sad, perhaps just as depressed as I was when I ran away from home over a year ago. When I notice the pills on my nightstand, I immediately reach out, uncap the bottle, and place three pills on my tongue. I tell myself that I won't keep this up forever. It's only until I feel better.

When _will_ I feel better though? An hour of misery turns into a day of misery and days soon turn into weeks. Charmy, Vector, and myself seem to fall into a steady routine although it's nothing at all like the routine we had before I was taken by Bryce. I loved the normalcy and consistency of that routine. The new routine I've come to despise. Although Vector hasn't moved in with Vanilla yet, he spends less and less time with Charmy and me. Whenever he does happen to be at my home, he finds things for himself to do to stay out of my way or intentionally makes up chores to be done. Yesterday, he had to weed the garden, a very strange excuse since I remember him distinctly telling me a few months ago that he thought that my garden was a waste of time. Today, he decides that he needs to make a quick trip over to the grocery store.

At this point, I've completely given up on trying to win back Vector's friendship. To make things easier for him, I keep myself in my bedroom most of the time. That way, he doesn't have to worry about trying to come up with excuses to avoid me. I think that it's such a shame that Vector can't be friends with me at all now. Even if we can't be lovers, I would think that we could at least be friends.

My life starts to spiral downwards into a pit of depression. With nothing to do in my room but think, I end up rerunning old memories through my mind over and over again. I can hear Bryce's taunting words in my ear, telling me how I'm worthless and nothing more than a body to be used. Then there were his customers, most of them brutal and sharp-eyed, hungry sharks out for prey. They would hiss and scream at me to do this or that and threaten to hurt me if I didn't obey their every command.

Three pills become four, and before I know it, I'm popping pills all day long. I don't do much of anything anymore. All I do is sit in my bedroom and stare out my window, missing Vector and hating myself for what I was forced to become. Charmy attempts to talk to me sometimes and drags me out of my bedroom, but lately I haven't even felt up to feigning interest in his video games or reading him ninja stories.

It's been another long day of depression and solitude when Vector decides to stick his head through my bedroom door to check up on me. I'm so lost in thought that I don't see him until he's at my shoulder. Frowning down upon me, Vector points out, "What's wrong with yeh, Espio? Ya look horrible."

"I'm fine," I reply stubbornly, using my quick reflexes to grab the pill bottle and hide it behind my back when Vector glances away for a moment.

"Yer not eating again, are yeh?" Vector presses, pushy as ever. It's strange the way he tries to care for me without having to interact with me.

Although it is true that I haven't eaten for a few days, it doesn't faze me. Turning my head a little to the left, I tell the crocodile, "I'm not hungry. Would you like me to fix you something to eat though?"

"Er, no, I was just headin' over to Miss Vanilla's place actually," Vector admits, taking a step backwards as he adds, "Just make sure yer eatin'! Do ya need me to stay with you?"

"No, go ahead and go to Vanilla's house. I'm alright," I lie.

I think that Vector knows it's a lie, but he doesn't know what else to do. Nodding awkwardly, he turns and retreats from the bedroom. I barely hear the door shut behind him since I'm already lost in thought once again.

Am I fine? I don't think so. If drowning in worthlessness and longing for love that never comes is fine, then I don't want to be fine anymore.

* * *

_Uh oh, who thinks that Espio is going to either get addicted to the pills or accidentally overdose on them? Review please! :)  
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	158. Messed Up

**AngelLux13: Yes, Espio needs to stop listening to that voice inside his head that tells him that he's worthless without Vector. Vector's the one with the problem, not him. Ah, well, it wasn't as bad as it sounds because we kind of knew it was coming, you know? Cancer is one of those diseases that sort of eats away at people and I dunno, I was glad to know that he was in peace if that makes sense? Good luck with celebrating this year. We honestly don't do much of anything for the holidays, so it's not too terrible for us. What about you, do you usually celebrate all of the holidays?  
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**Savvy0417: You're exactly right! Do you think that it's possible for anyone to save Esp from the pills at this point? Thanks for the review!  
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**Guest: Lol, I completely agree with you about Espio overdosing. Both Esp and Vector are going to be in big trouble since we've got Knuckles around. xD Woo, I love novel length reviews! *cheers* I like both of your predictions. You're probably the reader who takes the most time to look into the details of my story, hehe. I don't want to give it away exactly, but you're right on track with one of those theories. Either way, Knuckles has a crush on one of the two Chaotix members. Thanks for reading!**

**LuluCalliope: Alright, sounds cool! You might not want to watch it around your parents though because it's kind of graphic. But omg, that is so not true. I think you're way better at fangirls fics. *hugs***

**FullyEroded: I'll definitely give Esp some love; he deserves it after everything he's been through. And omg, is it just me or does everyone like to abuse Esp in their fics? He's so easy to abuse or something. Anyway, it's still awesome that you have some Mario games. I'm a huge Super Paper Mario fan. I love that game sooooooooo much. Do you have any favorite Mario characters? Yay for unlimited amounts of hugs! *hugs back* That will keep me going all day! :D Thanks for the review!**

**PreyasRules: It's okay, I understand about the internet being down. Mine went down for an hour the other day and I was totally freaking out. xD How did you possibly survive without the internet? :P Oh god, I did that with these sleeping pills/anti-depressants once too and I swear that I couldn't open my eyes for the next two days. I was dragging myself around everywhere. Ooo, what song did you buy? My mp3 is full so I can't add anymore songs to it. *cries* Yeah, Tessa and Knuckles sure gave Vector the what for! I'm ready to see Vectilla crack too! Oh my god, that picture of Vector and Vanilla sounds scarring. There are lemons coming eventually, so don't give up hope. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Chibi-Guest: I'm glad that Knuckles had a chat with Veccy too! It's about time that someone talk some sense into that croc, don't you think? I hate it how everyone makes Knuckles out to be the idiot too. He needs love as well as the other characters, don't you think? And yeah...Espio is on the way to an overdose at this rate. D: Thank you for reading!**

**TheMidnightShadow: Ah, cool! I'll add you to my watch list the next time I get a chance. I'm Mimentio-Girl on there.  
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**Andypandy123: Lol, I agree! We need all the help we can get when it comes to Vector. I'll leave you in charge of Espio and the rest of us will try and sort the crazy croc out...if we can. :P Thanks for reading!  
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**Spiiiii: That's funny that you mention that about Vector's attitude because I was thinking the same thing earlier. Most people concentrate on their own problems (me included, lol). I agree with you about Espio, it's more likely that not that he'll overdose since he got addicted to the pills before. Hm...who should we have knock Vector into shape? Knuckles maybe? :D  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: You're right; Vector's got no clue what he's doing. Yes, write a sequel! That would be awesome. :D Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: Ikr, Vector needs someone to wipe his invisible glasses for him or something so he can start seeing things clearly again. Unfortunately, I think that you're right about Espio. If he continues on this path, he's bound to overdose sooner or later and then who knows whether or not he'll survive? Thanks so much for hoping that things get better for me! Parents can be so stressful sometimes, don't you think? Yay for not being tired! I took a sleeping pill in the middle of the day, which wasn't a very smart thing to do. Now I'm like...really tired. xD And yes, your friend caught up! Thanks so much for introducing her to this fic! *huggles*  
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**Gaymie: I agree with you about the whole dysfunctional appeal regarding the Chaotix! I also like Team Dark, but I think that Sonic's team and Team Rose are sort of boring. What do you think? :P And exactly; I think it's about impossible not to like Espio. Who doesn't love ninjas after all? Hehe, well, thanks again for the cyber hug! I love getting online hugs. :D I agree with you about Vector - it seems like it's going to be a while before he comes to his senses and realizes that Espio is going to overdose. Hope you like this chapter!  
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**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Exactly; if Vector had attempted to talk to Espio, the two of them could have avoided this whole situation! But because of stupid Vector, Espio is spiraling into the pit of depression again. Good prediction about Esp and the pills. Do you think that it's more likely that he'll overdose accidentally or on purpose? You're right about Charmy. He's definitely at the age where he should at least have two parents or two parent-like figures in his life, you know? He's still so little. =/ I completely see what you mean about POVs. I always write in a certain POV, but writing in third person works too. Do you prefer first or third person? Same thoughts here. A story would be boring without drama. It would be just as bad as a textbook, lol. Thanks for reading!  
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**Chapter CLVIII  
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_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
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I'm engulfed in a thick cloud of slumber when I hear shouting from far away. Who's yelling at me now? Is it one of Bryce's customers telling me to "suck harder" or "scream louder"? If so, I don't that think I want to wake up. I just want to stay in this place between life and death, alive still, yet not quite feeling anything. The pills are sedatives. They make me sleep for longer and longer amounts of time. Someday, I think that I will sleep for so long that I do not wake up. Charmy will miss me for only so long and as for Vector...

Vector hasn't come to visit me for a while now. How long has it been? Days? Weeks? Time is muddled in my narcotic sleep. Yet, there again is the sound of incessant yelling. I don't feel hands groping and stabbing at my body, so it can't be one of Bryce's customers. Who could it be then? Must. Open. My. Eyes.

Drawing a loud, ragged breath, I force my heavy eyelids open. It only takes me a moment before I recognize the cream walls and matching carpet of my bedroom. My god, I must really be out of it if I can't even remember where I am. Using all of the strength left within me, I push myself into a cross-legged position on the bed and try to make myself wake up. I'm still in that drugged state between reality and my dream world. These anti-depressants aren't like the drugs Bryce used to shoot up my veins. These pills are relaxing to the point where they carry me off to somewhere I want to be. In that place, there's no Bryce, no memories, and certainly no thoughts of Vector and the way he refuses to look at me anymore.

There's that shouting sound again. Now that I'm semi-awake, I recognize the voice as Charmy's voice. I'm suddenly as alert as I can be while still on the pills. Where is Charmy and is he alright? I would never forgive myself if something happened to the little bee while I am in the same house as him.

I stagger to the doorway of my bedroom and then stumble down the hallway to find Charmy. I catch the hint of a faint yellow and black blur at the window across from me in the living room. Before I can ask Charmy what exactly is going on, he pipes up, "Guess what, Espio? It snowed again! It's April and we're still getting snow!"

It takes my mind a few minutes longer than it should to register Charmy's news. Blinking, I repeat, "Snow? That's odd for this time of year."

Despite my calm voice, I'm inwardly groaning. I can't believe that I just woke myself up over snow. Then again, Charmy could have been shouting for me because of a serious issue and what if I hadn't come to his rescue? Sighing, I lean heavily against the wall, feeling as if the walk to the bedroom is too long to undertake. I'll just stay here for a while, sleep on the floor perhaps.

"They said on TV last night that we might get a blizzard!" Charmy continues on, clearly very excited about the prospect of getting snow this late in the year. He whizzes over to me and starts pleading, "Will you build a snowman with me, Espio? Please, please, please? We never got to make one earlier this winter. We'll make one that looks like you and one that looks like me."

"Charmy, I can't. I'm sorry," I reply because there is absolutely no way I am going to go outside into the cold right now. I'd probably topple over into a snowbank and become an icicle. Of course, that may not be such a bad thing after all. Vector might think that a chameleon icicle is better than the "new Espio" or whatever it is he calls me when I'm not around.

"Aw, but why not?" Charmy whines, tugging on my wrist. The tugging actually hurts and I wince. Charmy quickly drops my hand and apologizes, "Sorry. What's wrong with you though? Are you sick? You just stay in bed all of the time and your eyes look so empty."

"I just miss Vector, but I'm getting over it," I sigh, dragging one foot in front of the other as I force myself over to the couch. I'm almost there now, it's just a few more steps forwards. Ah, that's better. I collapse onto the soft cushions of the couch and close my eyes as I murmur, "You could go to Cream's house if you want someone to build a snowman with. I'm certain that she will be more than happy to build one with you. While you're over there, do tell Vector I send him my regards, won't you?"

"Actually, Vector is coming over here for a while tonight," Charmy pipes up. "Do you think that will make you feel better?"

"Perhaps," I whisper with a half-smile. Even a glimpse of Vector is better than not seeing my former crocodile lover at all. Of course that's why I'm still bothering to open my eyes each day and drag myself around the house, engaging myself in mindless tasks with the hope that Vector will visit sometime soon.

"I'm going to go outside now. I'll see you later!" Charmy calls to me as he zips out of the doorway and out into the snow, leaving me in peace and quiet once more.

Too tired to return to the bedroom, I decide to stay right where I am and allow myself to float off into a dazed slumber. Fate decides to turn its back on me and sends me dreams of Bryce. I dream of him on top of me, hot, sticky breath on my neck as he rips and stabs me until I feel as if every part of my body and soul is bleeding. The dream seems unending. After Bryce leaves, Liam comes for me and then Darryl. Even now, more faceless, nameless people come for me, all after the same thing.

Wait, what's that? Voices? Hm, they certainly don't sound like they're coming from my dream. They sound like they're coming from a long ways away. I put up a small struggle to break through the dream, but it's too vivid and strong and I can't fight it. Instead, I try to make out the words penetrating my nightmare.

"How long has he been like this for? He doesn't look good. Geez, I knew that he wasn't doin' great, but I didn't know that he was_ this_ bad," a rough, but concerned voice sounds first. Vector?

"I don't know. He fell asleep on the couch and hasn't woken up since. There's something weird about Espio though. He gets this empty look in his eyes and it seems like he's sleepwalking all of the time. Do you think that we should do something about it, Vector?" a higher-pitched voice, obviously Charmy's, replies.

Finally, I manage to break out of my dream-like state and open one eye as I glance around the room. Vector and Charmy are both sitting at the wooden table across the room, looking at me with concerned faces. Vector looks like he has no idea what to do and Charmy is very worried. There's no need for them to be alarmed. I'm still awake. ...For now.

"Espio! Yer up!" Vector says as soon as my eyes flutters open. He tromps across the room towards me and then stands over at me as if he's a doctor inspecting a patient. Vector frowns and shakes his head as he snaps, "What's wrong with yeh? Are ya on junk or sumthin'?"

A small smile curves up the corners of my mouth. Vector thinks that I'm on drugs? No, I'm not on drugs, not the typical kind anyway. Shaking my head, I reply, "Of course not. It's good to see you again, Vector. I didn't think that you were coming back."

"I've been coming back every other day, dammit! You've been asleep the last few times I've been over and I didn't want ta wake yeh. Yer obviously on some sort of crap. Lemme look at ya," Vector says, roughly grabbing my arms and searching my veins for needle insertion points. I let him do what he likes. He won't find anything.

"Would you like me to fix you dinner or something?" I ask drowsily, wanting Vector to stay with me as long as possible.

"Dinner?!" Vector repeats, sending me an incredulous look as his form starts to blur in front of my eyes. Just how many pills did I take earlier? Five? Ten? Despite the fact that I can't see much of anything, I can still sense that Vector is angry. He shakes his head at me and mutters, "Yer in no shape to stand up let alone fix dinner."

I open my mouth to protest, but end up yawning instead. If Vector doesn't want me to fix him dinner, then there's no need for me to get up. It's too much work trying to keep my eyelids open. I allow them to fall shut and hope that the crocodile will still be here when I wake.

"Argh!" Vector complains from what seems like miles away from me. "He's passing out again. Think I should bring him to the bedroom?"

"Either to the bedroom or to the doctor," Charmy replies, an anxious edge to his voice that I rarely ever hear.

"The bedroom for now then," Vector sighs. "The hospital will come later, but let's hope that it doesn't get to that point."

Suddenly, I feel hands warm and gentle on my body. One hand slips under my knees and the other under my back. I limply fall against a hard scaly chest and find it reassuring and protecting. A spicy aroma fills my nose and almost immediately puts me to sleep. I'm being carried to my bedroom. I ought to stay awake and enjoy being held in Vector's arms, but the blackness is closing in around me so quickly and I just can't seem to struggle against it.

My eyelids jerk open again a moment later. I must have fallen asleep for a few moments because instead of in the hallway, Vector and I are now in my familiar bedroom. It's very peaceful and dark in here at this time of day. More asleep than awake, I find that I've forgotten all about Miss Vanilla for a moment. As Vector carefully lays me down on the bed, all I can think of are our past memories together. I remember all of our stolen kisses, our loving glances, and the way the brush of our hands would send a pleasant shiver down my spine.

I look up and meet Vector's eyes, needing love more than anything else. Day and night, I'm haunted by all of those faceless people calling me worthless and pathetic. A few of them even tried to kill me in their drunken rages. Those people paid for me for revenge. I absorbed all of their unrelinquished anger either at partners, wives, or ex-girlfriends. Oh Vector, show me that someone loves me still...

Reaching up, I curl my arms around Vector's neck and practically drag the big crocodile down on top of me. I clutch at the scales on his back tightly before kissing him desperately. I need this so badly, need to know that I'm still loved and cared for.

"Godammit!" Vector growls, roughly pushing me away from him and stumbling back from the bed as he gives me look like I've just lost my mind. "What the hell was _that_ all about?"

I give him a blank stare before it all comes flooding back to me. Oh, of course, Vector is with Vanilla now. I've just done a very bad thing. I need to apologize immediately. Trying to prop myself up onto an elbow, I give Vector's slightly flushed face an imploring gaze and whisper, "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"Yeah, I know ya didn't mean to. Yer so messed up that ya don't know what yer doin'," Vector states. I open my mouth to deny his words before I realize that they're true. Perhaps I did take a pill too many today. They're making my mind numb. It's hard to think. Vector throws up his hands in the air and mutters to no one in particular, "I try and do the right thing! I really do! I try and keep Miss Vanilla happy, Charmy happy, and yerself happy. Nobody's happy though and now yer gonna just fade away on me, aren't ya? What did I ever do ta deserve all of this crap?!"

With that said, Vector turns and stomps out of my bedroom. I can hear his footsteps slam all the way down the hallway. Listening carefully, I try and detect whether they make it all the way out the door or not. They stop before they reach the door. Good. That means that Vector didn't leave.

I pull myself upright and sit rigidly still for a few minutes as a wave of guilt crashes over me. I can take pills, but not this many. This is getting ridiculous. I really do owe Vector another apology. It's going to take a lot of work to get myself out of bed and to the living room once again, but it's worth it.

Biting my tongue to concentrate, I work on sliding myself off of the bed and dropping onto the floor. My legs wobble a bit, but I don't fall. That's good progress. It takes me a lot longer to reach the living room than it should have. I'm about to turn out of the hallway and into sight when I abruptly bring myself to a standstill. Charmy and Vector are having the conversation I've wanted to hear from them for a very long time now.

"I don't get it, Vector. Why don't you like Espio anymore? What's so much better about Cream's mom?" Charmy asks the crocodile in confusion from where they're both sitting on the couch.

"It's not that I don't like Espio anymore. I do like him. Well, when he's not on junk anyway," Vector sighs, rubbing his forehead as if he has a terrible headache.

"You do still love Espio though, don't you, Vector?" Charmy presses.

I hold my breath and stay hidden as I wait for Vector's next words. What will he say? Does he love me? Oh god, please help him say yes...

* * *

_Well, what do you think Vector is going to say? Review please! :)  
_


	159. Wrong Answers

**AngelLux13: Hehe, yeah, crack like an egg, Veccy! Espio has a tendency to get addicted to crap, doesn't he? I find that certain people have a tendency for that. Espio seems to be one of those people. Wow, I guess you do celebrate a lot of holidays! What one is your favorite? I just celebrate two mainly, lol. Here's another update! Don't die from the suspense. :P  
**

**Guest: You have a good point about what Vector is going to say regarding Espio. He has lied before and he doesn't know that Espio is listening in to the conversation, so he might be more likely to lie again. Hehe, what one of your Knuckles' theory are you leaning more towards? And true...that seems like something Espio would do if he heard Vector say that he doesn't love him anymore. Do you think he'd consider suicide? Thanks for reading!**

**PreyasRules: Was the puzzle fun? xD I'm not very good at puzzles. I get frustrated with them about after five seconds and that's that. xD Oh wow, well, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing then? I wouldn't mind smiling all day. Ooo, I love that song! All Sonic songs are pretty good though. Oh noes, don't start feeling jealous of Veccy! *sends you medicine for your eyes if there is such a thing* Lol, hope you like this chapter!**

**FullyEroded: Yeah, Vector had better say yes or else...=/ I love Bowser! That's cool that he's your favorite character. Woo for Scourge fans! *high fives you* Wait, what? I never remember saying that I like using OCs. I mean, sometimes they're essential aka Bryce to this story, but I wouldn't ever pair a main character with an OC or anything. Sorry that your morning is going so badly! I'm not having a great one myself either. I hope that the rest of your day gets better!**

**LuluCalliope: That's good about your parents at least. xD Mine don't really care what I watch anymore either. What NC-17 movie did you watch? I've seen a lot of them at this point, lol. I loved yesterday's chapter, then again, I always love the updates. :D**

**Savvy0417: Oh no, I feel like my fic is always making you cry! *sends you a box of tissues* Any better now? Anyway, yeah, Vector is finally starting to see the point a little. Isn't it crazy how a seven-year-old is smarter than him? =/  
**

**Toni the Mink: Well, we know Vector, he's trying to deny that he still loves Espio, so he'll probably lie to Charmy under the circumstances regardless of how he feels. Sorry for leaving you at a cliffhanger! And ikr? I guess that Vector and Espio both have experiences with addictions even though they're different kinds of addictions. So you think this is going to be the turning point? You'll find out soon!**

**Gaymie: I think that everyone is rooting for Vector to say yes! If he doesn't, it's definitely going to take a toll on Esp. Woo, yay for Team Chaotix and Team Dark fans! *high fives you* Hehe, well, I think that it's okay to fangirl over a character. I fangirl over Scourge, but I pair him with Fiona, not OCs. :P Shadamy is...interesting. I'm not a fan of the pairing, but whatever floats your boat, you know? What do you like about Shadow? And big words ftw! Seriously, it just shows that you're intelligent, that's all. Thanks for the review!**

**Andypandy123: Hehe, I think that you're going to be sending me a distress signal pretty quickly then! Vector is still not cooperating! *throws hands up in the air* I've just about given up on him! Hope you like this chapter. :)  
**

**Spiiiii: Yeah, if Vector doesn't say yes, we're going to send Knuckles to knock some sense into him! Lol, well, hey, selfish people ftw then since we're both like that. :P Let's hope that Esp doesn't overdose. *crosses fingers* Thanks for the review!  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Veccy better say yes or else he'll completely ruin Esp. And aw, I hope that your dad gives you your laptop back soon! Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: Yeah, too many pills act like a drug and start messing people up really bad, don't you think? I feel bad for Espio and Charmy (everyone but Vector, haha). If Vector doesn't say yes, Espio is going to get even more depressed, poor guy. *hugs back* I think that my parents are the biggest source of my stress! Lol, yeah, I guess I wasn't thinking when I took that pill in the middle of the day. And aw, well, thanks again! You think that this fic is getting more and more exciting? :D That's so good to hear! Thank you so much for reading it!  
**

**Alicia: Still on the sick side. I'm over here counting down the days, you know? I have 69 left!  
**

**manicpanicgirl: Lol, yeah, I'm with you on the snow. It's time for summer imo. :)  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Vector really is turning out to be a heart breaker, isn't he? :P I agree with you though; it's likely that he'll say no because he's trying to convince everyone that he loves Miss Vanilla and whatnot. Besides, he doesn't know that Espio is listening in on the conversation. Yeah, I see what you're saying there. I can see Espio taking his life if he got to the point where each day was a drag for him though. Oh my god, I could never read a fic that switches between first and third person. That's just...way too confusing! I sort of prefer first person to third person, but the grammar in a story is more important than the way it's written, I think. You have a good point about history! My history textbook is pretty boring though. I always end up fall asleep while reading it. What about you, do you like history? Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter CLIX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

There's a long silence in the living room as I hold my breath and wait for Vector to answer Charmy's question. Does he love me still or not? I can't deny that I haven't been thinking about this since I arrived back at home from the hospital. I suppose that the only reason why I've been waking up each morning is because some miniscule part inside of me still clings to the hope that perhaps Vector still loves me. Of course, I don't expect him to act on this love since the crocodile is dating Vanilla. Still though, it would be nice to know that he still cares for me in the way I will always care for him.

"Look, Charmy, things are just different now. Espio's like a friend to me now. Well, a druggie friend," Vector adds reproachfully after a few seconds. "Yeh understand why I can't love someone like that, don't ya? If I could take back the last three months, I would, but I can't. Espio is just the way he is now and I'm with Vanilla. That's all there is to it."

Vector's words hit me like icy cold water being dumped over my head. My whole body is frozen and I can't breathe. Vector _doesn't_ love me. He just said it aloud. That's all I ever needed to know in life. How could I have been so foolish as to think that there might still be hope for Vector and me?

My legs turn to jello beneath me and I wind up on my knees in the hallway. Vector and Charmy can't see me here, which is a very good thing. I bite my tongue to keep silence the sob rising in my throat. Damn, I've become so pathetic ever since I came home from the hospital. I was hurting and wounded, needing Vector's affection more than ever. He denied me of it and now what have I become? Even_ more_ dependent on Vector despite the fact that the door he used to hold open for me is now closed and no matter how much I beg and plead for access to it, the door will never be opened again.

I won't sit here in the hallway and cry. I haven't sank that low just yet. The first thing I need to do is get to my feet. I can't stay here on the floor of the hallway for forever. Someone is bound to find me and then I will be in an even worse situation than before. There's one problem with this though. My legs refuse to hold me.

Alright, since plan A failed, it looks as if I'm going to have to resort to plan B. Ignoring the shame of it all, I crawl on my hands and knees to my bedroom, knowing that before I can do anything else, I have to get out of this room and away from Vector and Charmy. I'm going to have to rethink my life, make new plans for myself. Vector isn't everything, is he?

I deny the little voice coming from the very back of my head that insists that Vector_ is _everything. The thought drains me of my strength and I force it out of my mind for now. The crawl all the way back to my bedroom seems to take ages even though it couldn't have taken more than ten minutes at the longest. I push through the bedroom door, reach up, and use the doorknob to help myself get to my feet. After closing the door firmly behind me, I go to my bed and let myself fall into the comforting mattress.

Unfortunately, I can never lay on this bed without thinking about Vector. We spent so many nights together lying side by side that I'm still not used to sleeping in the bed alone. No matter though. Now is the time for me to turn my life around and start with a fresh, clean slate. I have nothing with Vector. He just said so himself. That means that I need to devote myself to other things.

My mind stays blank for a few minutes and tears threaten to fall from my eyes once more. I shove them back angrily, not wanting to let myself see how weak I've become. The truth is that I have become very weak over the course of the last eight months. I knew only a week or two after meeting the crocodile that I was falling for Vector and that I was going to end up wrapped around his little finger. I tried again and again to remain dominate in our relationship, but utterly failed at that. It seems as if I always have very good ideas and plans, but they seldom work out the way they should.

What will I do with myself now that the single strand of hope I was clinging to is now gone? Wave after wave of depression flows over me, making it harder for me to think. My vision blurs as I stare up at the ceiling, either from the tears clouding my eyes or from the pills taking over. One thing is for certain - I can't take nearly so many tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes much sooner than I would have liked it to come. I would have preferred to float mindlessly in a dazed slumber for much longer. Unfortunately, the sun has decided to shine today and is causing beams of light to dance on the wall directly opposite of me. I try to keep sleeping, but the sunlight makes that impossible.

As soon as I sit up, last night comes flooding back to me. Vector's hurtful words stab me in the chest like a multitude of needles all over again. A sense of hopelessness crashes in on me. Of course I still have Charmy to look after, but without any hope for Vector and myself, I feel like this life isn't worth living. Where are my pills? I think I need one. Or two. Or five.

My hand reaches out absentmindedly and searches the nightstand for the little bottle of pills. There it is. I uncap the bottle and turn it upsi-down. Nothing. Hm, I must have taken every last one of them last night. No wonder I felt so strange. I don't get a refill on the pills for another six weeks. Perhaps taking more than the prescribed amount was not such a good idea after all.

Without the pills I will have to find something else to occupy my time with. Neglecting the world and falling through an unseeing slumber day after day is not going to do anyone any good. Remember those days when I was all for fighting evil and put all of my energy into it? I need to go back to those days. The will to fight evil is something that cannot leave me. It comes from somewhere deep inside of me and is much more stable than love from another being. People and relationships, as unfortunate as they are, will never be unbreakable. Some people fade in and out of your life and some relationships simply fall apart despite the fact that you'd even give up your own life for the life of your partner.

Thinking things through isn't helping me to feel any better. In fact, I think that I'm feeling worse than before. Rubbing my eyes, I force the sleepiness out of them before dropping to the floor and padding over to the door of my bedroom. I wonder if Vector will still be here. If so, I will tell him to leave. I know how he really feels about me now.

I'm mostly expecting not to see Vector when I enter the living room, so I'm actually surprised when I see a large green form sprawled out on the couch watching TV. When he hears me enter the room, Vector turns his head in my direction and states, "Yer up. I'm surprised. Yeh look better than yesterday. Are ya feelin' better?"

A wry smile crosses my face since I am feeling anything_ but_ better than yesterday at the moment. I think that the pills must give me a strange look. I lie and decide to reply, "I'm fine."

Vector snorts and sits up on the couch, grabbing the remote controller and flicking off the TV to give me his full attention. He's not looking me in the eye, but he is looking at me. Frowning, Vector says, "I think we need to talk. I gotta know what's goin' on with ya."

"Vector, you don't have to take care of me. I'm fine on my own," I reply a little stiffly, unsure why Vector is suddenly acting more concerned about me even after telling Charmy that he no longer has feelings for me last night. He's confusing me, and every moment he stays here, the ache in my chest increases.

"Yer obviously not fine on yer own! Yer fallin' to pieces!" Vector says, getting off of the couch and stepping towards me.

I try to suppress the leap of my heart as Vector takes a few steps in my direction. I don't know what I'm getting excited about. Yet, despite what my mind is telling me, my body acts on its own and doesn't respond to my brain. Instead of moving away from Vector, I stay very still where I am.

"Espio, I...I'm sorry if I haven't been here as much as I should have. Is that what's buggin' ya? I can try and spend more time with yeh if ya like," Vector starts out hesitantly, gently placing his large hands on my shoulders as he tries to look me in the face for one of the first times since the situation with Bryce.

Sadness runs through me as I realize that Vector is only offering to spend more time with me because he feels sorry for me. Once again, unshed tears sting my eyes. Blinking them back rapidly, I shake my head and say, "It's alright. I understand that you have other obligations now."

Vector keeps his hands on my shoulders, his grasp tight and unrelenting. He squeezes his eyes shut as if in pain for a moment before he murmurs, "I_ am _sorry if I've been hurtin' ya. I just...dunno what to do anymore. There's you, Miss Vanilla, and, uh, sumthin' else I've had to spend time on."

"Vanilla comes first. I understand," I say, keeping my eyes on the ground, unable to keep the bitter edge out of my voice.

At my words, Vector flinches as if I've just slapped him. Shaking his head, he replies, "It's not like that! I don't want the relationship with Miss Vanilla, alright? I'm stuck in it and I can't get out of it if ya must know. Say, are ya crying? Don't cry, Espio! Please?"

"I'm not crying," I reply stubbornly even though one single droplet manages to creep out of my eye and trickles down my face.

A large hand cups my cheek and a thumb wipes the tear off my face. I risk a quick glance at Vector and see regret in his eyes as he suddenly reaches out to hug me, saying, "God, Esp, I'm sorry..."

I shrink back from the hug, knowing that it will only hurt me more. Is Vector finally realizing how much he's hurt me? Is he finally recognizing that my devotion to him is what's been causing me all of this pain and suffering? Perhaps he sees now that I am the same chameleon I used to be. He just called me by my nickname once again. He hasn't done that for months. Of course, it really doesn't matter though. I know that Vector doesn't love me and his hugs will only be misinterpreted in my mind and will give me false hope.

As more droplets pool in my eyes, I croak, "Don't, Vector. Just go, please? I'm sure you have somewhere you need to be right now. I need to be alone."

Vector hesitates, not looking like he's going to leave until he gets another good look at my face and sees the obvious tears in my eyes. He looks like he wants to embrace me more than anything (then again, that's probably just my mind playing tricks on me), but he heeds my words and merely nods. Without another word, he trudges to the doorway and disappears in the thick snow that's accumulated outside.

Taking a deep breath, I decide to try and pull myself together. Charmy will be awake in a few moments and he will most likely want breakfast. I might as well be productive and fix him something to eat. There's no use in drowning myself in past regrets.

Going into the kitchen, I look inside the pantry and find that I have a package of pancake mix unopened. Deciding that this will give me something to do until Charmy wakes up, I open the pancake mix and go about performing all of the steps necessary in order to make the perfect pancakes. Despite my hard work, my heart isn't into it and I end up burning my hand on the stove as well as the pancakes. They end up black and crispy, but hopefully Charmy won't mind. They're still edible if you douse them with butter and maple syrup.

Speaking of Charmy, where is that little bee? I glance at the clock and realize that he should be awake by now. Hm. I wonder what he's up to. Starting to get a little worried, I cross the living room and knock on Charmy's bedroom door. There's no answer, so I crack the door open just slightly. No lump is visible in the bed. Instead, I see a piece of folded up paper.

I immediately enter the room and pick up the piece of paper. It's a note from Charmy explaining that he decided to go to Cream's house for a sleepover last night to give Vector and me a chance to chat this morning. The bee's thoughtfulness brings another tear to my eye. Frowning, I brush it away violently. Why am I always so sentimental these days?

I retreat from the bedroom and find myself standing in the living room with nothing to do. I'm not the least bit hungry for burnt pancakes. I put them away in Tupperware containers for Charmy's breakfast tomorrow and then go back to standing around. The problem with taking so many pills is that they helped me drift into an almost constant slumber. I was able to waste most of the day away sleeping when I took pill after pill. With no pills left, I feel useless.

As my eyes skim over the room, I notice that there's a bit of dust on the coffee table. I might as well take care of that while I try to think of something to do with myself. Hurrying over to the cupboard below the sink, I pull out the feather duster and then go to clean the coffee table. After only a few flicks of the duster, the surface of the coffee table is polished and clean. I observe it for a moment before noticing some shredded bits of something lying next to the coffee table.

Curiosity sparked, I drop down onto my knees and realize that what I'm noticing is a shredded up photograph. I do my best to piece the shredded bits of the photograph together. It doesn't take long for me to realize that it's the picture of Vector and me sitting on the couch together last Christmas. Vector must have torn it apart.

Trying to ignore the pain sizzling through my veins, I get to my feet, grab my old scarf, and start towards the door. I need to get out of here for a while. Everything here reminds me of what Vector and I used to have and what we will never have again.

* * *

_Hm...where do you think poor Esp is going to go? Review please! :)_


	160. Final Thoughts

**AngelLux13: Yeah, I don't think that Espio intentionally means to hurt himself at this point, but wandering out in the middle of nowhere without a destination in mind is never a good idea. Ikr? At least Vector finally admitted the truth. Do you think that he's starting to dislike Vanilla more than before? Aw, that's really too bad that you don't get any snow for Christmas some years. You should come to Michigan; we got snow here two days ago. Crazy, right? Eh, I had a bad day and got into fights with both of my parents. x_x How was your day?  
**

**Guest: You're right; poor Espio doesn't have many places he can go without accidentally reminding himself of Vector! I agree that he wouldn't ever bring himself to a counselor though. He seems to be too shy for that. Someone needs to screw Vector's head on straight, that's for sure. xD Well, you'll get the answer to your Knuckles question in this chapter. Regardless, I like both of your theories. I think it's pretty awesome how you read into detail so much. Not many people do that. Thanks for the review!**

**FullyEroded: Lol, it's okay if you have to rant a bit. I think that we all want to rant at Vector for a while. One of these days he'll listen to his heart and take Espio back (I hope). Yeah, that's my name, but I absolutely hate it. I like people to call me Jen or Enna. I'm definitely changing my name when I'm older though. Nope, I haven't seen any of those movies. I either watch Disney or horror pretty much. Snow White and the Huntsman is my all time favorite movie. Thanks for the hugs! *hugs back* Hope you have a great day!**

**PreyasRules: Omg, that sounds exactly like what I'd be doing if I didn't have wi-fi connection! I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a puzzle though, so I'd be checking the internet like every two seconds. :P Aw, well, I bet your smile didn't look that crazy. Sometimes I take too many anti-depressants or sleeping pills on purpose because I sort of like that tired feeling I get from them, lol. Sonic songs are always catchy! Gotta love them. Hey, well, there's nothing wrong with being bisexual. I don't really like any of the Sonic girls, but there are other cartoon chicks I'd go for, hehe. Anyway, you're right; Espio's options don't look too good right now. Let's hope that he stays out of trouble. Thanks so much for reading!**

**TheMidnightShadow: It's okay, we all forget things sometimes (especially me). And yup, I'm pretty sure that's a word. xD  
**

**LuluCalliope: I've never heard of that movie before. Is it worth watching? Most of the NC-17 movies I watched were horror. The update was really good! I especially liked the part with the koopalings. :)  
**

**NMason1997: Hey, no worries! xD We all get super busy at times. Thanks a ton for catching up on this though! Most people don't bother to catch up once they get behind. :P Anyway, I'm so glad that you liked the chapters you missed. I put the pill bottle part intentionally into the story for a bit of foreshadowing. I'm glad that someone picked up on it. And omg, you feel sorry for Vector? I think you're my first reader who feels bad for him. I feel bad for him too though. I mean, it's not his fault that he got involved with Vanilla exactly. Thank you again so much for catching up! :D**

**Savvy0417: Vector definitely has his dumb blonde moments, I agree. xD Hm...interesting thought about Espio! So you think that he'll just keep getting more and more depressed? Well, I'm glad that this story makes you feel emotional if that's a good thing. :P  
**

**Sakura-Music-Box: Well, I don't think that Espio could stand the pain of having Vector around when he's still with Vanilla, you know? That's gotta hurt. =/ Thanks so much for the review!  
**

**Andypandy123: I'm sending one right now, lol! And good idea, you should definitely walk with Espio. I think that he needs someone to look after him right now, don't you think? I agree about Espio being too good for Vector, but Esp seems to be set on him. Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Spiiiii: Knuckles is going to be in this chapter actually! I think you already read part of this next one, but at least I edited it now, so it should have less mistakes in it. Hehe, yup, Esp can't overdose, yay! I bet the fangirls stole the pills. xD We don't want Esp back in the hospital. Let me know what you think of this chapter. ^^  
**

**Gaymie: You're right; Espio's condition is getting worse rather quickly. You'd think that Vector could've cleaned things up with him, but nooooo. D: I agree with you though, Espio is definitely on the path to suicide at this rate. Woo, another anti-OCs Sonic fan! *high fives you* I really dislike OCs in general, but the Sonic fandom just seems to have way too many of them, don't you think? I don't really read fics on here because of OCs and something else I hate is that there is way too much art of Sonic OCs and recolors out there. =/ Hehe, well, Shadow is awesome, I agree. He's on my top ten list as well. Do you ship Shadow with anyone or do you keep him single? And yup, big words ftw! :D**

**Saints-Fan-12: Good predictions! A lot can happen when you're walking mindlessly around. Thanks for reading!**

**Regular sonic fan: Oh no, you're crying again? Let me get the tissues! *runs off at Sonic speed and returns a second later with a box of tissues* Here you go! I'm glad that you thought the chapter was emotional, but I don't want you to feel sad. *huggles* Sometimes walking around helps me clear my head, so hopefully it will do the same thing for Espio. And aw, that is so super nice of you to say about my story! I'm so glad that you've enjoyed all of it! :D Hope you like this next chapter!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, well, I did tell you that I like to torture my characters! Espio is getting tortured as much as I can possibly torture him in this fic. :P Espio, just take that as a sign of love. xD Hm...well, I guess you'll find out if Espio goes down the suicidal route soon enough. Speaking of endings, this fic isn't all that much longer. *cries* I'm gonna miss posting chapters of it! Anyway, before I get too sentimental, that fic that you read where the author didn't tell you the POV sounds horrible! I could never read something like that. I mean, how can an author expect you to read and not know who you're reading about? =/ Lol, I'm not really a grammar nazi, but there are times when small errors just really bother me in other people's fics, you know? I think that must be my OCD kicking in. So you like gym and music then? That's true about history. Wars are pretty interesting to learn about, but there are other not-so-interesting things we have to learn about in history. Well, you're right on about me not being too interested in school anymore. xD Uh...I guess that I used to like biology to some extent, but them I got into chemistry and that was a bitch. :P I dunno, I guess I'm just not much of a school person. No wonder I'm not going to college. Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter CLX  
**

_~ Espio's POV ~_**  
**

I step out into a blinding white world. Snow is everywhere; on the ground, on the tops of the many houses and buildings on this street, and it is even visible on every tree and plant. To make matters worse, more snow is falling from the sky at this very moment. I suppress an inward groan and resist going back inside to the warmth of my house. Yes, it might be more comfortable in there, but the house is full of hurtful memories of Vector. I'm not sure why he tore up the picture of the two of us together during Christmas, but I do know that it hurts me to have found it in tatters.

Hoping that maybe the frigid temperatures will make me numb to the pain I'm experiencing, I start walking along the sidewalk without any particular destination in mind. This emotional torment is worse than anything I've ever felt before. I've been through physical pain many times and some emotional hurt. However, when Bryce and his gang would call me names or ridicule me, I was partly able to separate myself from them. I was able to create a wall between them and myself to distance my fragile mind from the jeering and cursing. Somehow or the other, it worked. I've been able to get over Bryce. Unfortunately, I don't think that I'm ever going to be able to get over this.

What _is_ this? This refers to Vector at this point. When I entered a relationship with him many months ago, I gave him my heart and expected him never to break it. Now that I've had my heart thrown back at me, it's bruised, battered, and bleeding. The emotional pain I feel whenever I see Vector is almost unbearable. I feel more worthless than I've ever felt before in my life.

I lift my head and realize that I've been walking in the direction of the park this whole time. It's a bit hard to see with the snow whirling this way and that, but that's definitely the sign pointing to the park ahead of me. Something else familiar catches my eye. A cozy yellow house surrounded by greenery can be seen to my left. It's Vanilla's house of course.

I really ought to walk right past the house, but for some reason, my feet seem to have a mind of their own. They slow down and stop by Vanilla's driveway. I'm not quite sure why I'm lingering here. Perhaps it's because I know that Vector and Charmy must be inside the house. I don't blame Vanilla for taking Vector from me. In fact, the house almost looks inviting from where I'm standing here in the harsh winter weather.

Just as I'm forcing myself to take a step forward, I notice a couple just inside the window. The curtains are open and I'm easily able to make out the images of Vanilla and Vector despite the fact that thick snow is swirling around me and slightly obscuring my view of anything an inch away from my face.

_ Keep walking, idiot_, a voice inside of me snaps. _What do you expect to see? You know that Vanilla and Vector are a couple. I thought that this walk was to make you feel better._

I try to listen to the voice, but as I start to take another step forward, I catch a glimpse of the cream-colored rabbit moving towards my former lover. She wraps her slender arms around Vector's neck and giggles at something he's saying. My eyes are now glued to the window and I can't move no matter what I do. Without hesitation, Vanilla leans forwards and presses her lips to Vector's. The two kiss once, twice, three times. It doesn't end there. Vector scoops Vanilla up into his arms bridal style and nuzzles down her neck before kissing the valley between her breasts...

The two step away from the window and out of sight, most likely going to the bedroom or to the couch next if they can't make it to the bedroom in time. It doesn't matter either way since my vision is completely blurred and I can see absolutely nothing at all in front of me besides for a film of white at this point.

Stumbling along, I force myself to get away from Vanilla's window. I need to be anywhere_ but_ here. I've known for quite a while now that Vector and Vanilla are a couple, but seeing them together when I'm hurting the most has not helped me one bit. I feel as if I've officially been thrown away and forgotten although I suppose that I was really forgotten the first time Vector and Vanilla shared a bed together.

I keep walking along towards an unknown place while more unwanted thoughts spin through my mind. If I had given Vector the part of me that he had wanted so much, would he have hesitated before hooking up with Vanilla after I left? If I had given him intimacy, would he have loved me more?

Tears continue to spill down and freeze on my cheeks as the snow stains my scarf white and covers the ground in a thick white blanket. I have absolutely no idea where I'm going or what to do with my life anymore. Everything is such a mess and it's all because I just so happened to fall in love with a certain crocodile on a certain day of the year nine months ago.

Thud! I walk into something or someone and and immediately come to a halt. I'm embarrassed over my crying, but know that despite the situation, I need to apologize. Clearing my throat, I lift my eyes and try to speak. Surprisingly enough, the violet eyes I meet are the violet eyes of a bright red echidna.

"Whoa, steady there, Espio," Knuckles says, reaching out and placing a firm hand on my shoulder to keep me from toppling over. He gets a better look at my face and then blinks in surprise before his eyebrows knot together in concern and he asks, "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm f-fine," I whisper, staring at my feet and realizing that nobody will buy my lie this time. I hate being seen crying since crying is for the weak, but I simply can't hold back my sorrow any longer. Staying home might have been a good idea after all, but at this point, it's too late and I've already shamed myself in front of Knuckles.

"You're obviously not fine," Knuckles says in a surprisingly gentle voice. His eyes harden after a moment and he asks urgently, "Did someone hurt you? Was it Vector? If so, I'll teach him a lesson or two! That crocodile has been a real jerk lately if you ask me."

"No, it wasn't Vector! I'm not hurt, only sad. I'll be a-alright," my voice quavers, betraying me and humiliating me further.

"Well, you're clearly not alright right now," Knuckles says, waving me after him as he says, "Come on, let's get you out of the cold. It's not helping anything."

At this point, my whole body is numb to an uncomfortable degree. I decide not to argue with Knuckles and take a shaky step forward. My joints are so stiff that my knees refuses to bend and I almost end up toppling over once more. My already pink cheeks turn red. I haven't embarrassed myself so much in a long time. Fortunately, Knuckles doesn't seem to mind my clumsiness. Instead of laughing at me, he seems concerned. Despite the fact that we haven't spent a lot of time together, he's always been a good friend to me.

"Here, lean on me. I'll help you," Knuckles says, wrapping my arm around his shoulders.

I feel so weak and helpless leaning on Knuckles like this, but if I try and walk on my own, I'll end up face down in the snow, which certainly won't help my dignity. Taking a shuddering breath, I let the red echidna lead me to wherever it is he wants us to go. I attempt to stop the droplets of clear liquid spilling down my face. The first step to putting my broken heart back together is to stop crying. Perhaps a talk with Knuckles will help calm me down. After that, I can worry about what to do next.

By the time Knuckles stops walking, the snow has lightened up and my tears have stopped. Glancing upward, I find that we're standing next to the cafe not too far from my house. It's not the cafe I work at; it's the other one that Vector and I went to once upon a time ago.

Leaning up against the building, Knuckles gives me a long look and says, "Stop biting your lip. It's bleeding all over and that's not going to help you feel better."

I'm biting my lip? I wasn't even aware of it until Knuckles mentioned it. However, now I realize that there is the strong metallic tang of blood in my mouth. I let go of my lip with my teeth and take a steadying breath before I apologize, "I'm so sorry that you had to see me like that. I try so hard to never let my guard down, but-"

"It's okay. Everyone cries sometimes. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Of course, if you're me, you go beat something up instead if you're upset," Knuckles says, a slight smile curving up the corners of his lips before he goes dead serious again and asks, "Want to talk about what's bothering you? I might not be able to do much about it, but I can listen."

I hesitate. I don't typically share personal details about my love life with people, but there's something about Knuckles that makes me want to tell him what happened...

"It's about Vector, isn't it?" Knuckles states knowingly. "I've known for a while that he's been up to no good."

I decide not to deny the truth and go ahead and nod, admitting, "Why yes, it_ is_ about Vector, I suppose. How did you know?"

"You really want to know?" Knuckles asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I nod again and wait for his explanation. Knuckles goes on, "It's actually really obvious. Vector never visited you in the hospital, he's been acting funny whenever anyone tries to talk to him about you, and he's been spending more and more time with that tramp, Vanilla. I tried to talk to him about it the other week, but he got all defensive on me."

"I'm sure that Vanilla isn't a 'tramp' exactly-" I start out, not liking to down talk about people, even a beautiful rabbit who has taken Vector from me.

Knuckles interrupts me and says, "She is a tramp. You don't have to be nice to everyone, Espio. It's a good quality to a point, but there's no need to sugarcoat the truth. Anyway, that's all I know. Vector is being a jerk and you're obviously miserable."

I consider how much to tell Knuckles and start out slowly, "There isn't much else to know. Vector got back together with Vanilla when I broke up with him after I was taken by my cousin. Every since I came back from the hospital, he's been avoiding me. He treats me differently as if I don't deserve to be his friend anymore."

"You know what? I think that he doesn't deserve to be your friend anymore," Knuckles emphasizes his words emphatically. "He's got a real nerve to treat you like that."

"It's true though," I say quietly, kicking a clump of snow by my foot with my sneaker. "Vector sees me for what I am. I'm not identical to who I was a few months ago. I've been degraded and stained. I think that Vector is the only one who sees that. Everyone else still treats me as if I'm worth something. He's the only one who realizes that I'm not someone worth knowing."

"Don't you dare say that!" Knuckles suddenly lashes out, eyes simmering as he reaches out and grabs my shoulders tightly. Our eyes meet and he goes on rashly, "Of course you are someone worth knowing! Don't let a stupid crocodile get to you. I hate to see the way you're dissing yourself over Vector. I'd like to teach him a lesson or two."

"But the things I've done...they're unforgivable," I murmur, waves of shame pouring through me as I try to get Knuckles to see what Vector and I see. "What happened to me-"

"Wasn't your fault," Knuckles says, doing his best to control his temper. "None of it was your fault. Are you listening to me, Espio?"

"I feel so worthless," I admit, crumpling under his firm gaze. "How can anyone ever like me let alone love me?"

Knuckles gets a fiery look in his eyes. I can see a question pass through his head, but he quickly makes a decision about it without much deliberation. Without a second thought, he leans down and kisses me. It's not the kind of kiss I would expect from the high-strung echidna. When his lips touch mine, they're surprisingly gentle. What surprises me even more is my reaction. I kiss Knuckles back almost desperately. For once, I'm the one dominant. When the tip of my tongue brushes against Knuckles' lips, I immediately gain access to the heat of his mouth. My tongue curls desperately around his, taking much more than I'm giving. This isn't an act of love. If anything, it's me trying to find out if there's any way I can ever love another besides for Vector. I have my answer now.

Pulling away from Knuckles with flushed cheeks, I immediately look at the ground and whisper, "I'm sorry. That was...not right."

"No, it was my fault. I've liked you for a while now, but you've been with Vector, so I never wanted to say anything," Knuckles admits. "I probably shouldn't have kissed you, but I just want you to know that there are people who love you and care for you. Vector doesn't deserve you. Got that?"

I nod although Knuckles' words aren't making me feel much better.

Sighing, the echidna goes on, "I agreed to meeting Tails and Sonic at the electronic store just north of here. Want to come with me?"

"No, I think that I'd best get home and start making lunch for Charmy," I lie since I really don't think that I can stand any more social interactions today.

"I figured you'd say that," Knuckles admits, that knowing look on his face. He gives me a gentle pummel on the arm and says, "Chin up! Things will turn up. If you ever need anything, you're always welcome at my place. It's the same with Tails and Sonic. We're all your friends and we're all here for you."

"Thank you," I whisper as Knuckles starts towards the electronic store. "I do appreciate it."

I watch the echidna leave, my mind no longer a muddle of chaos. I've learned one thing for certain today. I will only ever love Vector; I was meant for him. The only other thought that crosses my mind is a simple one. Without love, what is life?

* * *

_I kind of agree with Espio. I mean, what is the point of life if you go through it without loved ones? Anyway, what do you think the chameleon is going to do next? Review please! :)_


	161. Self Destruction

**AngelLux13: Lol, I don't think that anyone was expecting it! xD What do you think about Knuckles/Espio? If Vector wasn't a Sonic character, I would probably support that ship. Thanks for the sympathy. *hugs* Yeah, it's like that around here pretty much every day. My parents would get divorced, but they don't have enough money to live in separate places, so we're just trying to make do at the moment. Wow, the mock car crash sounds really freaky! I probably would've flipped out and thought that it was real! So are you planning on going to prom? I've always wanted to go, you know, if someone would bother asking me (not like that would ever happen). :P Thanks for reading!  
**

**Guest: Honestly, I like your whole Vector prediction way better than what I came up with, but I was too lazy to change it at that point, so I ended up taking the Knuxpio route. :P Are you a fan of that pairing at all? I think it can be kinda cute at times. Hehe, so you think that Vector will find out about the kiss? Espio probably won't tell him, but maybe Knuckles will. If he does find out, he'll definitely get jealous though. Thanks for the review!**

**FullyEroded: Hehe, yup, Knuckles likes Esp! I think they make a pretty cute couple myself, but it's all a matter of opinion, I guess. xD Well, I know what the Hunger Games are about, I guess they just never caught my interest. Maybe I'll watch The Cabin in the Woods sometime though. It's okay if you like OCs. They're just not really my thing. :P Eh, well, I don't think I'll ever be a Tails fan tbh. He's still sort of one of my least favorite characters, but don't take offense to that or anything. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Toni the Mink: Yeah, I went the Knuxpio route. I actually don't mind that ship terribly. What about you? I'm glad that you liked the chapter, and yeah, I bet all of the readers wish that they were in Knuckles' shoes so they could comfort poor Esp. You know, that's a good point. So you think that Patricia will get a lot more hate than Knuckles even though Knuckles was the one who actually made a move on Esp? I've gotta admit that you're probably right. :P  
**

**PreyasRules: Hehe, well, there's nothing wrong with a crazy smile. I have a hard time smiling. I usually fake smiling, so it feels so weird when I really do smile. Omg, that guy sounds really great! So you think he likes you back? You're super lucky. I swear that I'm going to be single for life over here. *sadface* Exactly, Vanilla needs to learn to keep the curtains closed, geez! You were right! Great prediction! *high fives you* So, what did you think about the kiss? :P Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Thanks so much for reading!  
**

**TheMidnightShadow: I have no clue what the point of life is. :P It's something that I think about a lot, but it just makes me depressed, so I try not to think about it. xD  
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**NMason1997: I really love your car analogy! xD I take it that you were definitely not expecting the kissing scene in the last chapter. :P I don't think that most people were expecting it. I threw in a few hints like Knuckles giving Espio long looks and acting really defensive of him at times, but I don't think that did much. I'm so glad to hear that you liked the chapter so much though. Hopefully, there will be some more hard-hitting moments to come. Thank you so much for your review!**

**Saints-Fan-12: Interesting prediction! So you think that Espio's off to visit Charmy then? Thanks for reading!**

**LuluCalliope: Oh god, I get so freaked out when my computer crashes. I'm really defensive of it. Is your computer working okay now? And cool! I'll see if I can watch it over the weekend then. I like movies like that. xD  
**

**Savvy0417: Don't worry; Espio didn't seem to like the kiss very much, so you don't have to worry. There are a lot more Knouge references in this story actually. I'm guessing that you didn't expect Knuckles to have a crush on Espio? xD  
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**Andypandy123: I've had thoughts like that before too. Sometimes I experience them now, and yeah, they're definitely not fun. =/ So you think that Vector really doesn't like Espio anymore? I think that he's still just trying to deny the truth to himself. I've got the whole gang over here to help me with Vector, you know, Sonic, Knuckles, Blaze, Silver, Amy, etc. xD Hope you like this chapter!  
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**Spiiiii: You were waiting for this chapter? :P Gotta love Knuckles chapters! He still has several more appearances in this story actually, so you can keep a lookout for him. Good for you for throwing the pills out! Esp will thank you for that someday. Thanks for reading!  
**

**Gaymie: Yay, so you liked the kissing scene then? It's good for Espio to know that someone else might love him other than a certain croc who insists on acting like a jerk. I agree, Vector needs a slap or two. Random question, but what do you think of Knuckles/Espio? I'm a hardcore Vecpio supporter, but if Vecpio didn't exist, I'd support Knuxpio. Yeah, same here! It's like not even worth looking for new fics because of OCs these days. Is it just me or are OCs ruining the Sonic fandom? *shakes fist at OCs* I was starting to think that I was the only Sonic fan who didn't have an OC. x_x Yeah, keeping Shadow single makes the most sense to me although I have a thing for Mephadow. My favorite character? Definitely Scourge! Gotta love a bad boy. I dunno when I'm going to write my next Sonic fic, but the pairing for it is either going to be Manourge or Scouriana.  
**

**Regular sonic fan: The kiss was pretty surprising, wasn't it? xD What are your thoughts on Knuckles/Espio? I agree though, it was definitely nice of Knuckles to try and comfort poor Esp. You'd think that Vector could spend a little time away from Vanilla so he could spend a little time with Esp, but apparently not. =/ Oh god, yeah, I know that empty feeling so well. I hate it! I'll probably be on skype later in the evening this weekend because my mom is making me go out shopping with her during the days. *sadface* How about you? And aw, wow! I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! *huggles* Here's the next one!  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Hehe, well, Knuckles did jump to Esp's defense and he did keep staring at him at the cafe. xD I'm not so good with foreshadowing though. I think that I'm going to have to work on that unless being shocked is a good thing? Same thoughts about suicide, but you'll figure out whether or not I'm taking this story in that direction in this chapter. Yeah, this story is coming to an end. =/ I guess that it can't last for forever, huh? I'm going to miss posting it though. Oh yeah, I definitely agree with you there. You're pretty much asking to get flamed if you write a fic in weird POVs or unknown POVs like that. Yay for anti-school people! *high fives you* Damn, it sounds like you have some pretty awful teachers. I hate it when it seems like a teacher is out to get you. I mean, how fair is that? Have you had bad teachers all your life or has it mostly just been this year? I know what you mean about the people. I don't think that I've ever been a people person, but I've definitely become more of a recluse over the years. Hope you like this chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter CLXI  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

Some people can lie and not think twice about it. Hey, what's wrong with a little white lie? It can't hurt ya too much, right? Wrong. See, I'm not the type who can lie and then just let it go. The longer the lie goes on, the worse it gets until I feel like it's consuming me completely. That's how I feel right now. Things are startin' ta get crazy and it's all because I'm trying to live a lie. The lie is that I love Miss Vanilla because I don't. I've tried to love her, tried to date her, but it just ain't working for me. Our relationship is one-sided and it's driving me batty.

If Espio wasn't in my life, I could probably put up with the one-sided relationship I've got goin' with Miss Vanilla. There's nothing awful about the relationship. Miss Vanilla is kind and beautiful and I can't say that I don't enjoy our sex life. However, at the end of the day, sex is sex and love is love. They don't always go hand in hand, I'm learning. I'm never gonna be able to love Miss Vanilla because I love Espio. I gave him my heart months ago and I guess I never really got it back.

Problem is that I've been in this relationship for so long that it's going to be really hard to get out of now. I can't stand it though. Can't stand the constant day after day lying, can't stand to try and love someone I have no feelings for, and mainly can't stand the mess Espio is turning into.

Yup, Espio has definitely turned into a real mess. I've been avoiding him hoping that he'd get into a relationship and then he'd be off limits to me and I could stop longing for him. Didn't happen though. Espio is still single and is downright miserable. He's either on junk or pills because all he ever does is spend long hours alone in his bedroom and he's got the blank, zombie-like stare of a druggie in his eyes. I think that's what convinced me that sumthin' had to be done. I can't keep this up not for myself or Espio.

My heart is heavy and my feet drag along as I start up the familiar driveway to Miss Vanilla's house. I'm going to break up with her. I can't put it off any longer. I know, I know, I tried so damn hard to make her happy and to make things work for us, but it just isn't working any longer. Miss Vanilla deserves someone who really loves her, not someone who's longing for his bestest friend in the whole world.

...Say, is "bestest" even a word? Who knows? And really, who gives a damn? Here I am at Miss Vanilla's doorway and I still haven't got a clue what I'm gonna say to her. I figure that whatever I say should be quick and straight to the point. There's no use in prolonging this another second. It's been festering up inside of me like poison and now I've just gotta get it out.

Taking a deep breath, I raise a fist and knock tensely on the door. It only takes Miss Vanilla a few minutes to open it up for me, but it feels like I have to wait for forever. When the door opens, I'm shifting from foot to foot nervously, my pulse raising and my forehead sweating despite the unusual April snow out here.

"Hello, Vector, dear!" Miss Vanilla greets me with a warm smile. "Do come in! You know I've told you several times that there's no need for you to knock. You're more than welcome here."

"Er, thanks," I reply, stepping awkwardly inside the lavender-scented living room and wondering if I'll still be more than welcome in this place after I tell Miss Vanilla what I plan to say. Guess I might as well get this over with. Deciding not to bother with niceties, I scratch the back of my head and say in a rush, "Can I talk to yeh for a few minutes, ma'am? It's kinda important."

"You know you that don't have to ask to talk to me as well," Miss Vanilla replies fondly as she takes my hand gently in hers and leads me over to the couch. We both sit down before she looks me full in the face and asks kindly, "Now what is it that you'd like to speak with me about?"

"Well, it's kinda about us," I start out hesitantly. Dammit, I should have planned out what to say. My head has gone completely blank and now I'm gonna end up babbling. Taking a deep breath, I decide to listen to the old saying and just speak straight from my heart as I say, "I've really enjoyed spendin' time with ya, ma'am. Yer a wonderful person and ya deserve the best. See, the thing is that I can't give yeh the best treatment that ya deserve. I've tried to convince myself that I don't love Espio anymore, but it just ain't working. I still love him and I don't feel right being with you when I feel this way. I hope yeh understand, ma'am. I never meant ta break yer heart a second time. I just...can't let this go on anymore."

I'm not real sure what to expect from Miss Vanilla. She was okay with our breakup the first time, but things were way different that time than they are now. Back then, we only went on three dates and exchanged one kiss. This time, we've been dating for months and we've had sex countless times. Should I expect a blow up or a slap in the face? Can't say that I don't deserve it. In fact, I do deserve it. I deserve a slap and more for what I'm telling Miss Vanilla right now. I just can't keep living a lie though. Life's not meant to be lived that way.

After only a moment or two of silence, Miss Vanilla nods, her face quite expressionless for a moment before she offers me a sad sort of smile and admits, "I think I knew all along that you might want to return to Espio. That's why I asked if you wanted to get back together with him when he came home from the hospital."

I gulp, having had forgotten about this. I should have told Miss Vanilla then about my feelings for Esp instead of dragging this out for so long. Too late now. Looking guilty, I apologize, "I shoulda told ya that I wanted to get back with Esp then. I'm real sorry, ma'am. I just didn't want ta break yer heart again."

My eyes fall to the floor until I feel a gentle hand on mine. Looking kindly into my eyes, Miss Vanilla replies, "It's alright, dear. I knew all along that this day was going to come."

"Yeh did?" I ask in confusion, raising a quizzical eyebrow at the woman I've just broken up with.

"Yes. Everyone knows how perfect of a couple you and Espio make. I don't think that anyone expected you to keep dating me after Espio returned home from the hospital. I appreciate you trying to make things work between us. It was very sweet of you," Miss Vanilla admits understandingly, only a bit of hurt in her eyes.

"I'm glad ya understand. I tried really hard ta make it work and-" I start out until Miss Vanilla cuts me off by placing a gentle fingertip against my lips.

"I know, dear. You did try very hard and I appreciate all of your efforts. I've enjoyed every moment of our time together. Espio needs you more than I do though. Go and make him happy, but first, I have something that I would like to give you," Miss Vanilla says, turning and reaching over the arm of the sofa for something or the other.

Guilt floods over me in full force. Not only is Miss Vanilla not mad at me, but she wants ta give me presents too? This ain't right! Shaking my head, I hold up my hands and reply, "Yeh really don't have to give me anything, ma'am! I already feel in debt to ya as it is. The last thing yeh need to do is give me a gift."

Miss Vanilla hands me the laptop I've been using almost constantly to search information regarding Liam and Darryl on. When I don't take it, she sets it on my lap and says, "I know that you don't have a computer of your own. Please take this. I never use the computer and Cream is a bit too young to get addicted to electronics. I know that you will use it will."

"But it's yer laptop!" I protest, unable to reject it completely because the truth is that I really _do _want a laptop. "I shouldn't take it..."

"Yes, you should," Miss Vanilla replies calmly but firmly. She stands up and waits for me to do the same. As I stumble to my feet, laptop awkwardly clutched in my hands, Miss Vanilla presses, "I have no use for the computer. I know that you need one for your detective work though. Take good care of it and go tell Espio your good news. Thank you for everything, Vector."

For the last time, Miss Vanilla leans close to me and presses an innocent kiss on my cheek. My eyes water a bit at the gorgeous rabbit's generosity. I give her a sentimental smile and reply in a shaky voice, "No, thank _you_. Really. You've done so much fer me. I'll try and repay ya someday. I promise!"

With that said, I take the few steps out of the house and into a sunny April afternoon. The bright sunlight glitters on the snow and lifts my mood. I feel as if the heavy chain I've been draggin' along has finally been lifted off of my shoulders again. I'm free to do whatever I want now! I'm no longer obligated to Miss Vanilla and I can ask Esp out again! Well, not right away though. I've treated him pretty crappy lately. It would be wrong of me to just go up to him and ask him if I can date him again. First, I've gotta win his friendship back and then take things from there.

'Course, the top priority on my list is Liam and Darryl still though. I just can't quite sit still knowin' that those two bastards are out there living perfectly happy lives after everything they put Espio through. Once I've gotten revenge on those two idiots, I'll completely devote my time and affection to Espio.

I crank up the volume to my music and bob my head along to it cheerfully as I stride down the sidewalk back to Espio's house. I arrive there moments later and burst through the door. There's no sign of Charmy or Espio anywhere. Hm. Charmy is probably playing with Cream and Espio is probably napping. I won't disturb him for now.

Deciding to play with my new toy, I plop down on the couch and flip open the laptop. Miss Vanilla shouldn't have given it to me, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not glad that she did. I've wanted my own computer for a real long time now. My dream has finally come true!

Still banging my head up and down to my tunes, I pull up the web browser and type the familiar names of Liam the chameleon and Darryl the chameleon into the search box. The web browser only takes a few minutes before it lists my results. Leaning forward, I skim the results on the computer screen and suddenly see something that looks interesting. It's a link to a bar on the south side of town. Curiosity takes over and I click on the link. Two seconds later, I'm readin' all about the bar in the sleazy part of the town. Apparently, it used to be owned by Bryce, but now Liam has taken it over. It says that he's the owner right here on this webpage!

Excitement floods through me. After having no luck with my search for months, I've finally got a lead! I know where to find Liam! I'm pretty damn sure that Darryl will be wherever Liam is. There's no time to waste! I'm gonna go out and do my duty to Espio by distributing justice.

I hurry to my feet and grab Espio's gun out from under the sofa. Yeah, I know, crazy place to put it, but at least I could be sure that Charmy wouldn't find it there. My feet bring me towards the door, my head replaying gruesome scenes of Liam and Darryl holding Espio down, kissing him, biting him, raping him...

Speaking of Espio, I should really let him know that I'm goin' out for a bit and check to make sure that he doesn't need anything first. Mind mostly on Liam and Darryl, I forget that I'm still holding the gun and go charging down the hallway before I burst into Espio's room without knocking. The little chameleon is sitting on the bed facing away from me. I chew my lip when I see him. He doesn't look drugged up anymore, but his ribs are showing again and he looks like he's turning into a ghost.

"I'm goin' out for a while, Esp. Do ya need anything before I leave?" I ask the smaller reptile who still hasn't turned to look at me yet.

"No, I'm fine," Espio sighs in a weighted tone of voice as he slowly turns to look at me. His eyes suddenly focus in on the gun and he frowns immediately, asking, "What are you doing with that gun?!"

"Er, nothing!" I try to deny the truth, but Espio give me a look that tells me that he's not gonna take crap from me right now. Sighing, I admit, "Well, if ya need to know, I got a lead on where to round up two criminals. I'm off ta do 'em some justice."

"Are you _sure_ that you need to do this, Vector?" Espio asks, still looking suspicious. "Violence is never the answer to anything."

An itch at the back of my neck is suddenly irritating me. I drop the gun at the foot of the bed as I reach up to slap the itch away, replying, "Yeah, but Liam an' Darryl deserve it! Those bloody bastards are gonna pay up!"

"Did you just say Liam and Darryl?" Espio asks, voice suddenly deadly quiet. Oops, did I just say sumthin' that I shouldn't? Espio's voice quakes as he continues on, "How did you know about them?"

"I...uh...well..." I stammer, trying to figure out if there's a way I could have found out about the two bastard chameleons without having watched the films of Espio being humiliated and abused.

"Tell me, Vector," Espio's voice is low, dangerous, and demanding. Argh, I can't think of anything to say to this. I stay stupidly silent as realization floods Espio's amber eyes. He suddenly freezes and whispers, "You watched the tapes, didn't you?"

"Um, yeah, kinda," I admit sheepishly.

Espio's face turns paper white and he turns away from me, his whole figure literally crumpling before my eyes as he whispers in shock, "That's why you look at me differently...I never thought...I never wanted...the embarrassment of it all..."

Espio trails off and I can't help but feel bad. I don't wanna sit and chit chat with him right now though. Adrenaline is pulsing through my veins and I gotta get my revenge over with and then take care of Espio. Taking a step backward, I say, "Look, we'll talk when I come back, alright? I've got a mission to go on."

The tiny reptile doesn't turn back to me, but says in a barely audible voice, "Revenge isn't going to help me now. You always say that we'll talk later, but you never mean it."

I wanna deny it, but Espio is actually right. I have said that a few times and not followed through with it. Praying that he'll understand until I can explain later, I say, "Well, it's gonna help me. I swear that we'll talk later. I mean it this time. Just hold tight and I'll be back shortly."

Espio doesn't reply and I take that as an okay from him. Mind still focused, I turn and tramp through the bedroom door, shutting it behind me. As I start back down the hallway, I think more about Espio. He seems a lot more depressed than I realized. Have I been blind this whole time or has his depression started up recently? Oh well, a little crocodile charm on my part will cheer him up just as soon as I get this little matter of business over with.

I approach the door to the house and suddenly realize that I left the gun on Espio's bed. Gah, I can be so stupid sometimes. I ain't goin' nowhere without that gun! Shaking my head at my own forgetfulness, I turn and stamp back towards the bedroom, throwing the door open as I start to open my mouth to speak.

Suddenly, I freeze. The blood drains from my face and all thoughts of Liam and Darryl vanish from my mind as I look upon a horrific scene in front of me. Espio is sitting cross-legged on the bed with closed eyes. He looks like he could be meditating, but he sure as hell ain't meditating because the gun is in his right hand and the chameleon has it pressed against his forehead with his finger on the trigger.

* * *

_Here's a dramatic cliffhanger for you! xD Do you think that Espio will pull the trigger? Review please! :)_


	162. Failed Attempts

**AngelLux13: Knouge is my favorite Knuckles pairing too actually. And yep, Vector finally told the truth! It's about time the stupid croc told the truth. I honestly don't think that suicide is a "sin" or for cowards. I think that it's just for people who have it so rough in life that they don't see any point in it anymore if that makes sense? Thanks again about my parents. Things got...um...out of control here today, but I won't bore you with the details. I really hope that you have fun at prom. It sounds like so much fun. Eh, well, I don't have any irl friends, so I'd be a loner if I went so I'm staying home. Let me know how it goes for you though.  
**

**FullyEroded: You have a good point - at least Vector broke up with Vanilla! *cheers* And yeah ,of course Vector had to leave the gun in Espio's room. *rolls eyes at Vector* Hm, I'm not sure what I'm going to get my name changed to. Maybe Lisa or Aubrey or something like that? I always thought that those were pretty names. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Toni the Mink: You thought that it was a twist? I tried to foreshadow Espio getting to this point, but I suck at foreshadowing. :P At least Vector got his thoughts straightened around though. I guess there's an up for every down, huh? I do tend to write tragic stories mainly because life isn't a fairytale and there aren't usually happy ends irl (I'm a pessimist), so why should there be happy endings in fics all of the time, you know? Thanks for reading.  
**

**Saints-Fan-12: Same thoughts here. There's just something...weird about Miss Vanilla, don't you think? Vector belongs with Espio. Thanks for reading!**

**Guest: Are big cliffhangers a good thing? xD This is probably the most dramatic point from now until the end of the story (which is actually coming up rather quickly D:). Same thoughts here about Vector. If he goes about trying to stop Espio in the wrong way, Esp will end up with a bullet in his head. The only problem with Vector telling the truth to Espio now is that how is Esp supposed to know if it's the truth or not after how much Vector has lied to him, you know? =/ Hehe, well, I really do love your predictions! They always make a lot of sense and you look into the details which I think is super awesome. Same thoughts here about Knuxpio! I think that it's a cute pairing although I'd probably never actually write it because I'm a Vecpio shipper. I like a lot of Sonic slash pairings too (as if that wasn't obvious xD). What are some of your favorites? **

**LuluCalliope: I'm really sorry about your computer. Does your dad have any idea what's wrong with it? I hope that he fixes it soon. I don't have Netflix unfortunately, but I can probably find it online somewhere if I look hard enough.  
**

**Savvy0417: I'm with you there; things could get a lot better for Espio if he just holds on a little longer. Vector finally has his priorities in check at least. Thanks for reading. :)  
**

**Andypandy123: I'm sending Vector over right now! Let's hope that he can work his supposed crocodile charm on Espio. But nooo, don't die from the suspense! D: That would make Espio sad, I'm sure! I understand what you mean about Espio being too good for Vector. He seems more committed to their relationship, doesn't he? I'm crossing my fingers that you don't end up in the hospital someday. I've been there several times over the last few years and it is NOT a place you want to go. =/ Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Spiiiii: *crosses fingers for Espio not to pull the trigger* Lol, you're fine. I think that everyone reading this likes Knuckles to some extent. I mean, who wouldn't like Knuckles? If Espio doesn't thank you sooner or later, I'll march him over to your place and make him do it. :P  
**

**Gaymie: You're totally right; it's way more likely that he will than won't pull the trigger at this point. Vector is such an idiot, isn't he? I think that Knuxpio is pretty interesting. It's actually kind of a shame that it's not more popular. Ooo, you like Scourge? Awesome! *high fives you* I really wish that he would appear in the games too. I mean, why the hell not? Well, I am planning on writing a Manourge fic at some point, so maybe you'd like it read it? :) I'm not sure how popular of a pairing it is, but I really like it. Omg, I love the Sonic 06 cutscenes! I frigging love Mephiles. :P I got a lot of Mephadow plot ideas from it. Are you a fan of the cutscenes as well? Thanks for reading. ^^  
**

**Regular sonic fan: Sorry! You know me, I just love my cliffhangers. :P Let's definitely hope that Vector can save Espio in time. *joins you in jumping up and down* We were definitely waiting for Vector to break up with Vanilla, weren't we? At least he's finally gotten that slutty rabbit out of his life! I'm so glad that you liked the chapter so much! Hopefully, this next one will be just as good. Knouge is my favorite Knuckles pairing as well. The way Rouge gets Knuckles all flustered is pretty cute. It would be nice if we could chat over the weekend. I almost got sent away today and I could definitely use someone to talk to. :S Sometimes I feel like I can't handle my real life problems, you know? Anyway, thanks for your support! *hugs tight* You're a great friend.  
**

**InsertUnoriginalPenNameHere: Noooooo, don't cry on the floor! *hands you tissues* Vector does have a way from going from good to bad, doesn't he? Same thoughts here about Vector and Vanilla. If only Vector realized that he should have broken up with Vanilla sooner! Lol, I still think that I'm bad at foreshadowing. I think that I'm a really subtle foreshadower, so if you don't like analyze the story in insane detail, it's hard to pick up on the hints. Wow, really? You'll post whatever story I write after this one? Thanks, you're the best! I'm sorta thinking about dabbling in the Mario section for a bit though, so you may have to wait a bit if you're just interested in Sonic stories. Oh my god, your mom sounds exactly like me. I hate going places too, but then again, I'm super self conscious, so maybe it has to do with that? It's weird how people change so much in their lives, isn't it? Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter CLXII  
**

_~ Vector's POV ~_**  
**

For a very long moment, everything is frozen. I hold my breath, my voice stuck somewhere in my throat and my heart at a standstill. Any wrong move on my part will send the chameleon into the next world. Some people might be able to survive a gunshot, but Espio? No way. What the hell am I supposed to do in this situation? I don't wanna startle him into pulling the trigger of the deadly weapon, but I've obviously gotta do sumthin'! Should I talk to him or try and wrestle the damn thing out of his hand?

Talking usually seems to work best with Espio, so I decide to gamble and take one step forward, my voice firm even though I'm breakin' down inside, "Espio, put the gun down..."

The chameleon's eyes flash open and meet my horrified gaze. In his unguarded amber irises, I see hurt, pain, and most of all, betrayal. How come I have a real good feeling that I'm responsible for all these emotions etched across his face. I knew that Espio was depressed, yeah, but to the point of suicide? Hell no! I should have spent more time with him, should have broken up with Miss Vanilla sooner.

"Look, Esp, I'm beggin' ya, don't do this. We'll work through everything. I swear to yeh that things will be better now," I beg the little chameleon to drop the weapon, but my words fall on deaf ears. I can see from the way Espio's hand is clenched around the shiny piece of metal that he has no intention of putting it down. His finger is still on the trigger. Just one squeeze and Espio will have a bullet lodged in his brain. What do I do now? Talking isn't working and I know that I'm slower than Espio. If he pulls the trigger, we're both doomed.

That's when it happens. I think I knew all along just when Espio was gonna try and end his pain. Just as he pulls the trigger, I lunge forwards and grab his wrist, directing the gun upward. A thunderous boom echoes through the room as the shot misses its mark and flies through the ceiling. Not having time to worry about anything else, I try and struggle the weapon out of Espio's hand. Despite how weak he appears to be at the moment, the smaller reptile's grip is surprisingly strong. We battle with the gun for a long moment before the door bursts open.

Hands still clutching at the gun with an iron grip, Espio and I both turn to look towards the door. Charmy is hovering there hesitantly with big eyes. He opens and shuts his mouth a few times before he asks in a trembling voice, "W-what's going on? Why do you guys have a gun? Are you t-trying to hurt each other?"

"Charmy, get outta here right now," I order in a low voice that means I expect no crap from him right now. When there's a gun and a suicidal chameleon in the room, no one is safe.

"B-but..." Charmy's lip trembles and he looks like he's going to try to protest.

At this point, I've gained a few paternal instincts when it comes to Charmy and those instincts scream at me to get him the hell outta this room before something bad happens. As I turn to Charmy, I feel Espio's grip sliding just a bit. Sending the bee one of my most menacing crocodile looks, I yell, "GET OUT!"

Luckily, I don't have to repeat myself again. Charmy disappears from the doorway, his sobs echoing down the hallway. Before Espio can tighten his grip on the gun again, I use the rest of my remaining strength and yank it out of his grasp. Espio cringes as I bash the piece of metal against the wall before bending it easily between my hands. Ruined and useless, I throw the weapon almost violently into the corner of the room, my head still whirling around as I try and register what Espio just tried to do.

I turn back to the bed, unsure what to expect from the bony reptile huddling there. His eyes are squeezed shut and he has his knees pulled up to his chest. He's not much to look at, but he's stolen my heart and I care for him way more then I've ever cared for myself. I'm not sure whether to be sad, angry, or just plain confused as I start back towards the bed.

Espio, who's always had good senses, turns slightly in my direction even though he still has his eyes closed and whispers in a blank voice, "Why did you do that?"

"Me?" I repeat him, now utterly bewildered. I come to standstill before the pale huddle on the bed and ask incredulously, "Yer honestly asking_ me_ why I just destroyed the gun?"

"Yes," Espio's whisper comes back plain and clear. "You should have given it back to me."

His voice is steady, but I know that it's only a mask. Just below the scales, my buddy is breaking down inside, crumbling into pieces of self-loathing and hopelessness. Guess I should have noticed earlier that he was spiraling down the tunnel of depression that would only lead to one certain place, but I was too busy dealin' with my own problems and Miss Vanilla to worry about Espio at the time. I should have paid more attention to him. I'm such an idiot!

"Why?" I demand, my voice gruff and angry as I fight a chaos of emotions pooling up inside of me. "Do ya really want ta leave us? What about Charmy? Did yeh see him just now? Do ya know what he'd go through if ya left him here? The kid loves yeh so much, Esp. He'd be in tears for the rest of his life."

"Charmy would only miss me for so long," Espio replies, the topic of the little bee not breaking his resolve for the first time ever. "Time goes on. People change. They learn to forget."

A big, fat lump forms in my throat at Espio's words. Never before have I heard him talk like this. Geez, he must be really desperate. Deciding to press the subject of Charmy since he's the one Espio cares about most, I push, "Nobody ever forgets about the ones they love the most. Charmy would-"

"Forget me over time," Espio's voice cuts easily through mine despite the fact that his voice is barely audible. His eyes open and I see a world full of pain and despair in them as he goes on, "I can only do so much for Charmy. I've done everything that I can for him and for you. I gave up my body and my soul to keep the two of you safe. What more do you want from me? I'm only a chameleon. I'm not god."

"I want ya here with me and Charmy!" I reply fervently, sitting down on the bed besides Espio and ignoring the loud groan of the creaking bed springs as I plop down beside him. I reach out to touch the pale figure, but then think better of it. Trying a different approach, I ask, "If ya can't go on for Charmy, then what about for me? Do yeh really wanna leave me here all alone?"

"W-what?" Espio's voice cracks in a broken laugh as he turns to look at me with irony, his sad, haunted eyes boring straight through my scales as he goes on, "Don't even _try_ to pull that one off on me, Vector. I may have lost my dignity, but I have not lost my senses. You've been practically attached to Miss Vanilla's side since I came back here. I never blamed you for it, but I did hope that we could at least be friends. You refused my friendship though. You decided that you were better than what I had become and avoided me at all costs. I know why now. You watched those videos. I...I never thought that you of all people would have gotten ahold of them. Now you know everything. You know what I went through, you know how I was forced to barter myself for my cousin, and you know that I am scarred from it. I'm not the same person I was and it's clear that you despise me. I don't know why you didn't let me end this."

"Ending yer life is never the answer. It's the cowardly way out," I shake my head vigorously, "Besides, you've got the rest of that all wrong. Let me at least try and explain how I've been actin' towards yeh."

"Suicide is not for cowards, Vector. It's for the people who simply have no will to go on," Espio rephrases my words, his eyes suddenly smoldering behind the bright amber irises as he hisses, "I've been to hell and back. It's not a nice place, but I'm willing to choose it over the people I love acting as if I'm poison day after day. Do you have any idea what you've put me through? Any idea at all?"

A torrent of guilt rains down on me. I feel myself drowning in it as Espio starts to shake. His whole body trembles and he bites his lip, clearly trying to maintain his dignity or whatever despite the fact that he just tried to kill himself and the fact that he finally showed me the truth. Looking through Espio's eyes, I can easily see why he thought that I was avoiding him and why he thought that I hated him. Oh god, I can't believe the way I've treated him over the last month. He needed me way more than Miss Vanilla and I was too stupid to notice that until Espio practically slipped right on out of my life.

Before I can speak, Espio suddenly chokes and clutches at his stomach. Turning to one side of the bed, I listen to the splattering of liquid hitting the floor as Espio vomits. When he's done, I glance over the side of the bed and notice that the foul-smelling substance is clear. How long has it been since the chameleon ate? One day or one week?

"Look, Espio, you've gotta listen to me," I state, trying to get the tiny reptile to look at me. He refuses. Okay, so maybe the gentler approach will work with him. Taking a deep breath, I plead, "C'mon, just listen to me, alright? Please? You've obviously got nothing to lose by listening to a croc's confessions for five minutes."

This time, I get Espio to raise his head and look at me. He doesn't say anything, but I consider this as progress. Now I've just gotta word my sentences the right way to get him to believe me. Argh, why is he the one who has a way with words and not me?

"Okay, I guess that I'd better start from the beginning," I start out, trying to buy myself time as I figure out what I'm gonna say. "When I brought ya to the hospital after finding you with yer cousin, I'll admit that I thought that ya had died on me. When the nurses told me how you had been drugged, I figured that you would wake up and be a totally different person."

"But I did wake up and I wasn't a different person," Espio interjects, his patience wearing quickly.

"I know that yeh weren't. That's what made it so much more difficult. I was already with Miss Vanilla, so what could I do? I get that I should have broken up with her right away, but it seemed like such a wrong thing to do at the time and I didn't wanna go around causing anyone anymore pain," I confess guiltily. "So instead of spendin' time with yeh, I avoided ya. I thought that my feelings for you would go away if we didn't interact with each other."

I allow these words to sink in for a moment as Espio thinks things through. He tilts his head in puzzlement as he asks, "That's why you were avoiding me?"

"Yeah. It was a stupid reason, I know, but I was caught between you and Miss Vanilla and didn't know what to do. That's why I decided to try and distract myself with hunting Liam and Darryl down. It gave me sumthin' ta think about other than you and Miss Vanilla. I felt so damn guilty living a lie day after day. You've got no idea how hard that was for me," I trail off before sending Espio a half-smile and adding, "Er, maybe ya do. You've had it way harder than me."

Espio doesn't smile back, but he does ask, "You were avoiding me because of your relationship with Vanilla? It didn't have anything to do with those films?"

I'm a terrible liar and so I decide not to lie. Starting out hesitantly, I say, "I'll admit that those tapes kinda scarred me. The things those bastards did to ya...lemme just say that I had no idea anyone of this world could be so damn cruel to another being. I don't think yer worth any less than ya were before though if that's where yer goin' with this. I still love ya like I did before yeh were taken by yer cousin. It doesn't matter to me who's done what with yer body. Yer still beautiful and yer still my little angel. I'm so sorry for everything I've done."

Espio bites his lip until I see a trickle of blood running down from it. Shooting me a long glance from out of the corner of his eye, Espio asks, "Then what's going to change, Vector?"

"I broke up with Miss Vanilla earlier today actually," I reply immediately, very glad that I didn't wake another day for the break up. "It felt so good to walk outta her house free of obligations. Guess what? She even gave me her brand spankin' new laptop! Now we've got two computers for the detective agency, but this new one works a hell of a lot faster than the other one. ...Ya know that there would be no detective agency without yeh, right?"

Espio is chewing on his lip again, unaware of the droplet of blood that trickles down his chin and falls onto his slender thigh. He points out with just a hint of irony in his voice, "You had Team Chaos without me. Please tell me something, Vector. _ Why_ did you break up with Vanilla? She's beautiful, kind, and gentle. I know that you had everything with her. You had a wonderful, loyal partner and I know that you two...loved each other."

I can tell that Espio means that we had sex, but Espio doesn't talk dirty so he always phrases stuff as cleanly as possible. I throw my hands up in the air and reply, "It's because I love you, Espio! I had feelings for ya from day one and my heart hasn't wavered since. Sure, we've had our differences, but every couple does."

Silence falls throughout the room. Argh, I'm not helping Espio at all!

"Esp, tell me what I can do to convince ya that this life is worth living," I beg, reaching out and taking one of the chameleon's freezing cold hands into one of my large ones. "I'll do anything for yeh. I promise."

* * *

_A/N: This is very unrelated to my story, but I am having an extremely rough time irl. I almost got sent to a clinic in this hospital in Oregon (yes, frigging Oregon, which is like...across the country from where I live D:) and things are getting a lot worse for me at home. I kind of feel a lot like Espio in my story right now, not because I have relationship problems, but more because I'm at wit's end with life and all of its crap. If anyone wants to talk to me or PM me, I'd be grateful. I can't say that I'm going to be great to talk to right now, but I kind of need someone to talk to if that makes any sense? I don't have any friends irl, so you guys are all I've got really. Anyway, sorry about the little rant there, but yeah...I just need help right now. :S  
_

_On another note, back to the story. __Do you think that Vector will manage to get Espio to reconsider? Review please!  
_


	163. IMPORTANT NOTE

**Hey guys. First of all, I want to say thank you very much for the support you've given me. You guys are the greatest! Unfortunately, things in life have gone from bad to worse and it's looking like I'm going to get sent away for a little while. It's a decision that my parents made, not me. I don't get any choice in the matter, which is really a shame considering the fact that I'll be eighteen in only two months. Anyway, it's going to be hell at the place where I'm going, so please pray for me/wish me luck. I won't be able to continue this story while I'm gone, but I swear to you that I will finish posting this story as soon as I come back. There is absolutely nothing worse than an unfinished story imo. So...I guess that's it. I love you all and you've been super amazing friends to me over the last few months. Please don't forget me and I promise that I will come back someday. Bye for now, you guys. I will miss you all soooooooo much. **


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